Music

Queer Dominican Dembow Pioneer La Delfi has Died

Lead Photo: Art by Alan Lopez for Remezcla
Art by Alan Lopez for Remezcla
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La Delfi—the Dominican dembow artist who first opened doors for the LGBTQ community within the genre—has died.

According to MasVip, La Delfi passed away from complications related to stomach ulcers she had been battling with for some time.

La Delfi first burst onto the scene with a feature on Jhon Distrito’s “Dame Leche,” later gaining her own following—and making new fans out of established dembow artists like El Lapiz Conciente.

Her contributions in opening doors for LGBTQ artists within dembow have been widely felt across the genre.

“La Delfi created visibility for the LGBTQ community, crossdressing in her case, and for Trans women,” TRANSSA executive manager Chris King told Remezcla in a recent interview. “La Delfi [crossdresses] as an artistic expression… and that success opened the door for the trans community in a masculine space,” she says.

La Delfi was 28-years-old.

Read our profile on La Delfi here