All Songs Considered: Alt.Latino

Rawayana on Their New Album and a Changing Venezuela

Air Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Ana Maria Sayer (with Isabela Gomez Sarmiento)
Guests: Fofo Stori and Beto Montenegro of Rawayana

Episode Overview

In this episode of Alt.Latino, Ana Maria Sayer and Isabela Gomez Sarmiento dive deep with Venezuelan band Rawayana (Fofo Stori and Beto Montenegro) into their new album, Donde está el After. The conversation explores the album’s sonic and cultural roots, the shifting realities of being Venezuelan amid historic political changes, and Rawayana’s musical approach to capturing the complexities of national identity, party culture, and resistance, especially in the wake of the ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Album’s Powerful Opening & The “Prediction” of Change

[00:40–04:15]

• The album opens with a bold line: “Raua wishes you a happy new year and may all the expletive expletives leave,” widely interpreted as a jab at President Maduro.
• Days after release, Maduro was ousted—leading many to see the lyric as prophetic.
• The band says this was not premeditated but rather a reflection of widespread Venezuelan sentiments.
  • Fofo Stori: “It was just about a feeling, you know, it was just letting it out, saying it out loud... just as a relief.” [04:15]
• The lyric’s ambiguity leaves room for listeners’ own interpretations—a core value in Rawayana’s approach.

2. Party Vibes and Sonic Diversity as a Metaphor for Venezuelan Life

[02:07–06:39]

• The album is musically structured like a house party—a deliberate thematic choice to capture both celebration and complexity.
  • Fofo Stori: “We were trying to figure out what was the best way to go about it, how direct, how fun to make it, how serious to make it.” [02:07]
• Incorporates “tambores de la costa” (Afro-Venezuelan drums) as a nod to festive traditions.
• The party element also reflects the juxtaposition of joy and hardship characteristic of contemporary Venezuelan existence.

3. Urban Music, Cultural Intersections, and Avoiding Labels

[06:39–10:28]

• Donde está el After draws heavily from Latin urban and Caribbean genres, especially those associated with Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
  • The song “Querico, Puerto Rico” honors Puerto Rico’s musical influence and Rawayana’s own ties to the island.
• The band resists being labeled as “alternative,” preferring to incorporate dance and pop elements.
  • Beto Montenegro: “I don't like when people label us in a way. So we decided to be influenced by these artists that have been making us dance through all these years.” [07:52]

4. Dominican Merengue-House Nostalgia & Musical Identity

[09:49–16:03]

• “Amor de Contrabando” features Dominican merenhouse and Magic Juan, reflecting the soundtracks of the band members' childhoods.
• Discuss nostalgic ties to 90s acts like Proyecto Uno, Sandy Papo, and El Alacrán.
  • Beto Montenegro: “Mine. Sandipapo. I was a huge Sandeepo fan. La Chica Sexy. ETI Huron from Proyecto Uno.” [14:29]
  • Fofo Stori: “It was so mainstream back in Venezuela... But then growing up... you start, like, digging it, how they came up with it and what was the context musically and culturally.” [14:56]
• Rawayana’s ethos: mixing their identity with what inspires them, extracting new personality from diverse musical roots.

5. Folkloric Depth and Duality: The Song “Tonada Por Ella”

[17:53–22:16]

• Late in the album, the track “Tonada Por Ella” delves into Venezuelan folk (“tonada”)—used traditionally to calm cows for milking.
  • Fofo Stori: “It’s sort of our version of yodeling, but I think ours is prettier.” [21:08]
• This song represents a shift from party to reflection within the album’s “house party” arc—a metaphor for emotional balance amidst chaos.
  • Beto Montenegro: “It’s fine that we are talking about sensuality and sex and funny stuff. But also we feel this way. And I feel that the tonada genre is the perfect context to say what we said in that song.” [18:33]

6. The Party as Resistance & the Reality of Venezuelan Happiness

[22:16–23:33]

• The album’s contrast—joy amid hardship—mirrors Venezuela’s social contradictions.
  • Beto Montenegro: “You would not imagine like a country ... always conflict would have so much happiness. ... Dancing is a way to resist any situation in a way, even that feels contradictory.” [22:54]
• Reference to cities like Berlin as places where historic trauma has evolved into vibrant music cultures.

7. Living Through Crisis: Skepticism, Resilience, and Future Hopes

[23:54–26:50]

• The band describes growing a “thick skin” from living through repeated historical upheavals.
  • Fofo Stori: “You also get this skepticism, you know, and you're still optimistic and hopeful, but also, you know, where to draw a line until what could actually happen actually happens.” [23:54]
• They acknowledge the confusion, rapid changes, and media manipulations of the current moment while trying to remain focused.
  • Beto Montenegro: “With this project, we don't have the answer of where is the after. But I definitely feel that we have to think about it. ... I hope, and not only that, I hope I'm convinced that we have learned this lesson and ... are ready to design a better future for us as a generation.” [25:21]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There’s no way you can plan anything like that ... it was just about a feeling, you know, it was just letting it out, saying it out loud in a way, just as a relief.”
  — Fofo Stori on the “predictive” lyric [04:15]

• “When you want people like, toxic people out from your life, in a way. No, but yeah, it was crazy, and it was, like, scary in a way. I was a little bit nervous, though.”
  — Beto Montenegro on the lyric’s implications [05:23]

• “Latin urban music became so big in pop culture, and in a way, we have been, like, in this alternative side of the industry that I really don't like that ... So we decided to be influenced by these artists that have been making us dance through all these years.”
  — Beto Montenegro [07:52]

• “Venezuela has always been like, a melting pot in that way. And Anglo music has always been around. ... Even the Afrobeats, like all of Caribbean music is derivative from West Africa mostly.”
  — Fofo Stori [12:36]

• “House parties are usually also longer parties. ... There's like the typical part where you're later on at night, you get a little bit philosophical and nostalgic. Like, it’s very real that there’s room for that in that type of context.”
  — Fofo Stori on the album’s party arc [21:19]

• “Dancing is a way to resist any situation in a way, even that feels contradictory.”
  — Beto Montenegro [22:54]

• “We have learned this lesson and ... are ready to design a better future for us as a generation. That's how I feel. That’s why we are so optimistic with the album and with the ideas and with celebrating, thinking about the future.”
  — Beto Montenegro [25:21–25:50]

Important Timestamps

• 00:40–01:25: The album’s opening lyric and its political context.
• 02:07–03:42: The party theme and Venezuelan Afro-drum traditions.
• 04:15–06:39: Reaction to Maduro’s ousting; universality of the album’s message.
• 07:52–10:28: Puerto Rican and urban Latin influences; resistance to being labeled “alternative.”
• 14:26–16:03: 90s merengue-house nostalgia and Rawayana’s ongoing musical fusion.
• 17:53–22:16: “Tonada Por Ella”: embracing folkloric roots for emotional depth.
• 22:54: The paradox of Venezuelan happiness and the role of dance and celebration as resistance.
• 23:54–26:50: Living through crisis, skepticism, hope, and future thinking.

Tone and Atmosphere

The conversation is warm, genuine, and candid, oscillating between humor, nostalgia, and deeply felt reflections on identity and resilience. The band’s outlook, even amid national uncertainty, is defined by a blend of cautious hope, creative ambition, and a passionate embrace of Venezuela’s cultural contradictions.

For anyone curious about Venezuelan music, Rawayana’s artistic journey, or how artists grapple with evolving national identity during times of upheaval, this episode is a vibrant, thought-provoking listen.