The Untold Truth Of QUIÑ
QUIÑ (real name Bianca Leonor Quiñones) may not be an artist people immediately recognize, but, as of this writing, more than 24 million people have heard her voice. The California singer can be heard on the track that Blackpink's Lisa used in a viral dance video turned Twitter meme that she posted to YouTube in April 2020. Rapper-singer 6lack and QUIÑ's song "Mushroom Chocolate" set the tone for the sensual dance routine that made its way from R&B to the K-pop crowds.
While QUIÑ's still a fairly new voice — her debut album, Galactica, dropped in October 2016 — she's already made a strong impression on big names in the industry, including G-Eazy, The Internet's Syd, and Buddy. The ever-growing list of talent that QUIÑ's worked with also includes her boyfriend, rapper 6lack.
Not much is known about the soulful singer-songwriter (or her romantic relationship), but after the accidental viral moment, it's possible QUIÑ's music will turn up on the playlists of K-Pop and R&B lovers alike.
QUIÑ's music is otherworldly and mystical
California native QUIÑ sings in a way that makes her sound like she's from another planet. The (possibly) intergalactic singer described her sound as "fantasy soul," in a 2016 interview with VIBE, calling her debut album "the first chapter of this whole universe that I created."
Staying on brand with her galactic theme, in 2016 QUIÑ teamed up with Apple Music and NASA (yes, NASA) for the agency's Destination:Jupiter project. As part of the project, her song "LIGHTSPEED" — in which QUIÑ sings "over a shimmering grid of synths and a disco-indebted drumbeat" — was used to "test the command skills of [the Juno spacecraft]," per Desphosphenes.
"[Musicians] can literally play Jupiter," Scott Bolton, the principal investigator for the Juno mission, said at a press briefing at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, per USA Today. QUIÑ continued her fantasy world with her EP DREAMGIRL, which was released in 2017. While talking to Billboard about the EP and her "fantasy soul" sound, QUIÑ said, "My mind lives in a fantasy land, and my music comes from my soul — because, well, I'm writing it. And sometimes my soul exists in a pretend world in my mind that I draw from."
QUIÑ's relationship with 6lack is part of a viral Twitter moment
Along with signing to Interscope Records, 2019 was a momentous year for QUIÑ. She also released her mystical EP LUCID, which included the leading single "Mushroom Chocolate." The sensual track was released for Valentine's Day of that year, per Complex, which gave fans a closer look into QUIÑ's relationship with Atlanta rapper 6lack. Not much is known about their relationship, but like a true millennial couple, the two both feature each other on their personal Instagram profiles. Additionally, like a true famous couple, they accompany each other on red carpets.
K-pop mega star Lisa from Blackpink put an even brighter spotlight on their connection with her dance video "LILI's FILM #3 – LISA Dance Performance Video," which was published on YouTube in April 2020. A Twitter user with a sense of humor Photoshopped Lisa's long legs onto Spock from Star Trek and soon after the legs appeared on Dolly Parton and Stephen Colbert, per Insider.
As of this writing, 6lack and QUIÑ's official music video for "Mushroom Chocolate" has nearly two million views, while the official audio version sits at just over three million. With comments like "Come here because of Lisa, stayed cus the song SLAPS," it's clear that the K-pop star's video nudged fans in the right direction
With the viral moment skyrocketing QUIÑ's name, the artist could potentially see a surge in fans who are ready to be taken to her galactic universe.