Album review: "Buscando Encontrarme" by Kevtopo
In a mediasphere where "views" and "likes" rule, it’s become nearly every hopeful artist’s dream to go viral. Not necessarily in the same way Justin Bieber or Tori Kelly did that started their careers, but in a way that’ll get maximum eyes and ears on you, with the hope that the attention can be parlayed into an actual fanbase. Much has been said about music labels investing in artists that have flash-in-the-pan viral songs only to then suffer from buyer’s remorse when they end up not being much more than one hit wonders, but in other cases there’s a genuine music revelation to be found.
Kevtopo knows all about going viral, and he’s amassed nearly 60K followers across all social media to show for it. He has a natural knack for that world and its virtual cadence, but what sets him apart from the rest is that he also has a legitimate musical talent. He’s been putting out singles since 2020, and even since his beginnings he was showing promise beyond his peers; “Muder in Palomino” is the prototype of the kind of alt-R&B/trap fusion that is all the rage these days.
This summer, after releasing dozens of songs over three years, he finally dropped his debut album, Buscando Encontrarme. With only eight tracks it’s not a drawn-out affair, but the brevity guarantees there’s no fat on the tracklist. All four guest artists are women — a deliberate choice, as he’s been very vocal about supporting female artists in the indie urbano scene. In fact, it's been incorporated into his daily social media sign off as he urges his followers to “prendan y cuiden el ambiente y a las mujeres” (“toke up and take care of our surroundings and our women”).
Backed up by dynamic production from trusted rhythm-makers like Andres Melz, Søul, Steph Coll, Alura El Sol, and others, Kevtopo leaps into every track feet first. The album’s opening song, “¿Bb Dónde Estás?,” has him working with an upbeat pop-infused dance beat that he nevertheless manages to alchemize into a lovelorn quasi-torch song (and still keeps it horny, another one of Kev’s familiar notes).
The collabs begin next with Keysokeys bringing out her flamethrower on “Si Quieren Me Tiran,” one of the best entries of the LP. After an effective bolero fakeout intro, the song barrels into a frenzied head-boppin’ club-trap that never lets up on the gas. Keysokeys, fresh off her own debut EP Inmortal, is at her best here, firing on all cylinders while keeping pace with the beat and setting a mean mug vibe that Kev picks up with ease.
That song is followed by “Diagrama,” alongside budding pop starlet VICOGENS. Its laidback breezy beat helps set the bridge between the energetic previous track and the ones following it, but the banter between Kev and VICOGENS suffuse the song with its own identity as well. Ostensibly playing lovers trying (unsuccessfully) to set firm boundaries in order to move on, here is where the general theme of the album starts to become clearer.
The shaky ground between uncommitted lovers and the roiling waters of relationships are the spine of much of the tracks on Buscando Encontrarme. As such, they’re themes that pop up often, as Kevtopo explores all the angst of those situations. In “La Serenidad” he teams up with Laya Kalima, another rising songstress, and they don’t waste time before embroiling themselves in the all-too-common scenario of a exes teasing each other explicitly, even when perhaps knowing they’re making an already complicated situation harder to leave behind. Letting go is not just about convincing your heart, but your body too.
Kalima returns in “Tan Opuestos, Tan Similares” and this time brings along Nohemy for what’s a high-tempo escalation of the running themes. “Baby, te deseo suerte, aunque no pueda tenerte” (“Baby, I wish you the best, even if I can’t have you”) Kevtopo sings at the very top, coming to terms with the relationship’s dissolution. The track’s beat is urgent, matching the lyrics of all three singers, as they all want to move on as soon as possible.
Kev shines by himself too, with closers “Deseando Q Me Desearas” and “Hasta Que Tosa” being the best illustrations of how he can easily carry a track solo. They both serve as codas to everything that’s come before, as he reflects on the feelings that drove him through that emotional rollercoaster and admits to the listeners, and to himself, that he’ll continue carrying this torch for his love a little while longer even as he leaves them in the past. The mournful strings that fade out the album underline the sentiment in a way that’s neither subtle nor blunt.
Buscando Encontrarme’s strength might ultimately be in its short running time, which makes for a leaner project with less room for unforced errors or bloat, but it’s hard to argue with what’s offered. Whether Kevtopo can expand all the promise he shows here (and in his prior singles) into a longer album is technically still to be determined, but one thing is for certain is that there’s little doubt as to whether his talents end in the virtual world. He, and his terrific collaborators in front and behind the mic, demonstrate here that they’re more than up to the task of creating something that sounds fresh and holds up over repeat listens. That's what good artists do, and there's no better argument Kevtopo can make that he's ready to start being seen as one.
Follow Kevtopo (like everyone else) on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Spotify, and YouTube, and listen to Buscando Encontrarme here: