Hanh Truong on August 14th, 2020

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It takes a lot of confidence to be a self-proclaimed king. But to be the king of being a bad bitch? That’s on another level. And it’s one where Areli Castro seems to have found her throne.

The El Paso-born singer unveiled her alt-rock pop persona “King Mala” in 2019, borrowing the Spanish word “mala,” which roughly translates to “bad bitch.” Castro debuted her talent of balancing her velvety voice with moments of raspy intone on “Hurricane” and followed this week with her third single, “Sugarblind,” on which she coos after a slippery bass line over minimal beats.

The latest song pairs well with her previous soft-rock single, “Shadows,” which came out earlier this year. Hankering for a sweet someone, she sings along to edgy bass notes and a peppy chorus. The young artist worked in collaboration with producer Rob Auerbach and John Greenham, who mastered the final product.

Castro made her way to the West Coast and transplanted herself in Los Angeles to work on her music. Most recently, she made a live-stream appearance on In Flight Music Group’s Corona Fest at their studio in downtown L.A. While on bass, King Mala performed a four-song set, including an unreleased song, “If I Try To Find You.”

King Mala has her debut EP on the way.

||| Stream: “Sugarblind” and “Hurricane”