PEOPLE WORTH KNOWING
ROA, born Gilberto Figueroa, is a Puerto Rican singer known for a melodic mix of trap, reggaeton and R&B that Billboard calls trap soul. The stage name comes from the last three letters of his surname. He was born May 28, 1996, in Naranjito, Puerto Rico.
Music was not the original plan. ROA studied business and psychology at university before leaving in 2016 to focus on songs, telling Billboard, "I realized it wasn't for me." His mother was not convinced at first. A meeting with Zion of Zion y Lennox at an electronic music festival helped open doors, and Phantom of the production duo Súbelo NEO became the first producer to record with him. He names Drake, Don Omar, The Weeknd and Alejandro Sanz as influences.
He signed with Universal Music Latino in 2022 and released his debut single, "Bellakeame." The follow-up, "Jetski," got him noticed, and its remix with Omar Courtz, Dei V and Bryant Myers made ROA a known name in Puerto Rico. In March 2023 he released his debut EP, Private Suite Vol. 1, eight tracks recorded in Airbnbs in Miami, Chile and Puerto Rico and produced by Botlok and Moustache. Private Suite Vol. 2 followed in 2024, and the series has continued since.
"ETA," with De La Rose, Luar La L, Omar Courtz and Yan Block, entered Billboard's Hot Latin Songs in 2024. "Fantasía" landed on Hot Latin Pop Songs in 2025, a year in which he put out at least one single a month through the first half, including "Reina" and "PPC." He also won a Premio Tu Música Urbano and a Premios Juventud award that year and toured Spain.
ROA opened 2026 on Chris Jedi's "Netflix & Chill" alongside Anuel AA, which entered Billboard's Hot Latin Rhythm Songs chart. Billboard named him one of its Latin Artists to Watch for the year, and he won Best Male New Artist at Premio Lo Nuestro. In March, he played two sold-out shows at San Juan's Coca-Cola Music Hall, then set out on his first Latin American tour, with stops in Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela.
Gilberto Figueroa. ROA comes from the last three letters of Figueroa.
ROA was born on May 28, 1996.
Naranjito, Puerto Rico.
"Jetski" and its remix with Omar Courtz, Dei V and Bryant Myers, "ETA," "Fantasía," "Reina" and "Netflix & Chill" with Chris Jedi and Anuel AA.
Universal Music Latino, since 2022.
In February 2026 he told Billboard his debut studio album was about 70 percent finished. His releases so far are the Private Suite EP series.
Photo: ROA official YouTube channel (ROAVEVO)
-06.webp)
Chris Jedi Drops "Netflix & Chill" Featuring Anuel AA and ROA as First 2026 Release
With the release of his debut EP 'Private Suite Vol. 1', ROA achieves commercial success in Puerto Rico and solidifies his position as a rising star in the industry