Qué chimba: Colombian hitmaker Feid talks HARD Summer, new music

Last Saturday, at the 2025 edition of HARD Summer — the annual EDM takeover of Hollywood Park in Inglewood — gritty reggaeton rhythms infiltrated the festival’s usual bass-bumping fare. At the center of the main stage was Colombian superstar Feid, who united ravers and perreo fanatics alike in a glorious twerk fest.

Distinguished by his signature green apparel, the 32-year-old singer, songwriter and MC has become one of the top 10 most-streamed artists globally on Spotify. Having recently graced festivals like the Governors Ball in New York and Lollapalooza in Paris, Feid, who is also known affectionately by his fans as Ferxxo (pronounced Fercho), continued to break new ground as HARD Summer’s first-ever Latin headliner.

“These types of moments will always be very special for Latino culture and for reggaeton, the genre that I sing,” he said, seated across from me in the living room of a posh Airbnb in Beverly Hills. Through the glass doors behind him, I could see his parents wading in the swimming pool. “To represent the large Latino community in this country, in a lineup that also includes Kaytranada and Busta Rhymes, makes me feel very special. To perform on the main stage and bring that kind of visibility to this festival is amazing.”

Although Feid’s rise to the top feels recent, it’s actually over 10 years in the making. Born Salomón Villada Hoyos in Medellín, Colombia, he started out as a songwriter in his hometown’s reggaeton scene. Feid helped put J Balvin and Medellín on the map as a co-writer of 2015 breakthrough smash “Ginza,” which opened the doors for other Colombian stars like Maluma and Karol G.

While a majority of his peers were feeding from reggaeton’s roots in Puerto Rico, he decided to bring his paisa, or Medellín-born slang and style to breed a more personal brand of perreo. Following the release of his 2020 album “Ferxxo (Vol 1: M.O.R),” Feid made “mor,” which is a Colombian term of endearment for “love,” enter the global lexicon. Soon after, he established himself as a unique and refreshing force in reggaeton with 2022’s blockbuster LP “Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo Te Pirateamos El Álbum.”

“I feel that incorporating my culture in everything makes people curious about what these words mean and how to use them,” Feid added. “To show where you’re from, your roots, and how you grew up through your music makes me feel muy chimba [very cool]. I feel proud to scream from the rooftops that I’m a paisa and I’m Colombian.”

Last November, he won his first Latin Grammy for his 2023 collaboration “Perro Negro” with Bad Bunny and later received his first Grammy nod in 2025 for his 2023 EP “Ferxxocalipsis.” In June, Feid released the experimental “Ferxxo Vol X: Sagrado,” which he produced and mixed himself. He’s also been riding high with his girlfriend, Karol G, and their song of the summer, “Verano Rosa,” from her new “Tropicoqueta” album.

Those tracks were included in his hour-long set at HARD Summer last Saturday, along with hits like the playful “Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo” and the ATL Jacob-assisted “Luna.” Feid also flaunted his past hip-hop and R&B collaborations with DJ Premier, Blxst, Majid Jordan and Ty Dolla $ign — but he got his biggest rap co-sign when a blazed Snoop Dogg emerged as a surprise guest and performed “Drop It Like It’s Hot.”

De Los caught up with Feid the day before this momentous show to talk about his latest album and upcoming projects in both music and Marvel comics. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Snoop Dogg appeared to support Colombian singer Feid during his HARD Summer set at Inglewood’s Hollywood Park on Aug. 2.

(Jamal Eid / HARD Summer)

How would you describe this latest chapter in your music career?

I’m in an era [when] I’m doing what I like to do and what I enjoy the most. There [are] moments when I like to do something without necessarily thinking about if everyone will like it. There’s also moments where you have to concentrate on winning over the masses. There will be more music for them, but this latest album is something special for the people that have believed in my project since the beginning.

What was it like to independently produce your latest album, “Ferxxo Vol X: Sagrado”?

It was very frustrating at first. I almost threw in the towel a few times. I talked with my family and friends and I told them: “I don’t like what I’m doing. I don’t think it sounds good.” Then came a moment when I switched things up, I found my footing and everything came out great. To put out this album made me feel like I’m showing everyone as I am; there’s no makeup. There’s no corrections from other producers, or corrections to my voice. There’s no A&R. It’s like if I uploaded a picture of myself in underwear to Instagram.

In the past few years, there were beats that I hadn’t finished making and music that I could’ve mixed, but I didn’t. I made this album to prove to myself that I could finish what I hadn’t before. That was my goal for this year. It makes me feel happy that with this album, there were no rules.

In November, you won your first Latin Grammy award for best reggaeton performance for “Perro Negro” with Bad Bunny. What was going through your head at that moment?

That was crazy! When I didn’t win for “Luna,” I was like, “Hijuepucha [son of a …], if I didn’t win for ‘Luna,’ how are we going to win for ‘Perro Negro’?” The songs and artists in that category were all great. To win, it took me by surprise. I’m very grateful to Bad Bunny for giving me the opportunity to share that song with him. I messaged him right away saying that I felt very happy that I won my first Grammy with him. I’ve been nominated and performing at the Latin Grammys since 2019, so to win was amazing. I was very nervous during my acceptance speech. I have a piece of paper from two years ago with what I would say if I won a Grammy. I didn’t say anything that was on that paper. [Laughs]. That moment was muy chimba.

This is definitely the summer of “Verano Rosa.” How did that song come together with Karol G?

We recorded the song in 2023, but we changed the tone of it many times. We were trying to find a way in which Karol would sound like Karol and I would sound like Ferxxo. In the tone we had it at, I was singing super low and she was at a higher register. I was taking singing classes and that raised my register a bit.

Karol then told me, “Let’s put this song on my album. It would be muy chimba to release because our teams love us together on it.” So we went to the studio again and recorded it in different tones until we both felt comfortable with it. It’s always special to work with her. She knows what she wants and how she wants it. For her to also be my partner, it’s beautiful and a blessing to work with family.

What did you think when Karol G did your signature “whoa” ad-lib in the song?

¡Súper chimba! It’s very funny because I sang her verses and she sang mine. The verses that I wrote for the song are the ones that she sings, and vice versa. She already had my “whoa” down. It sounded very beautiful. I’m proud of that voice Karol has. She’s been with me through all my processes, I’ve been with her through all her processes. I feel very fortunate that she’s my partner, my colleague and my friend.

You’ve also recently been spotted in the studio with The Kid Laroi and Cypress Hill. What can you tell us about those sessions?

I’m continuing to expand my sound. I’ve worked with reggaeton in a lot of ways. Now it’s like: What can I do to share my sound with Kid Laroi, who is a pop and R&B star, and make it reggaeton? With the legendary Cypress Hill, how can I live within their world of rap and hip-hop? When I collaborate with artists from other genres, it’s a learning opportunity for me. With Cypress Hill, it was all about hearing what they had to say. I showed them the rap songs on my album and asked for their opinions. Those projects should be coming soon.

You’ve recently teased a new song called “Se Lo Juro.” Will that song lead to another album?

“Se Lo Juro” is a very beautiful song. It will be part of my next project. I have everything almost ready to go, [but] I don’t think it will be my usual December drop because that’s far away. I can’t wait until then. [Laughs.] I’m very focused on connecting with the roots of reggaeton and what made me a fan of it.

You’re now a part of the Marvel Universe, with the series “The Green Man.” What can we expect from the second comic later this year?

It’s a dream of mine [to be in] the world of Marvel, I’m [one of the] X-Men, and I’ll join them later on. It’s my story inside that universe. The second comic will come out in December, or maybe before. You’re going to keep learning things about my life in a more metaphorical way.