My life is a God’s story. My dream is a God’s story, says Yashua
Naturally exuding both Latin and American hip-hop influences, Yashua represents a new America. As he pulls from his bicultural identity, his work reflects the voices of young individuals who naturally think out loud through multiple cultural lenses and languages. Furthermore, Yashua is a triple threat who's found inspiration in both the pop and urban spaces: his performing ambitions comes from Michael Jackson, his love of dance from Chris Brown, and his genre-bending songwriting from The Weeknd. There’s something compelling happening in Yashua’s corner of Miami, and it’s about to create global waves.
Born to a close Dominican family of dancers and music lovers, Yashua (full name Yashua Camacho) learned early on to express himself through movement. “I was dancing as soon as I could walk,” says the 19-year-old songwriter, vocalist, and performer. “We were really into dancing. We started a dance crew and did dance battles and everything.”
The “we” is in reference to a combination of friends and family, including his older brother, Richard. When Yashua was 15, he auditioned with Richard for Univision’s ‘La Banda,' a reality show produced by Simon Cowell and Ricky Martin that formed a group now known as CNCO. After trying out for the group, Yashua resolved to work quietly on his own art. By doing so, Yashua's solo endeavors quickly clicked: he co-writeCNCO’s hit “Reggaeton Lento" and has gone on to secure collaborations in the electronic space with Matoma and Dillon Francis.
Yashua calls Miami his home now, but amidst the South Beach glamour he seeks comfort in the quieter, grittier side of the city. After all, he spent his childhood in Providence, RI before seeking for sunnier prospects to pursue music while simultaneously running from street-related dangers.
Yashua's music is too big to keep to himself. He has been working on his debut project with hitmakers such asIcon (Maluma’s “Felices los 4,” J Balvin’s “Mi Gente”), The Rude Boyz (Shakira’s “Chantaje”), J Quiles (J Balvin’s“Pierde Los Modales,” Maluma’s “Recuérdame”), Verse Simmonds (Rihanna’s “Man Down,” Kanye and Jay-Z’s “Who Gon Stop Me”) & 1 Mind (French Montana’s “Unforgettable”). His music often takes on the tone of a young adult in mid-slumber at 2AM, when thoughts are unscrewed and things are said less prohibitively. It feels dangerous to see those ideas come loose in those private hours, but that’s why it’s alluring.
His leading single “Silencio” is sensual, capturing an electric night between two secret lovers; there is desire in his lyrics and there is rhythm and romance in his production. Compare this to “Pena,” where Yashua laments an extinguished flame by inwardly reigniting fonder memories with a girl. His English-focused songs are also confessional, intimate, and wistful by nature, all with the promise of being felt through dance.
For Yashua, it’s pretty clear what he has to do with his life: write to release, sing to empower, and dance to manifest his joy. Though it had felt like a solo journey at times, he'd been destined for this.
