Arca

Alejandra Ghersi Rodríguez (Caracas, Venezuela; 14 October 1989), known artistically under the pseudonym Arca, is a Venezuelan singer, composer, record producer, DJ and model. She specialises in electronic, noise and experimental music. She has released eight studio albums in total and has worked as a producer or collaborator with international artists such as Björk, Kanye West, Rosalía, Kelela, FKA Twigs, Frank Ocean, Lady Gaga, Shygirl, Sia, Sophie, Tainy, Lil Uzi Vert, Tokischa, Charli XCX and others.

Arca initially released music under the pseudonym Nuuro, from 2005 to 2010; under this name she released two studio albums, All Clear and The Reddest Rubby. She has also been part of the experimental musical duo WENCH since 2015, alongside Shayne Oliver, with whom she has released several singles over the years and a first studio album in 2022, released independently, titled Greatest Hits '88 - '16.

She is regarded as one of the leading figures in Latin America in electronic and experimental music; as one of the key figures of 2010s noise music; and as one of the most transgressive artists in the Latin urban scene today. She is also cited as one of the most influential LGBTQ figures in Latin America in the music industry, and recognised as one of the pioneers of the new generation of transgender artists within the English-speaking music industry. Her international influence as a music producer has been recognised by outlets such as Billboard, being included in the list 50 Best Music Producers of the 21st Century, and in the list 10 Latin Producers Revolutionising the Electronic Music Scene.

She began her internationalisation and entry into the North American market when she released the EP Barón Libre in 2012, for the first time under the Arca pseudonym, and subsequently released the EPs Stretch 1 and Stretch 2; on these she experimented with hip hop and trip hop, which drew the attention of prominent music publications such as Pitchfork, and praise from various artists, mainly from North America and the English-speaking world, including the American rapper and businessman Kanye West, who recruited her to produce his album Yeezus. In 2013 she met FKA Twigs, with whom she quickly developed a genuine mutual artistic appreciation; she began sessions with her for the second release, EP2, collaborating with Twigs on successful singles such as "Water Me" and also taking part in the later LP1.

She subsequently released her first two studio albums, titled Xen and Mutant, in 2014 and 2015 respectively, as well as the mixtape Sheep in 2015; on these the producer continued experimenting with noise, club, industrial and ambient music. Her third self-titled album, Arca (2017), became the first to feature her voice prominently, and in it she explored the Venezuelan tonada, strongly inspired by Simón Díaz and Venezuelan folk traditions.