Natalie Ann Yepez, better known by her stage name Maluca, grew up in Washington Heights, Manhattan. Raised on a steady diet of bachata, cumbia, merengue, and mambo, as well as hip-hop and other club music, Maluca's music has been described as "experimental tropical punk, ghetto tech, and hip-house". Although a bad case of stage fright kept her out of the spotlight for much of her life, a chance meeting with Diplo while performing karaoke eventually led to "El Tigeraso", Maluca's first single.