CHOCLOCK: FINDING FREEDOM IN SOUND

Choclock stands as one of the most distinctive and versatile artists in Spain’s contemporary music scene a voice that bridges emotion, experimentation, and genre-defying creativity. Born in the Canary Islands, he first rose to prominence as part of the creative collective BNMP (Broke Niños Make Pesos), a movement that redefined Spanish urban and R&B music throughout the 2010s.

Since then, Choclock has evolved from an underground favourite into one of the most forward-thinking figures in modern Spanish R&B. His projects — BRUNO (2019), Magua con Miel (2022), and Daltónico Pero Me Siento Azul (2024) — trace a journey of artistic growth, introspection, and sonic exploration. His sound, cinematic and deeply emotive, has earned millions of streams and collaborations with artists including Cruz Cafuné, Dellafuente, Chita, and Rels B.

Now, with his upcoming EP Dame Más Tiempo, Choclock opens a bold new chapter. The project marks a daring shift in sound and intention one that embraces vulnerability, experimentation, and reinvention. Its lead single, Algo Me Golpea El Pecho (“Something Strikes My Chest”), captures this evolution perfectly, blending expansive synths, alternative electronic textures, and raw emotion in a way that feels both intimate and unbound.

This new era also extends beyond Spain. Choclock is connecting with a wider global audience through collaborations like his upcoming track with Plastikboy, an emerging Mexican artist, alongside his first-ever sold-out solo show in Mexico City.

With Dame Más Tiempo, Choclock reaffirms his place as one of the most forward-looking voices in Spanish-language R&B and alternative pop — an artist unafraid to break patterns, chase curiosity, and move wherever the music leads.

Your new single “Algo Me Golpea El Pecho” translates to “Something Strikes My Chest.” What was the first spark or moment that inspired this track? Was there a specific feeling, event, or conversation that triggered it?

Honestly, the “event” that kicked it all off was me revisiting Graduation by Kanye West after years and getting obsessed with the drums on that record. On my way back home from a show, I started a beat on the train inspired by those patterns and sounds, and I just felt there was something special about it. Some time later, that beat ended up becoming the seed that sparked the sound of this whole EP.

Sonically, this release marks a shift into a more cinematic, experimental space. What made you want to step outside your usual sound for this new era?

I think I reached a point in my relationship with my own music where I fell into a routine. I started doing things in a very structured, boxed-in way, and without realizing it, I trapped myself in a creative comfort zone. I stopped being curious about exploring new sounds or new ways of building songs. That made me slowly lose the excitement that making music had always given me. But the moment I became aware of it, this urge to start a different chapter appeared—one that felt more experimental, without trying to fit into a specific genre or imitate what already exists, but instead aimed to find something fresher and more unique.

The track is produced with Blurred Mirror and Mayo. What did each of them bring into the creative process, and how did that collaboration shape the final sound?

It all came together at a camp where both of them and the team that helped me finish writing the song were present. I came in with the whole first-half idea, leaving the second verse open, and it was Blurred’s idea to add that beat switch where the track suddenly turns into an acoustic ballad. He recorded all those guitars right there at the camp, and I feel they added this real ear-candy moment that took the song to another level.

Mayo, on the other hand, added textures to the main synths and some crazy chops—like the one before the second verse, where he literally chopped up the song’s master. Everything they added was super inspiring for me and made the track feel even more special. Half of this song exists thanks to that team.

You reference artists like MGMT, 070 Shake, Mike Dean, Kanye West, and Frank Ocean as inspirations. What elements from their artistry influenced this track or your upcoming direction?

Like I said earlier, Kanye’s influence on this song can definitely be heard in the drums—they’re literally made with a “Graduation Drum Kit” I found online hahaha. Every time I listen to Frank, he inspires me in a new way, and that’s crazy considering he hasn’t dropped an album since I was in college.

For this track, I used a recording trick I think he used on his song “Good Guy,” where it sounds like he recorded the vocals slower and then stretched them out. I did the same for the second verse of my song—that’s why my voice has that weird texture when the guitar comes in.

070 Shake inspired me to play with a louder, more shouted vocal register and to stack vocals in a more present, in-your-face way. I feel that’s something she does a lot, and it gives her songs so much power.

And Mike Dean and MGMT have to be mentioned because of the way they use synthesizers, both in basslines and iconic leads. I tried to bring that same energy, giving importance to sharper, more distorted synths so the song would sound big and less intimate than my previous projects.

Many fans first discovered you through BNMP, a collective that hugely influenced Spain’s urban music landscape. How do you think your artistic DNA from the BNMP era shows up in your music today, even as your sound evolves?

I’d say the best thing that era gave me was learning how to make music as a team—leaving the ego aside and being able to share the process with others, with the only goal being to make a good song.

You’ve built your career on emotional honesty and vulnerability. Was there a particular lyric or moment in “Algo Me Golpea El Pecho” that felt difficult or liberating to write?

Not really, because this song was born in such a spontaneous, improvised way that I wrote half of it without even stopping to think about what I was talking about. I was basically in a trance—mic on, throwing out lines as they came to mind—and somehow everything started to make sense on its own. That’s why I love the title so much; it perfectly describes that pure, instinctive moment when I made the song.

You’ve said this track sets the tone for your upcoming EP, Dame Más Tiempo. In what ways does this single act as the “doorway” into the project?

It’s the song that started it all—the first one I made, and the one that shaped the sound of the whole EP. So it just felt right to guide listeners into this new world starting from the same point where I did when creating it.

Across releases like “BRUNO,” “Magua con Miel,” and “Daltónico Pero Me Siento Azul,” your sound has evolved drastically. How would you describe the Choclock entering this new chapter?

More daring. More intense. Less interested in fitting in and more focused on creating.

Your music has always blended genres intuitively—R&B, hip-hop, electronic, pop, and Canary Island influences. Do you see yourself as part of a genre, or are you actively trying to exist outside of one?

I used to feel a bit insecure about not belonging to anything specific. Now I’m actually enjoying and embracing that. I think it’s what makes me different. Stepping away from genres and just doing whatever feels right without labelling it is what helped me reconnect with music again.

You’re expanding beyond Spain, with collaborations like your upcoming one with Plastikboy and a sold-out show in Mexico City. How does connecting with Latin America change your creative perspective?

It doesn’t really change how I approach my music—I just make what feels true to me and surround it with artists who share the same energy and curiosity. In this case, I’m super happy that I linked with Plastikboy for that song because his verse is honestly one of my favorite moments of the EP. It makes me feel like that SpongeBob meme where he’s floating while listening to music.

If you imagine fans listening to this track for the first time—headphones on, lights off—what do you hope they feel in their chest?

Honestly, I don’t know what to expect. Some of my friends screamed with joy the first time they heard it, and others literally started crying. So I’d say I don’t care what they feel, as long as they feel something.

What does “moving forward” mean to you right now—personally, creatively, and emotionally?

Reinvention.

After this song drops, what’s one thing you hope people start to understand about who Choclock is today?

That he’s an artist aiming for something more than just being “the R&B guy.”

Complete the sentence: “Algo Me Golpea El Pecho is the beginning of…”

Something special.