Road To Sueños: DJ Miriam & Sorry Papi

Written by Vocalo Radio on May 21, 2024

In 2021, Miriam Paz was the only female DJ performing at the first Sueños Music Festival. This weekend she’s returning for the festival’s third year, and the lineup’s female performers have more than doubled.

Returning to Grant Park on May 25 and 26, Sueños Music Festival is Chicago’s largest event highlighting Latin music, with headliners Rauw Alejandro, Peso Pluma and Maluma. The lineup includes more than 25 other Latin artists and DJs, plus food from local vendors.

Miriam Paz, or DJ Miriam, is an official Sueños DJ who’s been on the lineup since year one. She sat down with Vocalo host Nudia Hernandez less than two weeks before the festival to discuss her return.

“It’s insane,” Paz said. “I’m just super grateful. Sueños has been the largest crowd I’ve played for … it resonates with me.”

Paz’s Sueños celebrations are set to begin Tuesday, May 21, with a pre-festival pop-up at The Gallery in Wicker Park from 4 to 8 p.m. — where organizers will raffle off afterparty tickets and GA wristbands to the sold-out festival. Since her time on the ground at Sueños is packed with multiple sets and long workdays, Paz is hosting the smaller party to spend time with supporters and debut her limited-edition Sueños merchandise in a laid-back setting.

“[The pop-up is] basically my way to ring in Sueños week with my community,” she said. “It’s just basically like a four- or five-hour party where you get to hang out with me, listen to some good music, get to know me and just vibe out.”

^{Miriam Paz — known onstage as DJ Miriam — returns to Sueños Music Festival this weekend for its third year. An official festival DJ, she’ll be performing a solo set at the festival, plus two afterparties and more. Morgan Ciocca | Vocalo Radio}

Paz will also join her party series Sorry Papi on stage for their Saturday afternoon festival set. The world’s largest touring all-girl reggaeton party, Sorry Papi aims to create a safe and feel-good environment for women. In October, their most recent Chicago party brought thousands of women to the sold-out Aragon Ballroom for a night of DJ sets and dancing.

“[For] many women who indulge in the nightlife … there’s always that constant struggle of feeling safe,” she reflected. “As much as you want to have fun and just let loose, you have to be super aware. That’s kind of how we were brought up and taught, as a woman, growing up as a woman.”

Sorry Papi began in 2022, but Paz and Latin marketing company V5 Group first got the idea for the series pre-pandemic — right after Bad Bunny’s 2020 hit single Yo Perreo Sola, or “I dance alone.” Though the original concept was a girls-only reggaeton and perreo party, Sorry Papi’s DJs specialize in all genres, from hip-hop to early 2000s “girl anthems.”

^{Sorry Papi began with a focus on Reggaeton, but has now evolved into playing “girl anthems” of many genres. Provided}

“The reasoning behind playing a little bit of everything, too … we started to notice how diverse our audience was,” she said. “Not everybody in the crowd is Latina; you see people of all different backgrounds and colors and shapes and sizes … That was our way of being able to tap in with all girls, not just people who enjoy reggaeton.”

^{General admission passes for Sueños 2024 sold out on January 30. Photo via Instagram.}

Sorry Papi parties are typically five hours or longer, but their Saturday Sueños set will be about a half hour. Paz and fellow Sorry Papi DJ King Inesse will perform sets back to back, featuring reggaeton, dembo, girl anthems and female hip-hop artists. Paz will also be performing solo at Saturday’s afterparty and alongside Peso Pluma during Sunday’s sold-out afterparty. General admission passes for the festival sold out a week after the lineup was announced — much more quickly than usual, Paz noted.

“People have been asking me constantly, ‘Do you know anybody who’s selling tickets?’ ” she said. “Just the demand is insane.”

Sueños Music Festival will take over Grant Park on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26. General admission passes are sold out, and tickets for some afterparties are still available.

Miriam Paz’s free pop-up party is tonight, May 21, from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Gallery in Wicker Park. No RSVP is required.
Find information about the festival and related events on suenosmusicfestival.com.

Nudia Hernandez: It’s Vocalo Radio 91.1 FM, Nudia in the Afternoon. Let me get the applause ready, because I have a special guest in the studio with me right now. We have DJ Miriam Paz in the building, hello.

DJ Miriam: What up, what up! Thank you for having me.

No, of course! It’s so good being here! I mean, the last time I saw you, in regards to Sueños [Festival], I think someone had to sneak me into the press area…

Which is crazy.

