Why Elena Rose Is Finally in the Spotlight
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Juliana Ukiomogbe, photographed by Cameron McCool. Styled by Alex White.Thu, April 9, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC
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Elena Rose Is Stepping Into the SpotlightCameron McCool
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You’ve probably been hearing Elena Rose’s work for years without realizing it. The Venezuelan American singer-songwriter has been a writer on hits for artists like Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez, Shakira, and Kali Uchis, among many others. She contributed vocals to Bad Bunny’s chart-topping album Un Verano Sin Ti, which earned her a nomination in 2023 for Album of the Year—one of 14 combined Grammy and Latin Grammy nods. Now she’s making her mark as a solo artist.
Born Andrea Elena Mangiamarchi in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and raised between Venezuela and Puerto Rico, the 31-year-old always sensed that she was destined for a creative life. “I had this feeling that I was going to do music ever since I was very young,” Rose says from her home in Miami. She’s in her pajamas (a large white T-shirt featuring Our Lady of Guadalupe) with her Pomeranian, Pegasus, curled in her lap.
After a solo single, “Sandunga,” in 2020, and an EP titled En Las Nubes—Con Mis Panas, Rose released her debut album, Bendito Verano, last year. The 12-song project, a rich and introspective meditation on love, romance, and God, marks a departure from the bangers that she typically writes for other artists. “I want everyone to feel welcome in the music I make,” she says, as Pegasus playfully gnaws on her long blond hair. “I want people to feel comfortable sitting with themselves while they listen. Nobody has to run away from anything. I think I’m a very nonjudgmental friend, and I try to be that friend for my listeners.
SONG OF HERS TO PUT ON REPEAT: “Cosita Linda”
FOR FANS OF: Bad Bunny, soft reggaeton, and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
What was the inspiration for Bendito Verano?
I know I’m not here forever, but something I do, or who I am, can create an echo. I wanted to make my first album an echo. God is like my spinal cord, and I asked him to surround me with the right people for this project, people who could help me create something that would make people vibrate very high. I wanted to imagine, if there’s a party in heaven, what would the soundtrack be?
Why did you begin songwriting?
Music was my way of expressing who I am. But, parallel to that, I was always fascinated by how words could cause physical goose bumps. It’s a very human way of trying to put something very big into something understandable.
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Trousers, Bottega Veneta. Ring, Cartier.Cameron McCoolHow did your work on Un Verano Sin Ti come about?
I received a call from the producer of the song “Party.” He was like, “Can you send me a voicemail saying, ‘Party, party, party?’” It turned out to be Bad Bunny’s song. I met him at the Latin Grammys years later, and I told him, “I’m the girl who sings ‘Party.’” He was like, “You’re not the girl who sings ‘Party.’ I know who you are. You’re Elena Rose.”
What do you want the world to know about your culture through your music?
For Latinos, it doesn’t matter if it’s a bad day. We still wake up, put a smile on our faces, and say good morning. Those are the best qualities a human being can have. Now Latinos are shining more in the spotlight, and we have a chance to share that love. A Latino grandmother will never cook for just two people. She teaches us to share and to sometimes eat from the same plate. Through my music, I want people to know that.
Lead image: Dress, Stella McCartney. Earrings, bracelet, Cartier.
Hair by Teddy Charles at Nevermind; makeup by Lilly Keys; manicure by Jolene Brodeur for Chanel; produced by Hyperion.
A version of this story appears in the April issue of ELLE.
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