Boy Pablo

Biography

Boy Pablo (stylized as boy pablo) (born 29 November 1998) is the indie pop music project of Norwegian singer songwriter Nicolas Muñoz. Muñoz writes, records, performs, and produces all of the project's music. The project has been inactive since 2022. Boy Pablo's latest touring lineup consisted of Nicolás Muñoz (guitar, vocals), Gabriel Muñoz (lead guitar), Judah Kubendran (bass guitar) and Esteban Muñoz (drums).
Boy Pablo gained attention in late 2017 after the music video for the song "Everytime" gained international popularity on YouTube. The duology concept EPs Roy Pablo (2017) and Soy Pablo (2018) were released under Boy Pablo's own independent label 777 Music. His debut studio album, Wachito Rico×Wachito Rico23 October 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1i hope she loves me back3:202hey girl3:073leave me alone!2:544honey4:155rest up3:246te vas // don’t go5:417aleluya1:338come home4:049mustache2:4510vamos a la playa0:2611wachito rico3:3412nowadays1:2013i <3 u4:15 was released in October 2020. Out of nominations for five Spellemann Awards, Boy Pablo has won one, and has additionally been nominated for three GAFFA Awards and one P3 Gull award, having won the latter.

Early life

Nicolás Pablo Rivera Muñoz (born 29 November 1998) was born and raised in Bergen after his Chilean parents immigrated to Norway in the 1980s. Born into a musical family as the youngest child, his father and brother were both multi-instrumentalists and helped teach him how to play guitar, drums, bass guitar and piano. He attended secondary school at Kongshaug Upper Secondary School of Music, a music boarding school in nearby Os. He and his parents moved to Os Municipality when he started secondary school, two years prior to January 2017.

2015–2016: Career beginnings

Muñoz began the "Boy Pablo" project in December 2015, and released his debut single "Flowers×Flowers24 February 2016 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Flowers3:32" in January 2016. He played his first-ever gig as a warm-up band for Tellef Raabe (brother of Norwegian singer Sigrid) at Hulen in April 2016. In September 2016, he performed as part of the Vill Vill Vest festival in Bergen. Boy Pablo gained immense national popularity after receiving a Bergenfest scholarship of 35 thousand kroner in November 2016. Alongside this scholarship, he additionally won his own headlining gig as well as a performance at the 2017 Bergenfest.

2017–2019: Roy Pablo and Soy Pablo

Muñoz further gained international popularity in 2017 with the song and music video for "Everytime", originally uploaded to YouTube in May 2017. Within a few weeks, the video had received millions of views, with Muñoz significantly expanding his fanbase. Boy Pablo released the 6-song EP, Roy Pablo×ROY PABLO19 May 2017 · EPSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Yeah3:042everytime2:533Dance, Baby!3:184imreallytiredthisdaysucks1:515ur phone3:236Ready/Problems4:02, in May 2017, which includes "Everytime". In August 2017, Boy Pablo opened as a supporting act for American band Beach Fossils at Red Bull Sound Select in Oslo.
Boy Pablo released the single "Losing You×Losing You23 February 2018 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Losing You3:07" in March 2018, and embarked on a sold out thirty-nine date headlining world tour of United States, Europe and Asia. On 5 October 2018 Boy Pablo released his second EP, Soy Pablo×Soy Pablo5 October 2018 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Feeling Lonely3:182wtf1:123Sick Feeling2:364t-shirt2:475Limitado2:346Losing You3:077tkm5:38. The EP received critical acclaim and was successful commercially in Norway, topping the national Vinyl albums chart. The EP additionally landed in the top 10 of year-end critics lists from Gaffa and Nöjesguiden, placing at Nos. 9 and 4 respectively. At the 2018 Spellemannprisen (also referred to as Norwegian Grammy Awards), Boy Pablo was awarded with the award for Breakthrough of the Year which additionally gave him the Gramo scholarship of 250.000 kroner. At the same ceremony he was nominated in the categories of Best International Success, and Indie/Alternative of the Year for Soy Pablo. At the 2018 P3 Gull Awards, Boy Pablo also won Årets Nykommer. In January 2019, Boy Pablo was the only Norwegian artist to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California, U.S. in that year. At the 2019 Spellemannprisen (also referred to as Norwegian Grammy Awards), Boy Pablo was nominated for Best International Success for the second consecutive year in addition to Årets Musikkvideo ("Losing You").

2020: Wachito Rico

In May 2020, Boy Pablo announced the release of his debut studio album, Wachito Rico×Wachito Rico23 October 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1i hope she loves me back3:202hey girl3:073leave me alone!2:544honey4:155rest up3:246te vas // don’t go5:417aleluya1:338come home4:049mustache2:4510vamos a la playa0:2611wachito rico3:3412nowadays1:2013i <3 u4:15; the title is a Chilean expression and means "handsome boy." The album's singles are "Hey Girl×hey girl29 May 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Hey Girl3:072I Just Wanna Go Home3:33", "Honey×honey13 July 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1honey4:142JD's song2:38" and "Rest Up×Rest Up20 August 2020 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Rest Up3:242People3:37". With the release of the latter single, Boy Pablo announced his second-ever headlining world tour to support Wachito Rico, which kicked off in the UK in March 2021.
In the second half of 2022, after completing a tour in Latin America and shortly after releasing his latest single, "Be Mine×Be Mine12 July 2022 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Be Mine2:45", Boy Pablo announced the cancelation of his upcoming tours in North America and Asia, citing health problems and lack of energy. Boy Pablo has remained inactive in music since then.

Live band

Current live band

Nicolas Pablo Rivera Muñoz – rhythm guitar, vocals
Gabriel Muñoz – lead guitar
Esteban Muñoz – drums
Judah Kubendran – bass
Former live band

Eric Tryland – keyboard, backing vocals
Henrik Åmdal – bass guitar
Sigmund Vestrheim – drums
Amund Valde - keyboard

Artistry

Muñoz cites Mac DeMarco, Veronica Maggio, Tyler, the Creator, the Beatles, Arctic Monkeys, Tame Impala and Mild High Club as musical influences. His rise to fame with a DIY-produced bedroom pop track,"Everytime" (2017), which gained popularity through the YouTube algorithm has drawn comparisons to that of American singer Clairo's rise to fame with her video for "Pretty Girl" (2017).