Puerto Rican transgender singer Villano Antillano is sparking conversation after revealing how she funds her artistic career, during a recent interview with El País.
The rapper shared that despite achieving recognition in the urban music scene, her primary source of income remains sex work.
Villano Antillano Funds Career with Sex Work
The artist, who gained international prominence in 2022 following a collaboration with Argentine producer Bizarrap, explained that the music industry doesn’t yet provide the core financial support for her work.
“I aim for to make it clear that I am who I am and I am where I am, but sex work is still my ‘main source’ of income, not the music industry,” Villana Santiago Pacheco, also known as Villano Antillano, stated.
She added that this type of work has even allowed her to invest more resources into her artistic development. “In fact, I’m able to put more into my project thanks to sex work,” she said.
The artist also reflected on the challenges she believes transgender individuals face within the music world, particularly in the historically male-dominated urban genre. This conversation arrives as more artists openly discuss the financial realities of pursuing a career in music.
“I’ve come to understand that, coming as I do, there aren’t many artists like me, so there aren’t manuals or instructions in a field that literally seeks to eliminate us, that doesn’t encourage any kind of inclusion,” she affirmed.
Antillano also explained that she is currently focused on her artistic growth, without attempting to change the industry’s rules.
“I’m at a point where I’ve taken the liberty of focusing on my art, on growing as an artist, due to the fact that I can’t do anything more within the industry,” she indicated.
