PREMIERE: La Goony Chonga’s “No Quieres Lio”
You don’t need to speak Spanish to vibe to La Goony Chonga’s music.
La Goony Chonga (roughly translated to “the silly chonga” in English) just released her music video for “No Quieres Lio” and we’re premiering it here so that you can vibe and view a lil’ chonga girl fight like the one’s La Goony Chonga dealt with growing up in Miami.
We also talked to La Goony Chonga about her inspiration, what being a Chonga means to her, and her background as a stripper.
Tell us more about your sound, how would you describe it?
I would describe my sound as empowering and energetic. I make music to make people feel confident and powerful. I like to call it “treggaeton” because of the trap and reggaeton influences in my music, especially my Spanish songs.
Who are your icons?
Some of my icons include Ivy Queen,Trina, Selena, Celia Cruz & Jennifer Lopez. All these women are iconic and exude powerful energy. Ivy Queen is a pioneer for women in reggaeton and opened so many doors for women like me at a time when women were not respected the way men were in that genre. Trina is one of the first female rappers I remember listening to when I was growing up in Miami and [she] influenced me in some ways. Selena is a fashion icon for me. Celia Cruz is the Cuban queen of salsa music & the energy she put in her music is unmatched. J.Lo is super iconic being that she wears many hats, being a singer, actress & dancer & still going hard at 50! I also forgot to include Pitbull. Like me, he is Cuban from Miami and always incorporated his Latino side into his hip hop music and continued to grow and branch out to other genres while staying true to himself.
What does the name La Goony Chonga mean and how did that come about?
“La” means “the” in Spanish. “Goony” can be translated as “silly/funny/eccentric.” Chonga is what I identify as & is a lifestyle. Chongas are a sub-culture in Miami that was a very popular term in the early 2000s to describe Latina women who had a specific aesthetic. Chongas are known to wear big hoop earrings, blingy accessories, tight clothes, lipliner, and acrylic nails. When I was in middle school, almost all the girls were chongas. The name came about because of someone I knew who would call me “Goony Chonga Barbie.” I loved the sound of it and thought it was very fitting for me, except for the Barbie part!
What was the stripper life like? And what made you get into it?
The stripper life was quite a learning experience! I learned so much about socializing, hustling, and having tough skin. It has some ups and downs & I wouldn’t say everyone is built for that type of job. It can really test you! The best part was how empowered & confident I would feel making money by having fun dancing and using my social skills to finesse. I got into it in 2013 after one of my friends in Miami told me to go to work with her at a Bikini Bar. It wasn’t a real strip club with nudity, so I was easily down for it. When I saw the money I could make & experienced the freedom of having my own schedule, I never went back to a “regular job.” Once I moved to New York & LA around 2014, I worked at actual topless strip clubs and “retired” in 2017 after finding out I was pregnant.
What song made you fall in love with music growing up?
I don’t know if there’s a song in particular that made me fall in love with music. I will say though that growing up I wrote a lot of poems and had notebooks with songs I would make up and always dreamed of being an artist. My abuela says that [when I was] as young as three years old I would sing random songs out loud and when she’d ask, “What song is that?” I would say, “I don’t know! I just invented it”
What beauty advice did your mom or abuela teach you that you still live by today?
Growing up my mom would tell me how important it is to trim my hair so it would grow longer. I never understood this or believed it as a child, but it’s actually true! Cutting your split ends is crucial for beautiful long hair and thanks to actually living by it throughout the years, my real hair is super long almost to my butt now! My abuela taught me about moisturizing your face before bed to avoid wrinkling and of course to wear my “violetas” baby cologne as perfume which I still wear today as a grown woman!
What beauty product do you never leave home without?
Lipliner & lipgloss! Even with no makeup on, those two are always a must no matter what.
What has motherhood taught you?
Motherhood has taught me a lot about sacrifice. Having a child in the middle of pursuing my music career was a decision I made that many people didn’t agree with or think would be “the best idea.” While I was pregnant, I did have to miss out on some opportunities, but at the end of the day, I followed my gut feeling which is something else motherhood has taught me. You have to always go with your gut instinct and never underestimate yourself and what you know is best for you. Becoming a mother motivated me more than anything ever has before.
What advice would you give your 16 year old self?
I would tell her, “Don’t let anyone disrespect you or tell you what you are and aren’t capable of. Keep being yourself and go hard at everything you do!”
Tell us more about the video:
The song is basically delivering the message, “You don’t want no problems & say it to my face.” Gossiping is a thing many of us can relate to where people will talk bad about you behind your back, but never confront you about it themselves. Growing up in Miami in my teens, it was very common for girls to argue/fight or have altercations and confront each other on issues they had, so I thought a girl fight theme would be perfect for this video. I wanted to make the theme of this fun vs. actually being too violent, which is why I made it funny with the old man breaking up the girl fight. It’s not meant to promote girl on girl violence, but rather a more fun approach to these things that actually happen everyday! I also wanted to show love to “chola” culture being that I live in LA now and that the style is a little similar to that of “chongas” which is why some of the girls I cast portrayed that look/style. This video was a perfect way to showcase unity in the different Latina styles and cultures.
