Cain Culto & Jarina Demarco Feel That “Chismosa” Is A Shared Language
When it comes to saying exactly what’s on their mind in their music, Cain Culto & Jarina Demarco are bonding stronger than ever in their new hit single “Chismosa“. Combining their multicultural Latin roots, Cain and Jarina take us on an electric ride with arguably the hottest Spanish pop song of 2026. Paired with a fun and playful music video, we sat down with them to learn a little more about their new collaboration.
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
Cain Culto, you’ve been famously known to drastically change careers from an Evangelical worship pastor and Christian band founder to your current career as an indie pop star whose fame is on the rise. At what point did you know it was time for a change?
It became pretty clear my perspective wasn’t welcomed in certain spaces. I didn’t wanna keep forcing myself to be something that wasn’t authentic. People pleasing was making me such a boring and disempowered version of myself. Once I realized my creative spark was dwindling, I knew I needed to radically reinvent myself.
When you think about your Colombian and Nicaraguan cultures, what do you love most about it?
Family, food, and music. I draw heavily from my heritage in my art because there’s so much joy in the memories attached to these genres of music. I take pride in being a first-generation kid in my family. I’m inspired by the dedication and dreams my parents had as immigrants coming to the United States and I think children of immigrants feel pressure to make their parents’s sacrifices feel worth it through our success. Sometimes that’s a heavy burden but mostly I just hear them cheering me on in my head.
What made you choose to include your political beliefs into your craft?
Being queer has given me perspective that others with more privilege might not have gotten to experience. Growing up, I didn’t fit cleanly into the system so now I feel free to point out the cracks in it. Injustice frustrates me and I wouldn’t be able to have a clear conscious as an artist if I didn’t address it.
Jarina De Marco, you’re known for not only being a multifaceted artist, songwriter and creative director who’s worked with some of the biggest names in the industry over the years, but your music is amazingly in over 4 languages, which is insane! How were you able to land on your unique sound?
Multiculturalism didn’t influence me, it made me. My mother is Dominican, my father is Brazilian, and together they formed a Brazilian-Dominican jazz fusion band that I toured with throughout my childhood. I was exposed to everything from Caetano Veloso to Billie Holiday to West African music to the rhythms of the Caribbean, and from an early age I understood that language carries the entire world of a people within it. All of that inevitably found its way into my art.“
When you think about your upbringing in the Dominican Republic, what is the first memory that comes to mind?
I have such a vivid memory of my abuela taking me to the seamstress to be fitted for the most extravagant, puffy, bow-covered dresses and absolutely hating every second of it. Now? That’s literally all I want to wear.
How do you infuse your Brazilian culture into your art?
Harmonies! Harmonies! Harmonies! My father instilled in me a deep reverence for them. The lushness and complexity of Brazilian harmonics are genuinely mind-blowing. And the rhythm? Don’t even get me started.
You two just released one of the hottest tracks this year, “Chismosa” which translates to “gossip”. Talk to us about how this iconic collaboration came about.
Cain: I was sitting on the track for almost 2 years waiting for the right feature to align and then it clicked to me that Jarina would be perfect on it. We connected over socials and then reworked the lyrics together in person over a writing session.
The visual for the single is the perfect blend of both of your aesthetics with a beautiful ode to your respective Latin cultures. What was the inspiration behind the music video?
Cain: Jarina suggested we should shoot the video in the Dominican Republic, so I flew out there with a big bag of costumes I made for us. I had this idea of referencing iconic cartoon duos with our looks. We wanted to capture the lush tropical scenery of the land in contrast with these goofy characters causing chaos.
What’s the best “chisme” you’ve both heard about yourselves?
Cain: That I left the church, turned gay and started dating a guy that looked like Jesus. Which is true hahaha.
Jarina: That I am a Bruja and they aren’t wrong about that! LOL.
Would you two ever consider working on a joint project together? If so, sonically, what would that sound like?
Cain: Omg we’ve never discussed that! It would be so fun to keep exploring this direction. Punchy percussive, playful lyrics, campy style. Definitely a lot more to dive into within this concept.
Jarina: Whatever Cain wants to do, I am there to support. He is what multicultural dreams are made of.
Share with Galore readers one thing your supporters can expect from each of you in 2026.
Cain: I’m releasing my debut record this year! Been working on it for a while so I’m very ready to have it out in the world.
Jarina: I have lots of surprises in store…
TEAM CREDITS:
Editor-in-Chief: Prince Chenoa
Feature Editor & Writer: Taylor Winter Wilson (@taylorwinter)
Photographer: Jordan Kirk (@xingerxanger)
Assistant Photographer: (@alejandrokrispin)
