Rising Latin pop artist Jackie Mendoza has announced her first Irish performance, at Dublin's Grand Social on October 17.

Born and raised in the border city of Chula Vista, California, Mendoza blends the cultural influences of her hometown and her motherland of Tijuana, Mexico, creating eccentric electronic pop, Latin-driven dance beats and vibrant soundscapes. Latin-pop, indie pop and electronic music have all had strong but equal impacts on Jackie’s musical path at different times in her life. With her self-described "ukulele electro pop", Mendoza has expanded the instrument’s sound to its maximum potential by layering it with beats while singing in both English and Spanish. Her debut EP, LuvHz, released earlier this year on Luminelle Recordings, was mostly written during a precarious time in Mendoza’s life, and is a six-track exploration of love and relationships.

The EP was recorded by Rusty Santos (Panda Bear’s Buoys), a collaborator that Mendoza quickly recognided she had many parallels with: both have lived in Southern California, New York and Mexico, and have an appreciation for Latinx producers and artists.

"Meeting and working with Rusty Santos has been a great opportunity. Working with him was seamless and inspiring,” says Mendoza. "When I started working on the songs with Rusty Santos, the sound matured and definitely benefited from the ears of an experienced producer.”

This led to a tight-knit collaboration that spun 'Puppet Angels', a track that reflects feeling out of touch and like the odd one out when returning home after being gone for an extended period of time.

'Loco Flow', meanwhile, is her personal response to the current American political climate and the disregard for human rights and planet preservation.

Tickets for Mendoza's Dublin gig are priced at €15.50 (incl. booking fee), and go on sale this Friday, July 19, at 10am. For more information see thegrandsocial.ie.

Stream her LuvHz EP below:

https://open.spotify.com/album/09oLQjEqnsnO7DtQ6R0sNR