Chimbala facts for kids

Leury José Tejeda Brito, known by his stage name Chimbala, is a popular Dominican rapper and singer. He comes from Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.

Chimbala is famous for his dembow music, a lively style of urban music. Many people in Latin America see him as one of the top dembow artists. He has worked with other well-known musicians like El Alfa, Mozart La Para, and Natti Natasha.

Chimbala's Music Journey

Chimbala started his music career in his neighborhood. He made songs for an album, but it wasn't very well known at first. Later, with more experience and a stronger team, he worked on his album called "Chimbala de este lado."

Early Songs and Collaborations

In 2012, Chimbala released songs such as "Tu ere un loco" and "Cuenta Conmigo." For "Cuenta Conmigo," he teamed up with artists Pablo Piddy and Toxic Crow. Two years later, in 2014, he released "Tu no corre a na." This song was a response to a track by another artist, El Alfa.

Gaining Popularity in 2016

Chimbala really started to get noticed in urban music in late 2016. He released the song "Tamo burlao" with his friend El Fother. This song quickly became very popular. It got almost seven million views on YouTube in just two months! Because of this success, some music news outlets started calling him "The little giant!" of urban music. Chimbala himself said that 2016 was a very busy year. He had several hit songs, made a music video, and even toured in different countries. He became popular with many new fans.

Hits in 2017 and 2018

In January 2017, Chimbala's songs "To lo gogo" and "Desacatao" were played a lot on radio stations in the Dominican Republic. Both songs also got thousands of views on YouTube. Later in 2017, he released the music video for "Bye Bye." This song, which featured Mozart La Para and Liro Shaq, brought him even more fame.

On February 2, 2018, Chimbala released the official video for his song "Pocoto" on YouTube. Within ten months, it had over three million views.

"Maniquí" and Other Big Songs

The song "Maniquí" gave Chimbala a huge boost in his music career. It came out on May 18, 2018. Just a couple of months after its release, the video had over 18 million views on YouTube. The video showed girls performing dances and was produced by Crea Fama Inc. "Maniquí" became very famous in Latin America, Miami, and even in parts of Europe like Spain and Italy.

Another one of Chimbala's successful songs is "Ta Celosos." This song has more than five million views on YouTube. These songs helped Chimbala become one of the most popular urban artists in 2018. He said that his success came from the new mixes and rhythms he used in his music. Around mid-2018, Chimbala also had the chance to appear in a movie called "Calle cul-de-sac."

Collaborations and New Releases

In mid-2018, artist Mark B released a song called "Pónmelo a sonar" with Chimbala. This song was played on the radio in the Dominican Republic for several weeks. The music video for "Pónmelo a sonar" was directed by X Wayne Liriano and featured lots of dancing, colors, and lights.

In January 2019, Chimbala released "Colombiana," produced by B-One under La Para Record. This record label belongs to the reggaeton artist Mozart La Para. In the same month, he also released "El Pito Remix Internacional" and performed in many nightclubs.

Recent Achievements

In 2022, Chimbala performed at the "Premio Lo Nuestro" awards show. He sang his album "Wow BB" with Natti Natasha and El Alfa. That same year, he also released his album "Feliz," which reached the number one spot on Monitor Latino in the Dominican Republic. In 2023, his song "Déjate ver" also hit number one.

Awards and Recognition

Chimbala has been recognized for his music with several awards and nominations.

Heat Latin Music Awards

• 2021: He was nominated for Best Urbano Dominican Artist.
• 2022: He won the award for Mejor Colaboración (Best Collaboration) for his song "Loco." This song featured Justin Quiles and Zion & Lennox.

Other Awards

• 2022 Monitor Music Awards: He was nominated for Best Dembow Artist.
• 2025 Soberano Awards: He was recognized as Best Urban singer.