Imaina, a Belgian–Bolivian indie pop singer

I meet musician Imaina at her place, on an October evening, warm and cozy in her home studio. I first met her at a Latin party: her magnetic energy had instantly pulled me in. Tonight, we talk about her music, her sources of inspiration, and how she has seen the Brussels Latin scene evolve in recent years.

Imaina — such a intriguing name? It’s actually a stage name rooted in the artist’s Andean heritage. “When I started making music, I wanted a name in Quechua, something that referenced my story, something that honored it. My mother, my grandmother—who still speaks Quechua—and I were searching for words. She’s the one who suggested Imaina. It means ‘how’. Now everyone calls me that, even my mother!”

Born from a Belgian father and a Bolivian mother, Imaina arrived in Brussels at 18 after spending her entire childhood in Bolivia. Passionate about music but eager for stability, she decided to study communications. “Back then, I was in different bands, I had a folk duo with my brother, we played in bars. But honestly, I didn’t really believe in it. When I arrived here, even though my dad is Belgian, I felt that migrant experience. I’m one of the first women in my family to finish a degree. I wanted to follow a ‘classic’ path: study, get my master’s, a good job, make my parents proud, make sure everything was stable.”

Then came the tidal wave of The Voice, which changed her trajectory entirely. She had been posting covers on YouTube when the production team contacted her. She reached the live shows and realized music would now take over. “I understood I couldn’t do anything else. It was too much fun. I had planned to move to New Zealand for a master’s in Indigenous Law… nothing to do with music! But I had to stay, finish my songs, launch this music project.”

Her first EP Wounds came out in 2021, followed by She in 2024, which she is still performing on stage. “After the show, I had to learn fast: how to release a track on streaming platforms, mix, master, shoot a video… Nobody teaches you that! I still do a lot on my own, but I also surround myself with people: videographers, photographers I really like. And for the concerts, I have a booking agency.”

At the heart of it all is her family — a rock-solid pillar. “My family is super involved in my project. My dad is my accountant. My mom makes my stage outfits and helps a lot with the artistic direction. My sister is a stylist, my brother a musician. It’s kind of a family business.” A cocoon that has always encouraged her to sing, write, put on shows, and discover new artists. “My father plays the saxophone, my mother the charango. I started music school at around 5 or 6. I loved putting on shows with my siblings: they were my backup dancers!”

Since then, the stage has never left her. She explores very different moods, from acoustic sets to full-band concerts. “I love performing. Before going on stage, I feel like throwing up, I get super nervous. But it’s because it matters. When I started, I was shy, hiding behind my guitar. With my latest EP, which is more joyful, I felt the need to open up more, to dance, to transmit.”

She will be back on stage on December 5th at the Brasserie de la Mule (Schaerbeek), alongside two other Latina artists. Together, they form the Dreamy Mamis. “We wanted to create our own event, with a coherent line-up.” Over the past few years, the Latin boom has reached Brussels, and Imaina has seen a united, supportive microcosm emerge. “I see more and more Latin-Brussels artists: people born elsewhere but Brussels at heart, launching Latin projects here. And it’s working. We’re connecting. When I arrived, I felt alone; I didn’t have many Latino-artist friends.”

In the beginning, asserting a “Latin-pop” identity wasn’t easy. “I struggled a bit to impose my project as it was. But I see real change: audiences are more familiar with Latin American music.” Her Bolivian heritage finds its way into her songs, if only through language. “Singing in Spanish is already a statement. I draw my musical roots from Latin America: folklore, indie-pop bands like Zoé, Enanitos Verdes, Men I trust, The Marías… My universe is close to theirs. It’s like they’re my parents and I’m their little daughter, vibe-wise. I also use samples of salsa or Brazilian funk that I slow down, or elements like pan flute or charango.”

These sounds will continue to shape her third EP, planned for 2026. After Wounds, darker and more electronic, and She, bright and joyful, the next chapter will follow that path. “My EPs are chapters of the book of my life. Melancholic songs come very easily to me, but I don’t want to focus on that right now. I’m saving them for later, maybe.”

When we talk about her favorite Latin places in Brussels, her eyes light up. She mentions Iskay, a Bolivian restaurant in Etterbeek, and the Latin-queer Gelatina parties organized by her friend Ricky Corazon. But the event she looks forward to the most each year is the Bolivian carnival in the city center. “It’s when the whole Bolivian community in Belgium comes together. The Bolivian carnival is one of the most beautiful in the world, recognized by UNESCO. It brings together dozens of folkloric dances, we take over the streets, we sing, we dance, we throw glitter. In Bolivia, it lasts 12 hours! Here it’s just one afternoon, but I end up exhausted and deeply moved. It’s something you have to experience.”

It’s one of the many ways Imaina keeps a strong bond with Bolivia. A country that never really leaves her, as she always carries a piece of it with her. She takes out a small good-luck vial. “In La Paz, there’s the Calle de las Brujas, the Witches’ Street, where they sell potions, spells, elixirs. You can buy a small bottle and fill it with elements you want to attract into your life.” When I point out the tiny pistol nestled among the glitter, she bursts out laughing: “It means I’m going to kill the game!” A “killer” whose dreamy universe we can’t wait to rediscover this Friday, December 5th, at the Brasserie de la Mule.