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In a world that insists on labeling, Ana Belén Kim (26 years old), also known as Anita B Queen, considers herself a “degenerate.” Someone impossible to categorize. The daughter of a Catholic mother and an Evangelical father, both Korean immigrants who arrived in the country in her early childhood, her musical journey began at Cheil, the First Korean Presbyterian Church. Anita was still a teenager and was amazed to see so many instruments at her disposal. She taught herself and soon became the leader of the church's youth band. 

It was when she turned eighteen that life turned her world upside down. For Anita, a period of profound questions opened up: about the institution she was in, about the people around her, about her values, and about her sexuality. “Imagine, a lifelong Christian girl, raised in a small, closed, conservative, and orthodox Korean community, trying to understand what was happening to her and what she was feeling, trying to accept herself.” That year she left the church, distanced herself from her classmates, broke up with her boyfriend, and started dating other women. “It was at that moment that I started working as a DJ, making electronic music, learning from local and international DJs who, without knowing it, were my teachers.” It was a male-dominated world that Anita stormed into, without asking permission. “It’s simple, making your way is a matter of attitude,” she asserts. 

Night tours 

Her early experiences as a DJ made her aware of a number of inequalities: “I was very young, and at night there are other vices, things get mixed up, and there's always someone who works a ton and gets nothing.” Tired of that environment, Anita moved away from electronic music and started playing urban music sets, hip hop, and trap. That's how she met Cato (Ca7riel) and Tomy (Tomás Sainz), who were looking for a band to present El Disko (Ca7riel's first solo album). One day, the DJ opened her Instagram and had a message from the singer, who had won the Gardel Award for Best Conceptual Album. Shortly after, he invited her to join his band. “My fear stemmed from the fact that I'm not a musician. So I told Cato, 'I don't know what you want me to do, but whatever you need, I'll study it and learn it,' and he replied, 'Don't worry, you already have what I need from you.' He was always very empathetic with me.”

That's how she became the only woman in the band and started touring with them. “Catito and I are very similar; we don't need to explain things to each other. While there are times when the guys go into 'dude mode' and make a racket and shout, I just put on my headphones and do my own thing. It's an incredible group; they're far from being an all-male rock band. They're something very different—cool, deconstructed. They respect my space and make me feel very comfortable.” 

“Faggots and faggots are the best” 

After several years in the music scene, Anita notices that many dynamics are finally changing. “There are much more diverse lineups, events organized by women, femininities, or trans femininities have emerged, and that's becoming the focus of the scene; the spotlight is shifting to the alternative.” In her personal quest, she tries to avoid the limitations that stifle sound, that confine it within genres or labels, and she tries not to exclude crazy rhythms, Latin, pop, urban, or electronic music. “I love it when, before a set, people wonder, 'What will Anita bring to the table today?' I get along much better with people who are open to surprises; that's the kind of audience I want. I want to be with the cool kids. Sometimes, when there are only five people left at the party, I give it my all, I play for those who stay there dancing and cheering.” 

Family secrets

There are two possible ways to talk about her musical influences: the inherited path and the chosen path. While Anita always believed her family was far removed from music, she recently realized that she had inherited, albeit subtly, a kind of "sonic heritage" from them: a mother who went to the conservatory and played the piano, a father who loved to sing and was quite adept at playing the guitar and flute. "Being an orthodox and traditional community, dedicating oneself to art wasn't part of the plan. I imagine they didn't pursue it due to some social mandate, like many other things they couldn't question." She also inherited from them a love for kimchi jjigae, her favorite Korean food. 

Regarding her chosen path, among her greatest influences, Anita highlights ARCA, a Venezuelan singer, songwriter, producer, and DJ based in Spain, specializing in electronic and experimental music, who recently performed at Primavera Sound. “Her show goes far beyond music; it’s a sensory experience, something that can’t be put into words, and she leaves her audience with something in their hearts, wanting to try new sounds, with different sensations. She has worked with Björk, Sia, Rosalía, and Lady Gaga. Her work unites us as a community.”

Long gone are the days of teenage Anita B Queen leading a church band. “Now I have a lot of visibility in the LGBT community. There are times when I still feel the resistance in my body; I still have that very Christian side that's hard to shake, but it's definitely where I want to be. Gay men and queers are the best thing that ever happened to this world; no community knows as much about partying and joy as ours. We have fun, and I feel increasingly proud of the space they're opening up for me to share my music.”