The last time we posted about Javiera Mena was almost exactly a year ago when we put up a short roundup of new Chilean music. The writer of that post, Nadia Reiman, summed up Javiera succinctly and quite accurately: “Dancey, fun, amazing.” She is one of the shining stars of Chile's electropop scene, which is one of the best in the world, thanks in large part to the extremely prolific producer Cristián Heyne, a long-time collaborator with Javiera. For a rather jaw-dropping list of Heyne’s work, which dates back to 1993, take a look at his website’s discography.
The appropriately named “La Joya” shows off Heyne’s production style in top form--anthemic, upbeat, joyful electropop. Heyne’s production is well complemented by Javiera’s pop star presence and bouncy singing style. "La Joya" is also a tantalizing preview of her highly anticipated third album, the first since 2010.
The song's video has the whimsical, adventurous spirit and technicolor style that suits such an ebullient anthem. Javiera appears as pop culture heroines April O’Neill (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Modesty Blaise, Carmen Sandiego and the Invisible Woman against a propulsive, surreal, cartoonish backdrop of computer animated, pop-art style direction. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend three and a half minutes and makes us even more excited for that new album to drop. Check it out below!