… to do an interview with you! And then now we’re here, talking about Sueños this year, which is crazy.

Yeah. That was year one, right?

Oh, yes. That was the first year. So this is two years later, this is the third time Sueños has been done. I mean, you DJ parties all over Chicago. For the first year, you were the only female DJ for the festival. Then now, coming back, I mean, not only has there been new female talent added to the roster, but … now Sorry Papi is in there and other female DJs, as well. So, Miriam, your third year back at Sueños. Do you feel like a vet at this point? Or do you still … get a little nervous?

You know, every year is different. It’s crazy to think that I’m basically an official Sueños DJ. Well, I am, right? Resident, official Sueños DJ. But every year is different, like I said. Every year is a different experience. I’m still, like, in shock. It hasn’t hit me, but I’m super grateful to be in this position.

^{Miriam Paz was the only female DJ on the Sueños lineup in 2021. Provided}

It’s so funny, because the first year I talked to you, I remember asking you, “If you come back, what are your goals?” You’re like, “I want a later set time! I’m trying to get the later set time.” And I think I saw that happen last year, right? I was like, “Okay, the sun’s not as bright! You got the later set time.”

It’s insane. Again, I’m just super grateful. Sueños has been the largest crowd I’ve played for yet. So that’s definitely, it resonates with me. You know what I mean? And this year, I also have a later set. It’s a “sunset set,” or not sunset …

Sundown?

A “sundown set.”

I think that is sunset. No, I believe you were right!

A “sunset set.” That’s gonna be crazy. The vibes are gonna be immaculate. I’m really excited for that.

You’re on both days, right?

I usually just play one. I’m on Saturday, and then on Saturday, I have an intermission set, which you’ll be able to find out if you download the Sueños app. They have all their set times up on the Sueños app, and I also have a set with Sorry Papi.

RELATED: Sueños Music Festival 2022: Backstage With The Festival DJs

Sueños Music Festival 2022: Backstage With The Festival DJs

Okay, awesome. And now you’ve done so much in the city. I know you have, like you do every year since the first Sueños, you have a Sueños pop-up, right? What exactly was your thinking with the pop-up, before the festival?

The whole intention behind the pop-up is to — since Sueños is such a crazy week, and I know it’s a festival, people go to have fun and they wild out. But for me, it’s a really, really busy work day. So as much as I want to be able to go in the crowd and talk to people and hang out with the fan base, I sometimes can’t. My whole intention behind doing a pop-up every year is basically my way to ring in Sueños week with my community. That’s why I do that. It’s completely free, it’s open to the public. I like to do it all ages. That’s also where I premiere my official Sueños merch. It’s just basically like a four or five hour party where you get to hang out with me, listen to some good music, get to know me and just vibe out.

What are the details for this year? When is it going to be?

This year is going to be this upcoming Tuesday, [May 21], and it’s going to be at this gallery called The Gallery in Wicker Park. It’s going to be from 4 to 8 p.m., and, again, all ages. I’ll be premiering my official Sueños merch. What else do we have? We have a lot of cool stuff. We’re going to do raffles, as well. I’ll be raffling out some tickets to official after parties, and also I’ll be raffling out two GA wristbands to Sueños.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by DJ Miriam (@miriampaz_91)

Okay! Party, wristbands. That’s awesome. Again, it’s Tuesday, May 21. What time does it start?

It starts at 4, so it’s 4 to 8 p.m.

And where is it going to be again?

It’s going to be at The Gallery in Wicker Park. There’s an RSVP link — you don’t have to RSVP, but the RSVP link you can find in the link in my bio on my Instagram, which is @MiriamPaz_91.

Make sure to go to that. For those of you that don’t know, for the Sueños DJs, you guys have a crazy schedule. It’s not only your set times at the festival, there’s so many after parties that I see you guys have to run around to, in the city. It’s crazy. How many after parties are you doing?

Well, because of timing, I’m just doing one each day. On Saturday, I have an official after party. It’s my official after party, Afterparty X DJ Miriam at Tabu in Fulton Market. That’s gonna be cool. I’ll be there on Saturday. And then Sunday, I’ll be at the official Afterparty at The Mine Music Hall — I think it’s called The Mine Chicago now — The Mine with Peso Pluma.

Oh my gosh, that’s gonna be insane. That is just gonna be crazy.

Sold out already.

