A Conversation with Latanya Alberto
on the heels of the release of her debut studio album, SEEN
Alberto Aliaga | June 13, 2026
Elisa Michelle
Ringleader: How have your roots shaped the way you think about rhythm, storytelling, and community within your music
Latanya Alberto: I am Surinamese and Curaçaoan. Music that is significant to my countries is Tumba and Kawina, and in addition I grew up listening to so much Kompa and Salsa. What all of these have in common is that they are percussion-heavy, and that you need to play this music in a group with enough people, otherwise it will not sound authentic. I remember going to these family parties as a child, and there would be Kawina or Salsa all night long. I have loved how everyone played together so seamlessly, and how the role of the vocals is often used as an instrument. The role, the melodies, the placement. I think a lot of my mindset in music and in life comes from my love of creating, existing, and feeling emotions in community.
Ringleader: The album blends jazz, neo-soul, reggae, and R&B without ever feeling confined to a single genre. Did you approach genre as a creative tool rather than a destination?
Latanya Alberto: Definitely. Roaming through different genres has been more about borrowing the sentiment and emotion certain genres bring than being diverse without intention. For example, Jazz makes me feel unbound and reminds me my authentic self is allowed to transition and move around a lot. Reggae reminds me of how the topics I write about often feel like a silent protest. I am a very calm and down-to-earth person, yet I burn for certain social matters like racism and feminism. Naturally I use my soft tone and melodies to spread my word. Exploring Reggae, which to me carries the sentiment of calmness, supports that.
Ringleader: The title SEEN feels simple at first, but the album reveals how complex that idea really is. What does being “seen” mean to you?
Latanya Alberto: Seen means being safe, being able to let go of being vigilant, and getting out of survival mode. On the album I move through intimate spaces like romantic relationships, but also a societal sense of feeling seen or unseen. To me, being seen translates to a feeling of being understood. I am naturally a soft person, and for someone to see me in my softness and still consider me strong, level with me, while channeling their inner vulnerability, is the ultimate feeling.
Ringleader: Throughout the record, you explore both visibility and vulnerability. Do you think being seen and being safe are always connected, or can they sometimes exist in conflict with one another?
Latanya Alberto: The double meaning within the context of our world is what makes SEEN interesting. I described that when I feel seen, I feel safe, understood. But as a woman there have been many instances where being seen is misinterpreted as being watched, and that is where the danger comes in. The way I present myself, unafraid to show my body and unafraid to portray myself as a form of art, I am challenging the narrative that looking at women, watching women, sometimes makes us feel like we are targeted through the male gaze. I show that we can be seen as more than an object, IF you have the ability to see what’s beneath our surface, and tap into your own vulnerability in order to disarm your gaze.
Ringleader: The album creates space for women to feel validated while also inviting men into the conversation. How did you navigate speaking from a personal perspective while keeping the dialogue open-ended to your audience
Latanya Alberto: I spoke with both men and women about their perspectives on the topic. Rafael Sinay, who executive-produced the album, is one of the people I rely on to hold me accountable and help preserve the nuances of the story so that both perspectives are represented fairly. Rafael is a big thinker like me, we both have a really big sense of understanding for the opposite sex, so this was a really interesting project to collaborate on.
Ringleader: Your songwriting often feels observational rather than prescriptive. Do you see your role as a storyteller or something else entirely?
Latanya Alberto: I truly feel like a vessel. I translate my own experiences, and stories that inspire me. We are all going through things that are similar to others. I see myself as the messenger rather than that the stories are just about me.
Ringleader: Has creating this album changed the way you understand your own experiences?
Latanya Alberto: Where I would write about past experiences in previous projects, with this album it felt like I was living a little, then writing a little, then living a little and so on. This process has been challenging but now that I am looking back on this journey, I can’t believe how much it has grown me. It really feels like I overcame myself and things I still had to learn.
Ringleader: Do you view SEEN as strictly a music project, or is it part of a larger artistic statement?
Latanya Alberto: SEEN is so much more than music. It’s a standpoint, it’s a trusted and respected friend you can come back to, it’s a place to learn about yourself and others. SEEN is also an artistic manifesto, the way I visually portray myself and my body is very important to fully understand the gravity of the stories, the textures that keep reappearing in the visuals hold a story, the way my hair is shaped and the spoken word that keeps reappearing all tell the same story. To be SEEN is where vulnerability and strength intersect.
Ringleader: What did the process of creating SEEN teach you about yourself that you didn’t know before the process began?
Latanya Alberto: How much I myself can still improve to make others feel seen. When we talk about women’s safety, we talk about emotional or physical threats to women’s lives. By talking to men I trust during this process, I learned more about the how and the why when it comes to vulnerability in men, and looking at the way the patriarchy is built, there is very little understanding for men who struggle with their vulnerable side to show up better in others’ lives. That being said, giving each other safety is always our own responsibility and we should all hold ourselves accountable for our behaviour no matter the circumstances of our environment or society.
Ringleader: When people fully digest SEEN, what do you hope they feel or see in themselves?
Latanya Alberto: I hope they feel safe and heard enough to open themselves up to exploring their own vulnerability, and see how they can show up in their own lives as a safe space to others.
Check out our writeup of SEEN by clicking the link below:
