Arca

Arca, the professional name of Venezuelan musician and producer Alejandra Ghersi Rodríguez, brought together IDM, reggaeton, avant-pop, techno and ambient across the five-part Kick series, released between 2020 and 2021. Beginning with Kick I and concluding with Kick IIIII, the quintet followed a run of records that had steadily expanded Arca’s work from abrasive electronic production into vocal-led songwriting and club music.

Born on October 14, 1989, Ghersi began releasing music as Nuuro before attending the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. The Arca project emerged with the 2012 EP Baron Libre, followed by Stretch 1 and Stretch 2. The latter incorporated hip hop elements and drew attention from major music publications. Arca’s first full-length albums, Xen in 2014 and Mutant in 2015, established a densely sculpted electronic sound. The self-titled 2017 album marked a significant shift, becoming the first Arca release to prominently feature Ghersi’s vocals.

Based in Barcelona, Spain, Ghersi has used Arca’s music to address gender identity, non-binary identification and psychosexuality, particularly after coming out in 2018. Alongside solo work, Ghersi has built an extensive production and collaboration catalogue. Production credits include Kanye West’s Yeezus, FKA Twigs’ EP2 and LP1, and Björk’s Vulnicura and Utopia. Ghersi has also contributed to recordings by Madonna, Kelela, the Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Planningtorock, Rosalía, Sia, Shygirl and Lil Uzi Vert.