Buenos Aires, Argentina

Experimental pop icon Juana Molina would make an equally good part of RuPaul’s Drag Race as she would at the Kennedy Centre Honors. A coup-fleeing comedian before exploding into music, Molina made impressions on David Byrne and created a folktronica sound parallel to — but distinct from — what was happening in the UK in the ‘90s and 2000s.

Her vocals are tactile and intimate, whether or not you speak Spanish. Molina’s music feels beamed directly into your ears, just for you. Her command of synthetic and acoustic textures in tandem are warm, fresh, playful and entirely her own. That might be why Rolling Stone compared her to both Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine. They, like Molina, are two artists who created entire genres by resisting the confines of their day. Her nine studio releases chart the course of an unpredictable visionary, from four Domino discs from the ‘90s to 2019 EP ForFun and her first-ever live record, ANRMAL - Live in Mexico, released in 2020.

She has also lent her vocals to past Sled Island guest curator Deerhoof, as well as German impresarios The Notwist, two artists with whom she has nothing in common but tremendous vision. Sometimes, if you have enough talent and singularity, things just make sense.