When the quartet GEORGE, led by drummer John Hollenbeck, was formed, keyboardist and singer Chiquita Magic aka Isis Paola Giraldo was perhaps the most surprising member of the group, because, unlike her fellow musicians, she has no explicit jazz background. However, the musician, DJ, and producer (born in Bogotá, Colombia, and living in Toronto, Canada, for some time now) is a welcome guest in projects such as the duo KNOWER, led by Genevieve Artadi and Louis Cole, who appreciate her aesthetic openness and stylistic versatility.
On the keyboard, she loves to venture into microtonal realms and make the space between the notes resonate, which she in turn combines with the powerful timbre of her voice. Her music can be heard as a mashup: Colombian cumbia blends with techno, funk, soul, and hip-hop. As if that weren’t enough, in 2025 she released a freely improvised “Solo Piano” album, which she dedicated to the Canadian pianist Paul Bley.
