about esotérica Tropical

Esotérica Tropical is a queer Boricua bruja who transcends musical boundaries with her commanding voice, intuitive folk harp, and a fusion of Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba rhythms and electronic innovation. Her work boldly challenges colonial mentality, advocating for sovereignty and surrealism.

Singer-songwriter María José Montijo, creator of Esotérica Tropical, draws inspiration from over 20 years of experience as a healer –including tai-chi and qi-gong practice, daoist cosmology, meditation, studying bodywork, and practicing traditional medicine and acupuncture. Her music is rooted in a continuous process of discovery and care, where trauma is transformed into art.

“My songs come from a deep state of listening and meditation –a communion with nature, while at the river, the beach, or staring at a tree or the sky; or from a very emotive disposition, like the grief over my paternal grandmother’s death and the rage I feel from being a colonial subject. They help me remember my essence, the love and care that is available, the strength of my ancestors, and my own agency.”  

A self-described “weird, cosmic, and queer islander” from Puerto Rico, Esotérica Tropical’s musical journey began as a student of classical vocal peformance in Puerto Rico’s prestigious Conservatory of Music. After a series of health issues derailed her music studies, they began treatment for Hashimoto’s disease in 2009, including daily swims at San Juan’s El Escambrón beach. It was there that on one fateful day, they were approached by the lifeguard on duty ––to their surprise, their friend Constanza, a violinist they had met during their conservatory days. While catching up, Esotérica confessed to her friend they had begun making up songs in the shower, and the very next day Constanza had gifted them their first harp (one she had bought on eBay, curiously enough, from Puerto Rican composer Angélica Negrón, also a member of the influential indie pop group Balún). “Constanza showed me how to place my fingers on the harp, that the red colored strings were C and the blue colored strings were F, and that was that. I started to write songs intuitively on it.”

That chance encounter led to Esotérica Tropical’s first collection of songs, the self-released Glaciar EP (2016). “Music gives us something to aspire to. That's why I say my songs are like enchantments or spells –they help me to envision and conjure the world I want to live in.” Their next musical vision would be conjured up while living in Oakland, California, where they fell in love with the Afro-Puerto Rican musical tradition known as bomba. Studying under the tutelage of Julia Cepeda (a member of the legendary Cepeda family) and Denise Solis at Taller Bombaléle, Esotérica Tropical experienced playing songs as part of a collective –in community and for the community. 

As a result, Esotérica Tropical’s self-titled debut album, released under Panapén Records (2024), bears a deep bomba influence, both in its rhythms and collaborative nature. Conceived as a love letter to Puerto Rico from the diaspora, the album features performances by Julia and Denise from Taller Bombaléle and Batey Tambó in all bomba based tracks, as well as Julia’s father, Jesús “El Tambor Mayor” Cepeda (“Huracán”); Bay Area Latin jazz virtuoso Charlie Gurke (“Huracán”); Argentinean songwriter Juanito El Cantor of La Nube Mágica (“Silencio”); and indie music powerhouse Merrill Garbus from Tune-Yards (“Realismo Mágico”). The album also features production by electronic music masterminds Luis Maurette (Uji, Lulacraza), Heidi Lewandowski (Kaleema), and Adam Partridge (Atropolis). The result is an album full of healing songs meant to nourish and replenish us from constant oppression and the intergenerational wounds of colonization –a soundtrack for liberatory practices and joyous moods; a space for ritual and ceremony through song and dance. 

Esotérica Tropical’s ritualistic performances have captivated audiences at major venues and festivals worldwide including, Festival Color Caribe (PR),  The Chapel (SF), MACLA (San Jose), Oakland Museum of California, Teatro Municipal de Cusco (Perú), Teatro el Supremo (CDMX), Mills College at Northeastern(Oakland), Acción Latina(SF), SOMArts(SF), Fiestón Cultural del Instituto de Cultura de Puerto Rico (PR) and Brava Theater (SF). 

 In 2022, they featured on Argentinian producer Chancha Via Circuito’s album La Estrella. Their self-titled debut album, Esotérica Tropical, was named the Best Bay Area Music in 2024 by KQED, KALW, and White Crate.