Rikarena

Rikarena is a merengue group from the Dominican Republic that formed in 1994. The ensemble was established by the musician Kinito Méndez as a project with a unique style within the genre. They achieved immediate commercial success with their debut studio album, ¡Sacúdelo que tiene arena!, (1994) which featured the popular single “Merengue Riko”. In 1995, the group was named the “Revelación del Año” by Acroarte. Their subsequent recording, Más Rika que nunca (1995), solidified their international popularity across Colombia, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico. The ensemble’s discography includes the studio albums Sin medir distancia (1997), ...Con To’ (1998), and Con arena nueva (2000), the latter of which featured the hit “Cuando el amor se daña”. Following several lineup changes, founder Henry Trinidad and Shiro Méndez remained with the group for later releases, including the studio album Pa’ rato (2003) and the single “La perdida” (2015).