Aitana, the new voice of Catalan electropop
A forthcoming world tour is set to make a global superstar of reality-TV performer turned electropop queen Aitana.
Rosalía dominated the charts in 2025 but where should you turn if you want to tune in to another Catalan pop princess? Allow us to introduce Aitana. The 26-year-old Aitana Ocaña Morales – known by mononym Aitana – first stepped into the limelight in 2017 on reality-TV show Operación Triunfo. Since then, she has had a slew of megahits in Spain with her strand of electropop that’s impossible not to dance to.
Aitana’s latest album, Cuarto Azul, is a triumph of shimmering synths and has a delightful poppy bounce. She has collaborated with the likes of Puerto Rican rapper Myke Towers for the tropical track “Sentimiento Natural” and the Spanish duo Fangoria for the moody “La Chica Perfecta”. The sweet melancholia of “6 de Febrero” and the uplifting “Superestrella” are also notable singles. Aitana is multi-faceted; her collaborations extend past music to include a Netflix documentary, while she has also been a muse for Fendi.
With her upcoming world tour, 2026 promises to be the year that Aitana will go global – cementing her status (in the words of her biggest single) as a superestrella.
Need more pop? Here are three other divas who we’re keeping an eye on this year:
- Marina Sena: The 29-year-old singer’s new EP celebrates summers in her native Brazil. The song “Que delícia o verão” is pure sunshine. Her songs were in high rotation at this year’s Carnival.
- Theodora: Last year’s most-streamed French-language female singer is set to release new music in 2026. Check out her song “Melodrama” with Disiz to hear how she’s bringing a dose of new energy to the French charts.
- Sam Quealy: The Australian singer and former cruise-ship magician assistant describes herself as “your favourite technopop princess”. Her January 2026 album Jawbreaker is delightful and her stage presence is like no one else’s – while singing, she can also do a series of high-kicks.
This article is from Monocle’s March issue, The Monocle 100, which features our editors’ favourite 100 figures, destinations, objects and ideas.
Read the rest of the issue here.
