From Rap Battles to Record Deals, How Milo J Became a Powerful Force in Argentina’s Music Scene

Milo J was on a two-month vacation with his dad when puberty struck and caused his voice to deepen. He was 14 years old. Now, it’s that same voice—profound, calm, mature, and flooded with sensitivity—that has made him a household name in the Latin music realm. 

“I didn’t have the opportunity to take music or singing lessons. It was very intuitive, really; it was mostly just singing on my own,” he tells Billboard, while also crediting his older sister. “My passion for music started because of her. She rapped, she freestyled, she wrote songs, and I wanted to do the same. My sister did it more as a hobby, but I made it my career.” 

Inspired by artists such as WOS, Rosalía, Tyga, and Kanye West, Milo (real name: Camilo Joaquín Villarruel) began freestyling in his native Morón, a city located in the greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area. By the age of 16, he had already gone viral with his song “Milagrosa”—a fusion between funk, alternative, and trap—that garnered the support of Duki, Lit Killah, and record labels alike. “TikTok also propelled me to countries outside of Argentina,” he recalls. 

In a span of almost five years, Milo’s visceral lyrics, husky vocal tone, and unconventional artistic approach that today experiments with Argentine folk music has scored him collaborations with Peso Pluma, Duki, TINI, Silvio Rodriguez, Yahritza y Su Esencia, and the late Mercedes Sosa, to name a few.

Most notably, his explosive “BZRP Music Sessions Vol. 57” with Bizarrap reached No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart in 2023. That same year, he was nominated for best rap/hip-hop song at the Latin Grammys with his collaboration on Nicki Nicole’s “Dispara ***.” 

This August—and following his two albums 111 (2023) and 166 (2024)—Billboard exclusively announced that Milo signed a record deal with Sony Music U.S. Latin. His third studio album, the profound and ultra-personal La Vida Era Más Corta, marked his debut release under the label in Sept. 

“The whole concept of the album is very much based on a time I was going through,” he expresses. “Being so overwhelmed and making everything happen so fast that you don’t have time to stop and think about everything you’ve accomplished—that’s the message I used to make the album: Trying to stop time and enjoy the present.” 

Below, learn more about this month’s Latin Artist on the Rise:

Name:  Camilo Joaquín Villarruel (Milo is short for Camilo)

Age: 19

Recommended Song: “Niño”

Major Accomplishment: “Being able to celebrate my birthday last October at the Nuevo Francisco Urbano Stadium (in his native Morón). It was my first stadium concert with more than 30,000 people. Bizarrap, Nicki Nicole, and many other artists attended. Until now, it’s my biggest show because of what it represented, and it was on my birthday, it was a unique celebration.” 

What’s Next: “We’re going to visit a couple of Latin American countries. I don’t want to force it, I want to go where I’m heard. Musically, I can’t reveal much yet, but I need to continue collecting experiences to create more music.”