pop latino

Danny Ocean

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Venezuelan singer who self-released "Me Rehúso" and watched it travel worldwide, pairing reggaeton rhythm with a soft, unhurried vocal.

Danny Ocean, born Daniel Alejandro Morales Reyes in Caracas, is the only child of a Venezuelan diplomat and a musician; his mother's postings meant he spent much of his childhood moving between countries. He earned a graphic design degree from the Universidad Nueva Esparta before relocating to Miami, where he settled after leaving Venezuela in the mid-2010s.

Before "Me Rehúso," Ocean had been producing music since 2009, first posting tracks to YouTube under the name Danny O.C.T. and leaning toward English-language electronica. He released two independent EPs, Paracaídas in 2014 and U-YE in 2015, on iTunes and Amazon Music.

He put "Me Rehúso" online himself in 2016, a song about a partner left behind, and it spread through streaming across Latin America, Spain and the United States before any label was attached to it. An English-language version, "Baby I Won't," followed in 2017, and that June Ocean signed with Atlantic Records for his English material and with Warner Music for his Spanish-language work.

The reggaeton pulse sits low in the mix, and Ocean's voice stays conversational instead of reaching for the big note, with lyrics that shift between Spanish and English mid-line. He worked with Skrillex on "Epa Wei," appeared alongside David Guetta, Stargate, Tiwa Savage and Wizkid on a Coldplay-released track, and later joined Fuse ODG and Ed Sheeran on "Lazy Day" and co-wrote "Ay, DiOs Mío!" for Karol G.

His debut album, 54+1, arrived in 2019, self-produced and mastered by Ricardo Sangiao, and included the single "Dime tú" with fellow Venezuelan singer Maye. In 2024 he released the EP venequia, pairing an acoustic "Me Rehúso" and a new take on "Dime tú" with five new songs, timed to Venezuela's presidential election as a gesture of hope for the country.

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