EXCLUSIVE | By Teresa Coben, Assignment Desk Editor
Born in Mazatlán, Mexico, and formally polished at the Berklee College of Music, Adrian Cota is an artist operating at a rare musical intersection. He possesses the elite technical pedigree of a master percussionist—having already shared creative spaces with legends like Herbie Hancock—paired with the raw, genreless rebellion of a modern singer-songwriter. Recently named to Rolling Stone’s Future 25 list and backed by global entertainment powerhouse HYBE, Cota is navigating the commercial music landscape on his own terms. In this exclusive deep dive, he details his hyper-collaborative studio philosophy, the necessity of unlearning academic rules, and why he is consciously avoiding the viral micro-trends of the digital age to build a sonic legacy that lasts.
“Every time I rap, I always think the way a drummer thinks, you know what I’m saying?” Adrian Cota explains, leaning in as we dive into the anatomy of his latest music. “And whatever I feel, I’m saying it. Like, I don’t really hold back whenever I want to …spit something out, and say whatever I want to say. . And there’s always a rhythm on how to do it, because life is really about rhythm—the way we walk, the way we talk, everything. And you can fit a lot of things in any rhythm you want. It’s just about the way you perceive it.” For an artist who spent his formative years behind a drum kit before refining his genius at Berklee, the transition to the front of the stage wasn’t about changing instruments—it was about translating a drum kit into a human voice.
This deeply instinctual perception of rhythm is what allowed his solo debut single, “Boujee”, to hit the industry like a lightning bolt. The track is an infectious, dizzying cocktail of soul, pop, and Latin rap. A glance at the liner notes reveals a masterclass in collaboration, featuring a diverse roster of heavy hitters including Tito Urias, Santiago Gonzalez, Jonathan Asperil, Mauricio Guerrero, and the wizard-like programmer Tobias Wincorn—known for his boundary-pushing work with Charli XCX and Fred again... In an industry plagued by oversized egos, Cota’s approach to managing such an eclectic room is remarkably ego-free, anchored entirely by a deep reverence for the craft.
“I got the starter, kind of like a sample and beats from my friend Tobias Wincorn,” Cota says of the track’s inception. “And that guy’s a wizard, like, he can send me just any idea or any starter, and then it’s easy to think of so many ways to go, you know? So many approaches you can have. I just love collaborating with him because he gives you something, and then you like feed off that. It just feels so amazing.” For Cota, the studio is a sacred space where the individual must bow to the collective creation. “I always do whatever is best for the song, and I always put the song first. So if I need —I don’t know, like a sitar player for a song — even if it’s just for one bar, if I hear that, I’m going to get that sitar player there, because that’s what the song needs. I’m not going to do it just because I want to. I’m going to do it because that’s what the song needs. And for me, I always think this way. I always do whatever the song needs, and I always put the song first. The song always comes first, and everybody leaves their ego at the door in the studio.”
Yet, despite his elite, formal Berklee background and a glittering resume that includes touring with icons like Cody Simpson, Cota’s current artistic evolution has required a violent unlearning of institutional rules. To find his true sonic identity, he had to embrace the concept of desaprender—stripping away rigid academic structures to let his raw essence breathe. When asked about the hardest formal habit he had to break while recording his upcoming music, his answer is surprisingly pragmatic, addressing a creative trap that plagues bedroom producers and industry veterans alike.
“Finishing ideas,” Cota admits, shaking his head. “You can have so many new ideas every day and always be doing something with them, but what I’ve learned, is if you have an idea, finish it. Make it a song and finish the song, you know? And don’t just have a hard drive full of ideas that are never going to come out to the world. It’s like starting a sentence and then you leave someone in the middle of the sentence. You’re like, ‘Wait, what? You didn’t get to say anything.’ It’s the same thing. So, yeah, finishing ideas is what I learned, and I had to unlearn how to not just bea hard drive or a computer just full of ideas.”
