KiNG MALA

KiNG MALA is pop artist Areli Castro, whose music makes use of the darker shades of mainstream pop with more than a hint of goth at times. Her work has had a bold and emphatically produced sound right from the start, though she kept it relatively brighter, initially, and brought in some soul undertones that are especially evident on her debut EP, 2020's Gemini. She moved in an edgier direction later on her first full-length album, And You Who Drowned … (2025), where she turned the dial-up on the key elements of her music, with an increased production sheen and level of darkness. Her songs are fairly strong on the melodic front and confident in their presentation, which adds to its captivating quality.