La Brega is a podcast from WNYC and Futuro Studios, and its second season (which began earlier this year) aims to tell the story of Puerto Rico in eight songs. Accompanying the new season is La Brega: El Álbum, an EP of six recordings of classic Puerto Rican songs. Out April 11, it features Ana Macho, Mireya Ramos and Velcro MC, RaiNao and Ìfé, La Tribu de Abrante, Balún, and Xenia Rubinos, who covers “Preciosa.” Watch Rubinos perform the song below.
“I remember my mom singing along to the song with all her heart,” Rubinos said in a statement. “And I remember it just being really important to her, so it felt important to me, too.”
“Each cover on the album takes a song from Puerto Rico’s past and recasts it for today, and even for Puerto Rico’s future,” La Brega host Alana Casanova-Burgess added. “These are hits we grew up with, and now we get to hear them with new layers of meaning and relevance from every artist.”
Rafael Hernández Marín made “Preciosa” in the 1930s as a patriotic song. Marc Anthony further popularized the track, which he performed at Madison Square Garden in 2005.