This relentless drive to finish sentences and execute visions is exactly why global entertainment powerhouse HYBE—a company renowned for its legendary, rigorous artist training and development programs—brought Cota into its elite fold. The HYBE machine is famous for sharpening an artist’s camera presence, public speaking, and media literacy to a global standard, but Cota insists that the corporate backing hasn’t diluted a single drop of his authentic identity. “I just keep being myself,” he says simply. “And it’s been amazing to have a company and family like HYBE to push and support that idea and those goals that I have and the vision that I have. I really appreciate them and just having that backup and that support, I think, is only helping expand. It’s really cool, you get to see a lot of things. You get to learn a lot of new things by being with a company of that range.”
That intoxicating blend of uncompromising authenticity and massive industrial backing is precisely why Rolling Stone recently named Cota to their prestigious Future 25 list, hailing him as a beacon of creative resistance in a music ecosystem dominated by the cold tyranny of the algorithm. While other artists are chasing 15-second viral micro-trends on social media, tailoring their hooks to appease data metrics, Cota actively resists the pressure. He views the accolade not as a weight to carry, but as fuel for his fire.
“I honestly feel like a kid. And I always act like a kid when I’m in the studio too, but — I still have discipline and goals that I have to accomplish when I go to the studio,” he notes, acknowledging the rare creative block. “Yeah, there are times that I don’t accomplish anything because I’m like blocked, you know, it’s just not there. But yeah, I think that it’s just really inspiring to be named, you know, a Rolling Stone Future of Music Artist for the class of 2026. — It feels really amazing, and it just inspires me more, to be honest. It’s not like it’s adding pressure or anything like that. I think it’s a blessing, and it feels really, really nice — flattering, but humbling too, in a way. And it just inspires me to go further and further. I don’t take it for granted, I really get inspired, and that’s just like more gas for me to just get up and get going.”
That gas is currently driving Cota and his production team toward a full-length studio album, building upon the rich sonic blueprint established by tracks like “No Era Bebida” and “M.I.A.” Where his previous work introduced his multifaceted talent, the upcoming record promises an expansive, cinematic evolution that refuses to be boxed into a single genre. He is entirely unbothered by industry secrecy, operating with a transparent, open-door philosophy that mirrors his music.
“I’m an up-and-coming artist, and it’s not like I cannot say anything. The more I share, the better. I want the world to know me,” Cota declares boldly. “We’re in an era where I can share information, and that’s okay, that’s fine. I’m a very open book, and I’m really transparent. So, I’m here to tell you that my EP was a variation of everything I do, but still cohesive because it still has keys that are signature things that I always put. Like, there can be so many genres; I can have a merengue, I can have a hip-hop influence song, or a country influence song. But there are always those elements, that identify me. It doesn’t have to be the same elements that I always use, but it could vary.”
He pauses, taking a breath as he envisions the massive scale of what’s to come. “Well, my album is an expanded version of that. There’s all the way from a song with an orchestra to songs where I’m really talking about some crazy, real-life stuff. And I’m still writing. I’m still writing a lot, but that album is going to… it’s going to be something—something else that is definitely going to change my life too.”
Ultimately, Cota’s mission transcends chart positions, streaming counts, or trophy shelves. He is playing a deeper, long-term game, explicitly aimed at changing the cultural landscape for the next generation of creators who feel suffocated by the demands of digital conformity. As our time wraps up, he delivers a definitive manifesto that firmly cements his status as the industry’s most compelling new rebel.
“Honestly, I came here to make history and to leave a legacy, more than just being here for the numbers or for the awards or anything like that. Yeah, those are cool, and it’s really cool to be recognized, like, who doesn’t love that? But I’m here really to just make music and to show people and show kids that being you and being original, to me, is happiness. That’s what I want to bring to the world— to be you, be original. I’ve gotten here by just being original and just being who I am, and I know I’m going to be very proud of the music I’m making right now when I’m 80, because I want to always be loyal to myself and to my heart, and not just go for the trends and whatever everyone else is making. I know I’m taking a longer path because it’s harder to sell what’s not trending, but I’m here for it.
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