Nina Sky: From Merengue roots to Urban Dominance

For Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate the stories, sounds, and voices that have molded the culture surrounding us. Certain stories are brought to life as milestones, while others are
measured by how many people they touch. Nina Sky’s story does both. For more than two
decades, Nicole and Natalie Albino have been cultivating music where the limit doesn’t exist.

Born and raised in Queens and proudly Puerto Rican, the twins grew up at the intersection of cultures that would fundamentally define their sound. From Hip-hop to R&B, dancehall, reggaeton, Latin music, and electronic, these talented ladies never came across a reason to choose just one genre. When “Move Ya Body” dropped over 20 years ago, the tune became a cultural touchstone. Generations later, the song’s energy remains unmistakable, all the way from packed dance floors to Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour. Very few artists get to witness a song they made in one chapter of their lives become part of the soundtrack of another generation.

Nina Sky’s story also intertwines with a vital moment in the rise of reggaeton in the United States, as “Oye Mi Canto” placed the ladies alongside some of the genre’s defining voices at a time when Latin music was beginning to transform the American mainstream. Their collaborations continued to span musical worlds alongside artists such as Rick Ross, Pitbull, Major Lazer, Diplo, Aventura, and The Alchemist.Perhaps what makes the twins’ journey most intriguing is that the music has always been only one part of the story.

Overall, Nicole and Natalie have evolved as artists, women, mothers, entrepreneurs, and cultural tastemakers without leaving their roots behind. Through Y2QUÉ, they have converted their own musical history into a living community, where space has been created for people to celebrate the sounds, style, and spirit of the era that molded them, which is what clearly defines Hispanic Heritage Month. Nina Sky’s journey is distinctly Puerto Rican and Queens, but most importantly, their own. Yet, the influence of what they have created reaches far beyond any single
neighborhood, genre, or generation.

Overall, the twins have spent 20 years proving that you can honor where you come from while continuing to reinvent the destination you’re headed to.

Credits:

Photographer ~ Antwon Maxwell @antwonmaxwellphotography
Photographer Assistant ~ Takudzwa Nhekairo @1of1tkk
MUA ~ Jamie Harper @beautybyharper using BeautyStat @beautystat
Hairstylist ~ Lanae Renise Witter @naedidmyhair using using BASS BRUSHES @bassbrushes and
N Beauty Hair Boutique Bundles @nbeautyhairboutique
Wardrobe ~ Tim B. @styledbytimb
Project Coordinator & Production ~ Handz Dirty PR @handzdirtypr
Production Assistant ~ Olivia P. Walker @oliviapwalker
Location: Tawan Studio @tawanstudionyc