After winning Best New Artist at last year’s Latin Grammy Awards, Ela Taubert solidified herself as one of Latin music’s leading pop girls.The pink-haired star from Colombia is pulling inspiration from one of her idols, Taylor Swift, and turning her own personal stories of love and heartbreak into anthems with her debut album Preguntas a Las 11:11, which comes out on May 9. Taubert is also extending her reach beyond the Latin market with collaborations with the Jonas Brothers’ Joe Jonas and pop mastermind Max Martin.
“Winning the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist is one of the coolestl things that has happened to me,” Taubert tells Rolling Stone. “That moment symbolizes the hard work that I’ve put into this career and the many people that supported me like my fans. It’s a mix of many special things for me. I always say that dreams can come true.”
Taubert was born in Bogotá, Colombia in 2000. She admits that being a pop star was a life-long dream of hers since dressing up as Hannah Montana as a child. Taubert also proudly calls herself a Swiftie and grew up on her confessional music. “Taylor was one of the first artists who showed me how to write songs,” Taubert says. “She inspired me to be able to write music from the heart. I thought to myself, ‘If she can do that with her music, so can I.’ She motivates me and continues to inspire me to keep going and to dream big.”
Like Swift, Taubert became known for channeling her moments of heartbreak and adversity into empowering power pop, especially in the 2023 EP ¿Quién Dijo Que Era Fácil?. Her breakthrough hit came last year, witn the angst-driven “¿Cómo Pasó?” On it, she opened up about a break-up that left her in shambles. The heartbreak anthem has garnered over 188 million streams on Spotify. A few weeks after the song’s release, Colombian superstar Karol G invited Taubert to the opening act for her Mañana Será Bonito Tour in Bogotá.
“I don’t get tired of saying Karol is one of the most incredible women in the industry that I’ve been fortunate to get to know closely,” Taubert says. “She was the first person to open the doors for me into her universe, and give me a hand to be able to grow and learn from her. I love her so much and she’s always going to have a place in my heart.”
Karol G rose to her feet and clapped for Taubert when she won Best New Artist at last November’s Latin Grammy Awards. At the award show, the singer-songwriter also gave one the most unexpected performances of the night when she was joined by Joe Jonas to perform a Spanglish version of “¿Cómo Pasó?” Taubert called it a full-circle moment after having sung along to Demi Lovato and Jonas’ “This Is Me” as a kid.
“To see and hear him sing ‘¿Cómo Pasó? has been one of the most unreal moments in my life,” Taubert says. “It’s been very beautiful to see how Joe has been so invested in the song and all the love and care he’s put into it to see it grow. For the very first collaboration of my career to be with Joe, that was very special and incredible.”
Preguntas a Las 11:11 pulls from the sound of the pop girls that came before Taubert. The playful “¿Te Imaginas?” about reflecting on her past mistakes is reminiscent of 2000s Britney Spears, the meditative “¿Trato Hecho?” sounds like an Avril Lavigne and the Matrix production, and the punchy “¿Quién Soy Para Juzgar?” recalls Katy Perry’s One of the Boys era. Taubert also taps into country-pop like Swift in the sweeping “¿Para Qué?” where she kicks her ex to the curb.
“I’ve been in love with pop since I was a little girl,” she says. “There’s a lot of genres within pop to explore and this album is an example of that. There’s rock, there’s country, there’s the way Britney does pop, and the way Taylor does pop, and I explored all that and did it in a way that represents me as a Latina and my inner child that wanted to be a pop star someday.”
Taubert’s album has another special connection to aforementioned divas: Max Martin. The iconic hit-maker produced the synth-pop banger “¿Es En Serio?” with his longtime collaborator Rami and Taubert’s right-hand man KEVN. She reveals that Rami was originally tasked with working with them on the song, but that Martin decided to join their session and add his input. Knowing that Martin and Rami have worked with all her favorite artists, Taubert was emotional.
“I went to the restroom because I was holding back tears of happiness from writing a song with Max and Rami, who are idols of mine,” Taubert admits. “Without caring if you’re a small artist or a big artist, they put the same amount of attention and care into the songs they’re working on. I’m infinitely grateful to them for the way they treated us and to see how they worked up close, that was next level.”
While Taubert was putting the finishing touches on her album, her close friend, Ecuadorian singer Johann Vera, tapped her for a personal song. After nearly a decade of hiding his queer identity, he decided to come out last August with the stirring “Closet.” Taubert was one of Vera’s co-writers on the song that not only became an anthem for him, but also the LGBTQ+ community. Like Karol G, he was captured on camera cheering for Taubert when she won Best New Artist.
“When I heard ‘Closet’ for the first time, I cried knowing that there’s many people going through what Johann went through,” she says. “I knew it would be a song that changed his life and the lives of so many others. I feel like the LGBTQ+ community has really embraced that song and I love them with all of my heart.”
As for what’s next, Taubert is excited to be plotting a major tour in support of Preguntas a Las 11:11. On July 12, she will also perform in New York City as part of the LAMC’s SummerStage in Central Park concert series. What’s most important for her in the next stage of her career is to keep connecting with people through her music. “I want to keep winning over more hearts,” she says. “I feel very happy knowing that there’s people that relate to my music and I want to let them know that I’m here for them. They can always find refuge in the songs that I write.”
