2024 Will Be the 12 months of Ivy Queen

The legendary Ivy Queen — sometimes called the Queen of Reggaetón or La Caballota — as soon as mentioned in an interview, “Within the life of each girl, there is a level if you blossom and if you flourish.” And for Ivy Queen, after many years of cementing her place as a pioneer of the style, that point is now.

Born Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez, Ivy Queen first turned acknowledged within the reggaetón scene again within the ’90s, when the style was nonetheless thought-about underground. She was the primary feminine member of the all-male rap collective shaped on the studios of The Noise, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. And her first stay efficiency — the place she rapped “Somos Raperos Pero no Delincuentes” (“We Are Rappers Not Delinquents”), carrying what would then develop into her signature fashion of outsized denims, a T-shirt, braids, and lengthy acrylic nails — launched her on a legendary profession. She has since created music that has empowered generations of girls, inspiring at the moment’s reggaetón feminist wave and artists like Karol G, Becky G, Natti Natasha, RaiNao, Younger Miko, Villano Antillano, and extra.

As we speak, La Caballota is in her blooming period and eventually receiving her much-deserved flowers. Simply take a look at her accolades prior to now few years, from internet hosting Spotify and Futuro Studios’ “Loud,” a podcast that reveals the true historical past of reggaetón, to being honored on the thirty fifth version of Premio Lo Nuestro with the Premio Lo Nuestro Legado Musical Al Genero Urbano Award final yr, to receiving the Icon Award on the Billboard Latin Music Awards for her contributions to the male-dominated style.

We not too long ago caught up with Ivy Queen backstage at San Juan’s Distrito T-Cell proper earlier than rehearsals for Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest in Puerto Rico. The reggaetonera regarded extra peaceable than ever with a white candle lit proper in entrance of her. Ivy refers to herself as a really non secular individual, and he or she does not go anyplace with no vela blanca. (In October, for instance, she appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk and lit a candle throughout her efficiency that had a picture of Unhealthy Bunny on it.)

“The vela represents mild and those who have handed,” Ivy Queen tells POPSUGAR. “As an illustration, my father handed away, and I really feel his spirit is all the time with me. My father was a musician. He used to play guitar . . . when he handed, I used to be at a live performance and I had this sense earlier than after I was taking a shower [earlier that day], that I needed to go to him on the hospital. Via my thoughts I saved saying, ‘Look ahead to me, look ahead to me, please papi, look ahead to me.’ I simply had that [intuitive feeling].”

Ivy explains that the candle additionally serves as a non secular device she makes use of to cleanse any house that she enters to guard her power. It was one thing she realized very early on in her profession, as she navigated a style and a world that was totally dominated by males.

A part of that navigation got here by way of the celebs — actually. Within the early days of her profession, Ivy began diving into astrology to know her strengths and her weaknesses as she moved up within the music business. “I realized the weather. I realized my start chart. I requested my mom what time I used to be born,” she says. “It was across the ’90s, [and] I used to like Walter Mercado. Each time his present would come on, they’d present the wheel and I used to be like, what the f**ok is that this? So, I began to study my signal and I used to be all the time dominated by my signal. I do know it is a water signal. I do know what indicators do not match relating to enterprise.”

Ivy’s solar signal placement is in Pisces; her moon is in Sagittarius; and her rising is in Scorpio.

“With the Scorpio, I’ve to guard my power,” she says pointing to the white candle. Whereas Mercado was one of many solely mainstream figures on the time who had a complete program devoted to Latine spirituality and astrology, he wasn’t the one one who impressed Ivy’s non secular journey.

“My favourite artist was Celia Cruz. She got here from Cuba, which is likely one of the homes of the spirits. It comes from Mom Africa — la madre tierra. So actually I realized watching these individuals,” she remembers. “Walter was additionally a Pisces. I used to be like, let me see if he solely talks in regards to the good elements of that signal as a result of he is a Pisces however no. These are stuff I want that they taught us at a younger age to embrace. the mothers and abuelas that have been curanderas — I used to be raised by that.”

At 51, Ivy Queen appears higher than ever. Her pores and skin continues to be youthful and radiates from inside. Her lengthy blonde extensions hit previous her hips. Ivy additionally nonetheless sports activities the lengthy and suave acrylic nails she’s develop into recognized for, however her most noteworthy trait is how she carries herself with grace, confidence, and poise. She credit her spirituality to taking part in an enormous function in how she’s realized to embrace her divine female power.

“You need to appeal to the power,” she explains. “When you really feel such as you’re all f**ked up, vieja y jodida [old and messed up], your physique will react to that. La mente es bien peligrosa, pero tambien es bien poderosa [the mind is very dangerous but it is also very powerful]. Like, [it’s about] how are you going to make use of your powers, you recognize?”

It is no shock that Ivy is an enormous believer within the legislation of attraction and manifestation. For her, that comes within the type of writing and praying — to God, to the Angel de la Guarda, and to her ancestors. La Caballota has additionally realized to be nonetheless and take note of the indicators. This yr, she needs to lastly test some main objectives off her bucket record.

“I shall be touring [this year]. I wished to start out in Puerto Rico as a result of I am from right here. Then I announce the tour within the US — the dates,” she says. “After which I determine if the story of my life goes to be a collection or a film. I shall be producing it.”

Proper earlier than Ivy Queen rang within the new yr, she already observed some indicators confirming that 2024 goes to be the yr she spreads her wings and sees all these objectives manifest into actuality.

On Dec. 30, her daughter landed in Puerto Rico, a day earlier than Ivy Queen carried out at Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New 12 months’s Eve, and gifted her a monkey plushie with just a little hat and the Puerto Rican flag. The reggaetonera determined to take the plushie together with her in every single place for good luck, and on the seaside, she observed a black and white feather that appeared out of the blue. She additionally observed a crow standing on a department proper behind the plushie. For her, these have been all indicators.

“I used to be asking for 2024 [to be the year] I have to elevate. I used to be asking the spirits like Venus as a result of she’s the Goddess of affection, I used to be asking for indicators . . . ship me an indication,” she says. “I see it as possibly the feather is an indication that I am flying to a different step. I wish to be shifting rather a lot, and birds, they go in every single place. So, I take note of indicators and I put my very own that means behind it. I took it like, OK 2024, I’ll be busy and I will be doing nicely.”

Contemplating la reina’s monitor document for manifesting all of the profession milestones she’s set for herself, we have now little doubt that 2024 would be the yr of Ivy Queen