Born and raised in San Antonio, Vanita Leo self-identifies as a quintessential working-class “Hot Cheeto Girl” from the 210, who just so happens to make Cumbia-pop music with some of the most lush-and-dreamy soundscapes in the game.
But to the editorial team at Rolling Stone, Leo is much more than a Hot Cheeto Girl — she’s one of Cumbia’s “most promising voices,” and she’s quickly emerging as a “standout” artist within the genre’s growing revival.
In a Wednesday report ranking this year’s “50 Best Latin and Spanish-Language Songs,” Rolling Stone named Leo as a genre-defining artist, placing her February 2025 single “La Cumbia Wepa” among songs released by Grammy Award-winning artists like Bad Bunny, Rosalía, Natalia Lafourcade and more…