I mean, I can only imagine. I know last year — seeing the Sunday headliners is always crazy, but last year — Grupo Firme, that was insane. Seeing Grant Park that packed, that many Mexican flags waving around in the air.

It was amazing. It’s just an indescribable feeling that you literally have to experience. That was my first time seeing them perform, and they were incredible. They’re amazing performers. Singers-wise, production, they really tap in with their crowd, you know? Real crowd-pleaser.

Then seeing that, I mean, all the heartthrobs are on the Sueños lineup. I mean, you have Rauw Alejandro. You have Maluma, oh my gosh. Everyone wants that to be their baby daddy. And then you have Peso Pluma, which is, I mean, he is one of the biggest Spanish artists, Latin artists out right now. I was like, this park is gonna get shut down. We are gonna shut it down.

Chicago! I mean, I don’t know. I’m so excited. It’s the first year that Sueños has sold out. Well, that it sold out this quickly. It sold out, what, months ago? People have been asking me constantly, “Do you know anybody who’s selling tickets?” Just the demand is insane. I personally think that Peso Pluma and Rauw Alejandro sold it out, alone.

^{(Left) Peso Pluma performs during the second weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Friday, April 19, 2024, at Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP) (Right) Rauw Alejandro performs during the 24th annual Latin Grammy Awards in Seville, Spain, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. (Photo by Jose Breton/Invision/AP)}

Of course. And then the other additions. Like I said, it’s nice to see the lineup change. I mean, the female artists completely doubled. Seeing Young Miko on there, she’s blowing up so fast. Bad Gyal, just seeing the lineup, the talent is crazy. For you, when you saw that Sorry Papi was going to be there, you are a part of Sorry Papi as well. What has that been like? You’ve been with them since the inception, right?

Yeah, yes. I was a part of the creative process, as well, and I’m actually one of the founders.

I knew you were day one, ride or die. So you’re one of the original founders. I always wanted to know, what was the idea behind it? Because I’ve talked to so many people across the country about the party, [Sorry Papi,] if you follow my Instagram, all my DJ group chats, I’m like, “[Sorry Papi has] this party.” And they’re like, “This concept is crazy.” It’s such a good concept. It’s so crazy to see the way that the party has blown up, as well. The party is huge.

It’s so much fun. It’s so much fun. Sorry, papis, you guys can’t make it. Can’t be there!

What was the creative room like? What was the vision behind it? You’re like, we just want it to be just girls, reggaeton music, was that it?

I’ve been in the industry for quite some time. Like many women who indulge in the nightlife and just want to go out, have fun with their girls or whoever they decide to go out with, there’s always that constant struggle of feeling safe. Even with our upbringing, our parents are super protective. They say make sure [to] keep your eyes peeled, don’t leave your drinks laying around. There’s just always that, you have to be super aware. As much as you want to have fun and just let loose, you have to be super aware. That’s kind of how we were brought up and taught, as a woman, growing up as a woman. But it was an idea that sparked before COVID, actually. Again, I’ve worked in nightlife for a very long time with a company called V5 Group

Yeah, I think you were saying over 10 years, right? You have crazy experience.

V5 Group is a Latin marketing company, specializes in Latin events, and our niche, you can say, is reggaeton. We were just thinking one day, obviously this was before COVID, and we were just like, “What if we throw an all-girls reggaeton party?” Because, like I said, our niche is reggaeton, but we wanted to make it an all-girls party. It was just an idea that sparked, and then this was also around the time that “Yo Perreo Sola” [by Bad Bunny] came out. Then we saw, obviously, how crazy “Yo Perreo Sala” went and just the feeling that song gives you, the message behind it, the music video. I’m sure you’ve seen the music video.

I mean, yeah, and then all the girls wanted to perreo, right? All the girls wanted to!

It literally means, “Yo perreo sola,” “I dance alone.” It was just around that whole time, and then COVID happened, so it never happened. Well … we put a pause on it. Which I feel like was a …

Was a blessing in disguise?

Yes, it was a blessing in disguise because it really gave us time to really marinate on the idea, let the idea marinate. Within that, we used that time to really brainstorm some more and make what was literally just an idea that was supposed to be a one-off into a big thing.

Yeah, it’s like a brand now.

