A Holy Disruption: Inside Coquí’s Unfiltered Sound and Spiritual Journey

Coquí will be dropping his EP, "LIVING 2 DIE," on September 5, 2025, via DREAM Records. The five-song project features a bold blend of influences, with tracks like "Death To Your Ego" and "only Idol" fusing hip-hop energy, gritty indie rock, and introspective lyricism. Rather than polished pop or traditional worship, Coquí's music delivers a raw and rhythmic sound-grounded in his experiences from church bands to touring with massive acts like Blink-182 and Thirty Seconds to Mars.

Now settled in San Antonio after leaving Los Angeles behind, Coquí brings a fresh, honest perspective to listeners who might feel disillusioned with both faith and mainstream alt-rock. His storytelling draws from personal struggles with pride, doubt, and spiritual rebirth, crafting songs that are less about preaching and more about revealing deeply felt truths. If you're searching for genre-defying music with heart and authenticity,

Q: Your new EP is titled LIVING 2 DIE. What's the story behind that title, and how does it tie into the themes explored in these songs?

A: LIVING 2 DIE is about the tension between chasing everything the world throws at you and realizing none of it can actually save you. It's that inner pull between ego and surrender, pleasure and purpose. I was in a place where everything looked solid on the outside, but underneath, I was falling apart. These songs capture pieces of that unraveling. The title flips that familiar phrase, "live life to the fullest," and instead asks: what are you really living for?

Q: Your sound blends hip-hop, post-punk, and desert psych textures. How did your early influences, like Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtracks and your dad's vinyl collection, shape this sonic identity?

A: I grew up skateboarding in SoCal, and that THPS soundtrack shaped a lot of my taste. Rage, Dead Kennedys, Goldfinger, all of it. At home, my dad was spinning Santana, Parliament, and a bunch of old Latin records. I never thought about music in terms of genre. If it hit hard and felt real, I was into it. Punk, salsa, whatever. I'm not chasing a specific sound. I'm just pulling from what raised me and running it through my own filter until it feels alive and real.

Q: You've described your music as a "spiritual gut-check wrapped in a blown-out cassette." Can you unpack that for us? What do you hope listeners feel when they hear these songs?

A: When I say that, I mean it's unpolished both in sound and in spirit. It's me wrestling with faith, pride, guilt, temptation, all of it, in real time. It's not perfect or cleaned up. I'm not trying to make shiny Christian music. I'm just trying to be honest about where I'm at. If someone hears a lyric and goes, "Dang, that's me right now," then it did what it was supposed to do.

Q: Before stepping into the spotlight, you ran playback for artists like Blink-182 and Thirty Seconds to Mars. What did those experiences teach you, and how do they inform your work as a solo artist today?

A: Working behind the scenes taught me discipline. Tour life doesn't care about your comfort. Stuff breaks, plans change, and you have to stay solid. But it also showed me that even the biggest artists are just people trying to say something that matters. I learned how to build a live show, how to tell a story, and how to show up with consistency. Now that I'm on stage, I bring that same mindset. Every detail, from the lighting to the transitions, has to serve the heart behind the music.

Q: Tracks like "Death To Your Ego" and "only Idol" suggest themes of pride, control, and faith. How does your personal journey influence the lyrical honesty in this EP?

A: I've been on both sides. Chasing validation and then getting crushed by how empty it all feels. Pride used to make me feel safe. Control made me feel like I was in charge. But eventually all that stuff breaks down. These songs weren't written from a place of having it figured out. They're coming from the middle of it. My faith isn't polished or performative. It's me holding onto truth when nothing else holds. That's why I write the way I do. No filters. No fluff. Just what's real.

Q: You've said, "Don't call it worship. Don't call it alt-rock. It's a holy disruption with a pulse." How do you see LIVING 2 DIE challenging genre labels and connecting with audiences who may have stopped listening to faith-based music?

A: I'm not trying to fit into a box. A lot of the people who connect with my music aren't really into mainstream worship or Christian radio, and I don't blame them. Most of them are in a place where they're ready to move on from the old life, but they're not sure what the next step looks like. LIVING 2 DIE isn't here to preach or point fingers. It's more like an anthem for the ones who are done pretending and ready to step into something better. If the songs meet them there and give them a little hope or clarity, I'm thankful to be part of that moment.

For more news, touring and general information visit his website at IamCoqui.com

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