Chuki Chuki and many songs of mine are inspired by music that I would hear at family gatherings as a kid growing up in NYC, so they hit very close to home for me. Chuki Chuki was made in Dec 2022 with Ex Mañana, a friend that I haven't worked with in a while and was excited to get back in the studio with. I told them that I wanted to make a track that was rooted in Merengue but also melds my American knowledge of Hyperpop. Once I heard the dry opening chords, I laid down my hymns and just started having fun with it. It’s not often making a track comes that easily so I knew we had something special. Being a first-generation Dominican American, I think it’s important for me to pay homage to and spotlight creatives of my culture. The word “Chuki” is derived from the children’s diabolical doll “Chucky” and is used in some Dominican households to describe kids being up to no good. I wanted to make a track about having a night out with my friends so I took the slang word and made it more lighthearted but still mischievous.