Let’s be real. In the world of reggae/ton, women are few and far between—unless you count the ubiquitous back-up dancers perreando in the periphery. With few opportunities besides the hip shaking stage-prop, it’s hard out here for the aspiring “rapera” longing to command the mic. So when I had the chance to speak with Demphra, one half of the legendary (and now defunct) duo La Factoría, I made sure to ask her about how she was able to beat the odds and launch a successful career as a female Reggae/ton MC.
Panamanian, by way of DR, Demphra got her first crash course in Reggae music after moving to PTY as a child. Shortly thereafter, she began penning her own verses, and was “discovered” at a local radio station as a teen. In 2001, Demphra joined La Factoría, meaning Music Factory, along with three other up-and-coming artists. Their debut album “DJ Pablito Presents La Factoria” became an international hit and sold over 200,000 albums throughout Latin America. Shortly after the success of their debut album, the male artists left La Factoría to launch solo careers—leaving the group “totalmente feminista.” Undeterred by their departure, Joycee and Demphra went on to record three more successful albums. They have recently been making a name for themselves in the United States with their popular hit “Perdóname” which they recorded with Eddie Lover, a fellow Panamanian reggaetonero. Check out excerpts from my convo with Panamanians’ favorite rude gyal:
Note: Interview conducted in Spanish. This translation is the author’s.
LARNIES: So, why Reggae music?
WILLA DEMPHRA: When I arrived from the Dominican Republic, I shut myself in my bedroom, and I put the radio to its maximum volume. I was listening to a radio station, I don’t recall the name of it, and they played Reggae for the first time. I was like “What is this?!” I started to dance alone and I saw that I had goose bumps. “This is what I like,” I said to myself. I spent days dancing by myself. For me, listening to reggae for the first time, for me it was almost like sex, it was an incredible experience. Truly incredible. The first reggae artist I heard was El General.
LARNIES: Oh, yeah?
WILLA DEMPHRA: And he amazed me. And because of this, listening to this clip, listening to reggae music [on the radio], I ended up working in this… working in Reggae.
LARNIES: Has society’s perception of Reggae changed since you first listened to it as a child?
WILLA DEMPHRA: Yes, it has changed a lot. Before in Panama, they considered Reggae something low-class. It was a music form that wasn’t good enough for certain societies. For example, those of the upper class didn’t listen to Reggae, because it was from the ghetto. But thank God, today, even the President dances to Reggae. Everyone dances to reggae. Now it’s like Merengue, it’s like Rap. Thank God… I feel very, very happy that Reggaeton—that’s what it’s called—is reaching new heights.* I thought it was a passing fad. I thought that Reggaeton was going to die. But thanks to the changes, to the fusions that we make nowadays, people are accepting it. I think it came; no it already arrived to stay because today even the salseros want to sing Reggaeton. Everyone wants to sing Reggaeton. And the great thing about Reggaeton is that you can fusion it with whatever you want. You can fusion it with Trance, with Rap, with Merengue, with Soca.
LARNIES: What’s it like being a woman in this male-dominated industry?
DEMPHRA: Well, at the beginning it was really difficult because there were a lot of sexual advances and false promises, you know what I mean? There were a lot of little problems. But when I focus on a goal, problems are like little stumbling blocks. I might fall, but I get back up and I keep on walking. I feel privileged being a woman singing Reggaeton. Because honestly, there are few, very few and today La Factoría is one of the most popular.
LARNIES: How has La Factoría’s image evolved? Why did you two make these changes?
WILLA DEMPHRA: Our image has changed greatly. Before, we were pretty, obviously women with meat, with curves, with big breasts, fine; but today I believe that the prototype of what sells is being really thin. So we made the decision to lose weight. Also, in terms of wardrobe, we tried to change, seeing as though fashion continues advancing and one as to keep up with the trends. Before, I wore hats and baggy pants or shorts like the men. Now I’m more elegant, I’m a little more refined now that Reggaeton is an established music form. It’s a brand. Now people see Reggaeton like any other genre in the world.
LARNIES: Do you consider yourself a feminist?
WILLA DEMPHRA: Completely feminist since the beginning, since I write what I live. Everything that I live, everything that you heard on the first CD “La Willla Demphra” is what I lived with every guy, with the boyfriend, with the neighbor…I lived it. I always write about what happens to me and love hasn’t been too good to me. So I consider myself a very strong woman in that sense. I have my little heart. I am weak at times, but the only thing that weakens me is seeing others’ sadness, poverty, abuse. Domestic violence against women concerns me a lot and therefore I consider myself a completely feminist woman.
