Cuco
Cuco in November 2018
Background information
Born	Omar Banos[1] (1998-06-26)June 26, 1998 (age 27) Inglewood, California, U.S.
Origin	Hawthorne, California, U.S.
Genres	Bedroom pop[2] indie pop[3] synth-pop[4] indie rock lo-fi
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, producer
Years active	2015–present
Labels	Interscope[5]
Website	https://enter.fantasygateway.io/

Omar Banos (born June 26, 1998), known professionally asCuco, is an American singer-songwriter fromHawthorne,California. His music has been described to blend elements ofbossa nova,indie-pop, andpsychedelia.

Teaching himself how to make his own music, Cuco self-released his first EP,Wannabewithu in 2016, which featured some of his first songs to go viral, "Lover is a Day" and "Amor de Siempre". He then released his second EP,Songs4u, the following year. Cuco rose to prominence following the release of his 2017 single, "Lo Que Siento", allowing him to drop out of college to pursue a music career.

Signing withInterscope Records in 2019, he released his first studio album,Para Mi (2019). He released his second album,Fantasy Gateway in 2022, created with producers, Manuel Lara and Andres Rebellon. He released his third EP,Hitchhiker on November 10, 2023. In 2025, he released his third albumRidin'.

Omar Banos was born an only child inInglewood, California, on June 26, 1998, to immigrant Mexican parents.^[6][7][8] His mother, Irma, came from the city ofPuebla, while his father, Adolfo, came fromMexico City.^[8][9] He grew up in the city ofHawthorne, California,^[10] and began playing music at the age of eight. He had experimented with trumpet, guitar, keyboard, drums, bass guitar,mellophone andFrench horn before the age of 15.^[11] Banos attended junior school inLennox and graduated fromHawthorne High School where he played in the school marching band as well as the jazz band.^[12][13][14]

After graduating, Banos uploaded aslide guitar cover ofSleep Walk bySanto & Johnny to YouTube, which gained thousands of views.^[15] He began producing and releasing songs from his parents' home and releasing them ontoBandcamp andSoundCloud.^[16] In January 2015, Banos released his first EP on Bandcamp, titledHeavy Trip.^[17] In the same year, Banos had released his first song, "Yeah" on SoundCloud under the moniker of Heavy Trip.^[13][18] He then switched to Cuco, which was a nickname given to him by his mother as a child.^[19]

By the age of 18, Banos had self-produced his first mixtapeWannabewithu in 2016, after teaching himself how to useAbleton Live software.^[10][20] Cuco released his second mixtape,Songs4u in 2017 when he started playing at clubs inSouthern California, selling out his first two venues.^[21] Cuco released his first single "Lo Que Siento" in 2017, which has reached over 400 million streams on Spotify alone.^[22] Following the success of "Lo Que Siento," Cuco dropped out after a year of attendingSanta Monica City College to pursue a career in music.^[8]

Cuco collaborated with American singerClairo for the single "Drown", which was released in August 2018.^[23] He then collaborated withPolyphia on a track called "So Strange" off their albumNew Levels New Devils, which was released in October 2018.^[24] Cuco played alongside saxophonistKenny G atCoachella in April 2018,^[25][26] as well as atLollapalooza in August 2018.^[27] In February 2019, he collaborated with his childhoodChicano rap idolsMC Magic andLil Rob on a track called "Search".^[28] After abidding war that lasted two years, Banos signed underInterscope Records in March 2019.^[29] On April 2, 2019, Cuco released "Hydrocodone," the lead single forPara Mi, before releasing "Bossa No Sé" with Jean Carter on May 22, 2019.^[30][31] Cuco later released his debut studio album,Para Mi, on July 26.^[22] The album touches on recent problems that Cuco has experienced first-hand, including a tour bus accident that sent him and his band to hospital.^[15] It debuted at 94 on theUS Billboard 200.^[32]

On April 29, 2022, Cuco released "Caution" as the lead single from his sophomore studio album,Fantasy Gateway. On July 22, 2022,Fantasy Gateway was released viaInterscope Records. The 12-track LP includes appearances fromKacey Musgraves, Adriel Favela, Bratty, andDannyLux.^[33] On March 10, 2023, he collaborated with indie pop bandthe Marías on the song "Si Me Voy", later performing at theCamp Flog Gnaw music festival in November of that year.^[34] He released his third EP,Hitchhiker, on November 10, 2023, which included 6 tracks. He released his third studio album,Ridin', on May 9, 2025. It is aChicano soul album inspired bynorteño andlowrider culture, mixed byTom Elmhirst, and influenced by artistsBarbara Lewis,Ralfi Pagan,Joe Bataan,Smokey Robinson,Al Green,Brenton Wood,Thee Sacred Souls,Thee Sinseers, andLos Yesterdays.^[35]

Banos' musical style blends elements ofbossa nova andindie pop.^[36] Suzy Exposito fromRolling Stone described his music as "psychedelia-soaked love ballads".^[8]Brett Calwood toldLA Weekly that Banos's music has "smooth Latin influences with a nostalgic lean".^[37] Banos blends English and Spanish lyrics over what he describes as "alternative dream pop" melodies that have "a lot of synthesizers" and "a lot of808's".^[38]

Banos grew up listening toChicano rap from names such asLil Rob,Baby Bash andMC Magic,^[20] as well asSpanish rock,boleros and other old ballads that his parents would play around the house.^[14][39] He listens to jazz, classical music andtrap music, and has citedKevin Parker ofTame Impala andAriel Pink as some of his major musical influences.^[19] In an interview withJesse Thorn fromBullseye, Banos described how the song, "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" byTame Impala helped him with visualizing his career in music and navigating his life in high school.^[40]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toCuco.

• Official website

• 1998 births
• Living people
• 21st-century American singer-songwriters
• Singer-songwriters from California
• American musicians of Mexican descent
• American Internet celebrities
• American indie pop musicians
• Musicians from Hawthorne, California
• Musicians from Inglewood, California
• Interscope Records artists
• Bedroom pop musicians
• Hawthorne High School (California) alumni

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from September 2019
• Articles with hCards
• Commons category link is on Wikidata