Music Talk | Nando Boom with Juan Rivera

About the Event

In association with the MCA’s major exhibition Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Reggaetón, pioneering singer and lyricist of reggae en Español, Nando Boom, is joined by artist, designer, and music historian Juan Rivera, whose mixtape project is featured in the exhibition, for this event. Part-conversation, part-performance, Nando reflects on the evolution of his career and performs some of his well-known hits, like “Dem Bow,” a song now foundational to the genre. Together, the pair illuminate the confluence of cultures that came together in Panama in the 1980s and 1990s to inspire the international phenomenon that is reggaetón as we know it today.

MCA Music Talks pair powerhouse musicians with artists, activists, writers, and historians to take on big ideas in art and culture. These intimate evenings of performance and conversation reveal art world anecdotes, shared ideas, and creative inspirations.

This program is organized by Laura Paige Kyber, Assistant Curator of Performance and Public Programs.

Access Information

English and Spanish CART captioning are provided at this event. To request additional accessibility services, please contact us at [email protected] or 312-397-4076.

About the Speakers

Fernando Brown, of Jamaican descent, and artistically known as Nando Boom, started his career as a child in Panama in 1982. Like many of his generation, Nando started out singing in his neighborhood, at parties, and discos. In 1984, he won a rap contest, but when the prize of recording an album went unfulfilled, his friend and still-manager Ramón “Pucho” Bustamante helped him record his first album, Mi Mujer Habla Asì, in 1985. Since then, he became known for songs like “Reggae Rock,” “Yo Credo En El Amor,” and many more. Later he traveled to New York, where he joined forces with Jamaican producers Dennis “The Menace” and Phillip Smart to record “Dem Bow,” a song now considered “the DNA of reggaetón.”

In 1992, he returned to Panama and signed with BMG in Los Angeles to record his fourth album with songs like “A Danzar,” “Que te Vaya Bien,” and many more. He recorded a fifth album with EMI Capitol incorporating elements of merengue and reggae en Español. In 1996, he went to Puerto Rico to work with actress Verónica Castro and rapper Vico C. on a production of The Warrior. In an interview, Nando said “For me, Puerto Rico is like my country, like Panama. The people have treated me with great respect, and I respect them in return.”

At the pinnacle of his career, Nando retired from the stage in 1996 to focus on his character and spirituality. In 2006, he returned with a tour featuring his hits. “I never thought the public would still show me so much love and respect,” Nando told the media. This encouraged his next phase of work including the songs “La Azotea,” “La Onda,” “Contempla,” and “Convictos,” released in 2007. Since then, he has collaborated with Tito El Bambino and Don Chezin to create Machete Riddim, a compilation album featuring Nando’s song “Hablame de Hoy.” He has also collaborated with artists from Mexico such as the well-known Jah Fabio.

In June 2018, he released the revolutionary track “Todo el Mundo,” and in 2019 he released a remix of “Ella Me Beso” with multi-platinum artist Elvis Crespo. In 2022, Rolling Stone magazine listed Nando Boom’s “Dem Bow/Ellas Venía” at number 17 on its list of 100 Greatest Reggaetón songs of all time. Recently, he collaborated with Wisin, the legendary DJ Urba, on the song “Tiene Lo Suyo,” and was a star guest on Sech’s latest tour in Puerto Rico. In 2023, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the city of New York, where he was named the guest of honor at the Hispanic Day Parade in 2024.

Nando has also worked as a co-writer on songs by Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, Becky G, Natti Natasha, Anuel AA, and Karol, among others. For his collaboration with Natti Natasha, the rerelease of “Dem Bow,” he was the winner of the Premio Lo Nuestro Award for Best Song in the urban genre. It was an unforgettable night in Nando’s 40-year career.

Nando plans to release his new album Nando Boom Reloaded in May 2026 with a mix of urban rhythms and tropical fusions.

Juan Rivera is the creative director and designer at MUCHAGANA, a branding agency in Panama City. From this platform, he has actively participated in projects related to art, culture, and strategic communication, collaborating with government agencies, the private sector, and international organizations. His background was influenced by the creative, social, and aesthetic impact that Spanish-language reggae brought to the neighborhoods of Panama in the mid-1980s. In that context, in addition to witnessing the emergence of a new movement—now recognized as a precursor to reggaetón—he participated in numerous initiatives, from organizing and conceptualizing concerts to supporting artists and promoting events and festivals, thus reinforcing the role of Spanish-language dancehall as a unifying language for a new generation of artists.