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Maria Fuell was one of the standout performers at the 2026 Bogotá Music Market, an event built around panels, conversations, connections, and showcases. Throughout her performance, she showcased her Andean roots through singing, dance, traditional instrumentation, and storytelling.

She's signed to Gaira Música Local, a record label founded by Carlos Vives, the multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy-winning Colombian artist. She's also performed alongside him on stage and contributed to his songs. Fuell is a Colombian artist who channels her upbringing in the genre of Andean pop.

From her outfit to her instrumentalists to her dancing, everything about her set explained why she is "Hija de los Andes" (Daughter of the Andes). She performed songs such as "Bonito Carnaval," "Pai," "Niña Pequeña" and more. One powerful moment came when she stopped to speak directly to the crowd: "I am a woman, I am Nariñense, I am an artist, and tonight I want to invite all of you into a memory of my land, my home."

Not only did she sing, but she had a dance break, and played the drum throughout "Pai." Her instrumentalists brought traditional instruments into the showcase, including the rondador and others. Fuell is a multifaceted artist, leading the way for a young generation that carries pride in where they're from while pushing Andean sounds and rhythms into new audiences.

Before performing her single "Bonito Carnaval," she set the scene: "Carnaval, where black and white paint the streets with colors, where music is born from the dirt, and we celebrate what we are…I come from Nariño, and this is for you." She also encouraged the crowd to sing along with her “Ay ay ya ya ojalá que yo me la encuentre en el carnaval.”

Toward the end of her set, she reflected on what it meant to perform at the Bogotá Music Market: "I come from the south of Colombia, where the winds and the mountains are big. Wherever I go, I always take my land with me. I want to thank Bogotá Music Market for inviting me, this is the first time I'm here. Backstage, I was thinking, two years ago I was an attendee, and now I'm here. So much emotion. This is so beautiful. I want to thank my label…" She closed with "Niña Pequeña."

Her performance was memorable in a way I hadn't felt before. I'd never heard an artist like her in this genre, and found myself reconnecting with my own Ecuadorian roots (Colombia and Ecuador are neighbors).

OnesToWatch chatted with Fuell to talk about her music, her roots, and her accomplishments in her career thus far. The interview has been translated from Spanish to English.

OnesToWatch: What inspired your artistry in Andean sounds, pop and south identity?

Maria Fuell: I think the sounds have inspired me ever since I was a little girl: the wind instruments, the charango, the quena. I've been hearing those sounds since I was very young, and bringing them together now in this fusion of Andean and pop sounds, I think, also lets the music of the south evolve.

Being recognized by Amazon Music among Colombia's top 100 acts is a big milestone, how did that moment land for you?

It was very beautiful and exciting. Every moment and every stage has been part of the journey, and they also make you appreciate this project a bit more, because it didn't just come about overnight. It has been traveling along a road. It has taken some important steps, and it makes me very happy that the work can be recognized.

What was the experience singing with Carlos Vives?

An incredible experience. I can say it's one of the most important moments of my career so far. Maestro Carlos Vives is practically an inspiration to all Colombians because of everything he has achieved over his career in music. And for me, standing on a stage with him, singing, for example, the song 'La Tierra del Olvido,' which is practically an iconic song for us Colombians, was exciting. It was very exciting to feel the energy of the crowd. We were in Quito, in Guayaquil, and I also brought a little bit of my carnival to that stage.

You recently performed in Ecuador, what does it mean to perform your music around South America?

I love it because I'm from southern Colombia, and southern Colombia has very deep Ecuadorian roots. Being in a city like Quito, I feel that we share so many customs, that we're very much alike in many ways. That's the beautiful part: I think we're the same. Colombians and Ecuadorians, brothers and sisters. Being there, in a region that's also very Andean, where people really understand sounds like the wind instruments, the charangos, the bombo... I mean, I think it's something very, very beautiful for me.

How does it feel to be a part of the Bogotá Music Market?

I'm very happy and excited. I've been preparing for quite a while now, and I'm so excited to show the audience everything I'm doing. I'm creating a beautiful fusion to bring you the carnival, a little piece of southern Colombia, which is also here at the Bogotá Music Market.

What's next for you? Any upcoming music?

Music, more music. And we're also going to have some releases this second half of the year with people from Peru, too. I have a song with Los Mirlos, who are important artists. I'm also very excited about it. It's coming out at the end of the year. That song is an Amazonian cumbia, with Andean sounds, of course.

Listen to Maria Fuell below: