Everything To Know About Encanto Singer Sebastián Yatra

In case you didn’t know already, the Encanto soundtrack is a smash hit. In fact, the songs from the film are so successful that “Dos Oruguitas” received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song at the 2022 Oscars. Yatra isn’t nominated since the category only acknowledges songwriters, but he is performing the song at the March 27 show.

If you were like me and teared up hearing “Dos Oruguitas” for the first time, you might be wondering, Who’s the voice behind the Spanish-language ballad? It’s none other than Sebastián Yatra.

Yatra is a Colombian singer and songwriter known for his romantic ballads, catchy reggaeton singles, and collaborations with the likes of Daddy Yankee, The Jonas Brothers, and Monsta X. Since Disney’s Encanto is based on Colombian culture, it only made sense a major Colombian artist like Yatra featured on the movie’s soundtrack.

To celebrate the Oscar nomination for “Dos Oruguitar,” here are five facts to know about Yatra, including his new album Dharma, upcoming tour dates, and his connection to Halsey.

1. Yatra is multi-talented.

Yatra was born in Medellin, Colombia, but he moved to Miami at the age of five. According to the biography on his website, Yatra started focusing on school and art at an early age. In 2018, he told The Fader that he quit soccer as a kid to prioritize singing. “I would show up to soccer practice with my scarf because I had to take care of my voice,” he said. Is it bad that I'm kinda glad he quit?

It turned out to be a smart choice as Yatra found international success in 2016 with the single, “Traicionera.” It’s been viewed over 547 million times on YouTube. He’s since gone on to receive eight nominations at the Latin Grammys, including Album of the Year in 2019 for Fantasía.

2. Yatra once performed with Halsey.

If Yatra looks a little familiar but you can’t place why, maybe it's because he performed with Halsey at the 2018 Latin Grammys. The pair hit the stage for a two-part medley, singing one of Yatra’s most popular love ballads, “No Hay Nadie Mas.” This translates into “My Only One" in English. Next, they sang Halsey's "Without Me.”

The duo totally sizzled on stage and together showcased how love songs, regardless of the language, can be so powerful and moving.

3. Yatra dropped a bilingual single with the Jonas Brothers.

Yatra has kept up the impressive collaborations. In June of last year, Yatra teamed up with The Jonas Brothers, Daddy Yankee, and Natti Natasha for their song “Runaway.” It features lyrics in both English and Spanish.

It's hard to believe the track almost featured Joe Jonas as a solo act. In an interview with Billboard, Yatra explained the song started two years ago with just Joe before his brothers joined more recently, alongside the other collaborators. I'm so glad they did because "Runaway" is my new summer jam. If anyone needs me, I'll be at my desk smashing Spotify’s repeat button all day.

Yatra just released a new bilingual single, “Tacones Rojo,” with John Legend. It’s a bubbly song (and music video) definitely worth checking out.

4. Yatra has a new album out.

If you’re itching to hear more new music from Yatra, the star just dropped his third studio album, Dharma. The record, which came out on Jan. 28, hit No. 2 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums chart. Yatra’s previous two album releases both hit No. 1: Mantra in 2018 and Fantasía in 2019.

5. Yatra is going on tour

To celebrate the release of Dharma (and honestly all his recent successes), Yatra is embarking on a massive world tour in 2022 that will take him all across the United States, Puerto Rica, and Canada.

The tour kicks off on Aug. 25 in Houston, Texas, and ends on Nov. 12 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Fans can purchase tickets for the tour on Yatra’s official website now.

Now, excuse me while I go stream “Runaway” for another time today.