La Sista

Reggaetón – the male-dominated genre known for perreo – may have found a revolutionary voice in a short, heavy-set female known simply as La Sista. Born Maidel Amador Canales in Loíza, Puerto Rico, the 24-year-old joins a modest list of female reggaetóneras that includes Oriquidea Negra, Glory and Ivy Queen.

Canales rose to fame at the age of 19 when she placed second in “La Casa Under,” Puerto Rico’s reggaeton-themed answer to “American Idol”. Her success on the show led to collaborations with Calle 13’s Residente, Jerry Rivera and Andy Montanez. Her detractors make much of her physical appearance – but she shrugs it off, countering: “reggaetón is dominated by machismo. I’m not the prototype of a female reggaetón icon – I’m short and fat. But everything I have achieved has been because of my talent, a lot of suffering, crying and a lot of fighting.”

La Sista’s debut Majestad Negroide, featuring production by Pablo El Calidoso Delgado, was released in December of 2006 by Machete Music, home to Wisin Y Yandel and Don Omar. Canales' mix of social critique, traditional reggae and Afro-Antillean rhythms has prompted comparisons to the more adventerous Tego Calderón. The video for lead single “Anacaona” features La Sista bike-riding with her posse around la Isla, ending with a nighttime drum circle. "Anacaona" and a few more tracks can be streamed on her MySpace page.