Taste Test
What is “good taste” anyway? Allow your favorite actor, musician, celebrity, or comedian to let you in on what they’re watching, reading, and consuming.
After flying into New York from Puerto Rico, Lorén Aldarondo Torres’s first stop in the city was, naturally, the thrift store. She greets me on a chilly day in a Soho café, 2nd Street shopping bags on her arms and flanked by her two friends who are also her colleagues. Her entrance instantly lightens up the mood.
Torres is the lead singer of Chuwi, a band that is featured on Bad Bunny’s sixth studio album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS. But you’d never guess that her life — along with the lives of her bandmates, Willy and Wester Aldarondo (her brothers) and Adrián López — has just been totally upended. She’s warm and welcoming as we chat about “WELtiTA,” the Bad Bunny song that features the band. “Back then, we were really bored and hanging out a lot. One day, Willy, Wester, and Adrián told me they had a track. They walked me through it, line by line, telling me what to sing,” she says. “It was so much fun! Turns out they had a ton of tracks, we just kept going, and now … we’re here.”
Torres grew up going to church, but several years after leaving the tradition behind, she tells me she feels far away from the life she once lived. No longer only known in her small town, she’s walked the red carpet at Premios Lo Nuestro and racked up over 12 million monthly listeners on Spotify with her band. “Before all of this, we were in our own Puerto Rican bubble,” she says. “There, we saw the Latin-music industry in its rawest form. It had us questioning — is this what we really want to do? And what kind of artists do we want to be?”
The bandmates are processing this newfound attention while juggling their nine-to-fives back on the island (where Torres is still a waitress) and working on their highly anticipated debut album. “We’re in this weird in-between where we did this amazing collab, but we’re still independent — and we still have bills to pay,” she says. “So many doors have opened up for us. We’re scared and extremely grateful.”
Your song “Tierra and Guerra” explores the Puerto Rican experience — touching on themes of displacement, neocolonialism, and more. Now, with “WELtiTA,” listeners who have never set foot in Puerto Rico are discovering another side of the island. How do you feel your connection with fans has extended to an international audience?
It’s interesting because I feel like if you grew up in the coast of any country, you get the song. It doesn’t have to be Isabela, Puerto Rico. On the flip side, it’s been interesting to see how maybe somebody from Germany might not get it. Overall, I feel like people who are discovering us are giving us a playero vibe. It’s not a bad place to start.
We can assume that the beach you and Benito reference in “WELtiTA” is Jobos, in your hometown of Isabela, especially since the lyrics mention the folklore tale of Jacinto. What is your favorite beach to visit in your hometown?
Pastillo. It has a nice little hike to get to the water and once you’re there, it’s beautiful. It’s like a nice little reward.
Where do you get your best culture recommendations from?
My friend Johmaly. I’ve been obsessed with Cynthia Erivo since way before Wicked, and the person who introduced me to the video of Erivo singing “I’m Here” from The Color Purple was Johmaly. I also want to add my friend and stylist Kathia. She’s my go-to for all things fashion, outside fashion, and overall adult life. She has such a business mentality. She’s very intentional with how she wants to present me to the world. The dress that I wore for the Premios Lo Nuestro red carpet, it’s a crochet dress, made by hand by the Puerto Rican brand, Yo Más. She was like, “You’re not just going to wear a dress and heels. No, you’re bringing so much more with you when you’re in this new space.”
Which celebrities — dead or alive — would you invite to a dinner party?
Nina Simone. I would love to have a conversation with her ghost, I guess. She didn’t try, she just did. I feel like I need a bit of that in this new phase I’m in where sometimes I’m invited to perform in front of a white audience and I just have to … do it.
Nathy Peluso. I’m more of an introvert and I think she will set the vibes.
And she’s not a celebrity, but I would love for my mom to be in these spaces with these people.
I feel like I should add a dude to be respectful … The guy from Coldplay.
Chris Martin?
Yes. I think I would invite him. He feels like a good spiritual guy. We would all have good conversations.
What would you guys eat?
Soy pastelón made by my mom.
So, you put your mom to work at this dinner party?
Trust me, she would be so happy. She would want all these people to tell her what they think of her cooking.
What is your pre-performing ritual?
I have to vocalize before a performance. I can’t just show up onstage. I also get kind of shy. People talk to me and I just can’t socialize as much. Sometimes that worries me because I feel people might think I’m just a terrible person, but I’m also hyperanxious. This would happen, too, when I used to perform at church. My mom would always scold me and ask me why am I getting so anxious half an hour before performing. I can be all normal but those three seconds before? I’m laser focused.
What’s your comfort rewatch?
Schitt’s Creek and Community to de-stress. That’s my type of humor. I’ve also watched A Real Pain three times already. I keep recommending it to everyone around me.
What is something you’ll never, ever watch no matter what?
I’m pretty open to everything.
Is there a movie genre you don’t gravitate toward?
I can’t watch horror movies. Edward Scissorhands? That’s a scary movie to me. That opening scene? No.
Do you have a favorite game to play?
I usually just like to talk when I’m with my friends, but the card game we were playing most recently is We’re Not Really Strangers.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Nothing really matters,” courtesy of my mom.
Worst advice?
That I should stay in church. I think everybody who is part of a church should leave it, not lose their faith, explore the world, and reach their conclusions afterward. It’s dangerous to stay within the same four walls.
Are you into creating playlists?
I just go to the Discovery mode on Spotify and listen to what’s there. A playlist is a lot of work. What’s the vibe? With which song should I start? It’s too much.
Do you like to listen to anything specifically when you’re driving or alone?
In that case, I like to listen to a specific artist. Sometimes I’m like, “I want to listen to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter,” and sometimes I just go to my likes and hit shuffle.
What would your last meal be? Would it also be the pastelón your mom makes?
Oh yes, definitely. It’s too good.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
