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Trinidad Cardona: Real Name, No Gimmicks

Trinidad Cardona: Real Name, No Gimmicks
Photo credit: Brian Ziff

WHO IS TRINIDAD CARDONA?

He got his break as a teen, but at 24, there’s still plenty of time for Trinidad Cardona to keep building on his legacy. The singer/songwriter and Phoenix native stumbled upon viral fame in 2017 as a teenager. That success bagged him a record deal with Island Records, though he’d leave the label not long thereafter before the even bigger viral success of another older track of his caused Island to circle back (he’s now signed to Def Jam). He hasn’t yet dropped a debut album, but he’s got more than enough material and a big enough following to keep fans on their toes when he does.

So who is Trinidad Cardona, and how did he get to where he is now? And most importantly, where can he go from here? Keep reading for a bit more on Trinidad’s backstory.

Photo credit: Island Records

HOW TRINIDAD CARDONA GOT ON THE MAP

Trinidad Cardona — yes, that’s his real name — has seen some of his fame happen almost accidentally. He is of mixed Black and Mexican heritage, performing in both English and Spanish. His self-released 2017 track “Jennifer” gave him his first taste of viral success, after he uploaded a video of himself singing the song, recorded between classes at school. Almost overnight, the clip received millions of views. He graduated high school soon after the clip went viral, eventually securing him a major label deal. All of this happened while Trinidad was still only a teenager.

His first proper hit would come with another of his earliest tracks, with “Dinero” (first released in 2018), which blew up on TikTok in 2021. “Dinero” has since earned more than 287 million streams on Spotify and its video has garnered more than 69 million views on YouTube. The song has been certified gold in both the U.S. and France, while also cracking the top 40 in Canada and performing especially well in mainland Europe. That same year, Trinidad dropped a new seven-track EP entitled Por Favor, released that December. In 2022, he guested on “Hayya Hayya (Better Together)” alongside Davido and AISHA for that year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Photo credit: Sam Lichtenstein

TRINIDAD CARDONA’S KEYS FOR SUCCESS

Though he still doesn’t have a proper debut LP out, Trinidad Cardona’s strategy of releasing new material via mixtapes and EPs — he's released three of each — has been paying dividends for the 24-year-old. In 2019 and 2020, Trinidad released a large number of individual tracks, including “Solo”, “Tired”, “Soltero”, “Blame Me”, and “Show Off”.

Social media is also a major factor in Trinidad's come-up. His TikTok presence is remarkably high, boasting a little over 850,000 followers and 15.3 million likes on the video sharing platform. This is significantly higher than his presence on either Instagram (275,000 followers) or Facebook (228,000 followers). On Spotify, Trinidad currently boasts more than 2.8 million monthly listeners, in addition to more than 993,000 YouTube subscribers.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR TRINIDAD CARDONA

As of now, it’s unclear what Trinidad Cardona has in store next musically, especially as he has still yet to release a debut album. His most recent mixtape remains 2021’s Por Favor, though he’s continued to make and release new music while also featuring on tracks by Gael Stone, Calabasas and Alexcis. His 2022 single, “Love Me Back (Fayahh Fayahh)” is the most successful among his newer releases, currently having been streamed nearly 104 million times on Spotify. 

Credit: @trinidad (Instagram)

Since then, he’s posted a handful of teasers for new songs on his social channels, and has released a number of individual songs over the past year alone — the most successful being “Monkey” featuring BNYX and Lawson, with its clip garnering more than 204,000 YouTube clicks. His most recent track is February's “Nerviosa” (putting a bouncy reggaeton twist on Luniz’s classic “I Got 5 On It”), preceded by “Something” and “My Way”, both released in January. 

But even if Trinidad hasn’t had a true chart hit since “Dinero", his sizeable online following ensures people will be listening as soon as he's ready. You can keep up with any new releases and activity from Trinidad Cardona by following him on any streaming platform, as well as his social channels like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, or listening to new releases on SoundCloud and YouTube.

FAQS ABOUT TRINIDAD CARDONA

Where is Trinidad Cardona from?

  • Trinidad Cardona hails from Phoenix, Arizona.

How old is Trinidad Cardona?

  • Trinidad Cardona was born on May 23, 1999, and is 24 years of age.

What is Trinidad Cardona’s full name?

  • Trinidad Cardona’s full name is Trinidad Nelson Cardona.

Who is Trinidad Cardona signed to?

  • Trinidad Cardona is currently signed to Def Jam Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.

What was Trinidad Cardona’s breakout song?

  • Trinidad Cardona’s breakout song was “Jennifer”, released in 2017, followed by his 2018 track “Dinero”, which caught fire on social media in 2021.

Who influenced Trinidad Cardona's music?

  • Trinidad Cardona counts artists within hip hop/R&B and Latin circles among his influences, including the Weeknd and PARTYNEXTDOOR, while also taking inspiration from ‘80s and ‘90s R&B, reggae, corridos, dancehall, and Brazilian funk.

What’s next for Trinidad Cardona?

  • While a proper upcoming body of work has not yet been announced, Trinidad Cardona has kept busy, having already released three new songs in 2024. 

How can I stay updated with Trinidad Cardona’s music?

  • You can stay in the loop with future Trinidad Cardona releases by following him on your streaming platform of choice, as well as on social media channels (Instagram, Facebook) and audiovisual platforms (SoundCloud, YouTube, TikTok).
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dave MacIntyre
As a student in the journalism program at Concordia University in Montreal, I specialized in both print and broadcast journalism. At the moment, my key strokes are busy writing content for Cult MTL, Exclaim!, RANGE and many others.

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