We didn’t even have the name back then, we were going to call the party “Yo Perreo Sola.” And then a bunch of other people started throwing “Yo Perreo Sola,” and so we’re like, “Well, we can’t do that.” And so, again, once everything started opening up and V5 started to kick back full-force again, we brought the idea back with a larger creative team this time. Jackie [Terrazas] was there. And we decided to put it in motion, and obviously the conversation of what should we call it came about, and Jackie actually came up with the name. She was like, “What if …”

^{Sorry Papi is the world’s largest women-only Reggaeton party. Provided}

I was gonna say, who came up with Sorry Papi?

She snapped. She really did snap with that one. And, you know, Bad Bunny, that’s another Bad Bunny song. She was like, “What if we call it Sorry Papi?” And everybody had … it was like that, “Ooh, wow” moment, you know? So she really did snap with that one. Jackie is also one of the founders, as well. So yeah, everything just came about. Like I said, I feel like COVID putting a pause on the idea really, really was a blessing in disguise. That’s pretty much the story.

I do have to say … actually, in my kitchen, I saw them this morning, I have Sorry Papi cups from the last one!

We have new ones! I should’ve brought you some.

They were so cute. We’ll link up later, we’ll link up later.

Let me get your address and we’ll send you all our stuff.

They were so cute, just the marketing, the details behind everything is amazing. But not only is the party, basically, it’s only girls. “Sorry, papi,” you’re saying, “Sorry, guys. Not allowed.” I remember, in Chicago, I mean, a lot of people might have been to queer or sapphic parties, but for straight girls or people that have never been in that, to be in a room just full of only women … I took my sister for her birthday! I flew her in and a bunch of my friends, we went. It was the pajama one that you guys threw the last time you were here. So I went over, we got custom robes. It was too much!

You guys, I love that.

We popped! We really came out. I’ll never forget, we were at the party and I don’t think you were on yet. I think [DJ King] Inesse was on, and we were taking pictures, and my sister went down to put her drink somewhere and she’s like, “Oh my gosh, it’s crazy to not hover around your drink.” You could just set down your drink, and you’re not as worried. It’s just a bunch of females partying and having fun. I remember in all my videos, my smile was from ear to ear. I was like this is the best time of my life.

I love that, thank you so much.

It was such a great party. In the DJ world, and even male DJs will admit it — they will, this is not just me saying this — but female DJs are known for their curation of music. They are known for the song selection. We are women, we know what women want to hear. And ultimately, you come to the club to see women dance, no matter what club you go to. So I do have to say, seeing your sets and Inesse’s, it is crazy, because the curation is just so well put in place. It’s like everything all the girlies want to hear.

Yeah, thank you.

And so for you, since it started as a reggaeton party, I know that’s always the staple of it, but you guys do branch off when you’re playing into other genres. For you, was that something right away, you were like, “I’m gonna throw in some pop hits … I’m not only going to do reggaeton.” Or did you just feel more comfortable and you’re like, “I think we can make the room move a little bit more.”

^{Miriam Paz stopped by the Vocalo studio to discuss the third Sueños Festival. Morgan Ciocca | Vocalo Radio}

Yeah. So again, we started off initially as a perreo party, and then we did decide to sprinkle some girl anthems here and there. I mean, growing up, we would listen to Beyonce, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, all those poppy hits. Even going back in time, I feel like those songs really resonate with what we’re going through, and they’re nostalgic, which I feel like … they’re crowd pleasers. We love to be able to sing along with the crowd, and just create that vibe. The reasoning behind playing a little bit of everything, too, was … Which is really cool, because we started off as a perreo party, but we started to notice how diverse our audience was. So that is also our way of trying to be inclusive. Not everybody in the crowd is Latina, you see people of all different backgrounds and colors and shapes and sizes. You know what I mean? It’s different, and that was our way of being able to tap in with all girls, not just people who enjoy reggaeton.

The thing, also, that I love about Sorry Papi. I think I’ve said this in an interview before: I met Yoli from Netflix’s “[The] Ultimatum” there. I met her at Sorry Papi, and then we connected and I was able to bring her on Vocalo to talk about her own party. But not only is it great, like if you roll up with your girlfriends, but you also meet people there … It was really just one big vibe. How does that party, how is that gonna translate to the stage at Sueños?

It’s a little difficult, because it’s a bigger stage. And we have a very limited amount of time, as opposed to having a full five, six-hour show. I believe our set’s going to be anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes.

Okay, that’s fast. Even just for one DJ, that’s pretty quick.

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Yeah, so it’s going to be a back-to-back set with King [Inesse] and I. We are going to, obviously, play some reggaeton and dembo, and then we are also going to play some girl anthems. We’re gonna play some English girl anthems and we also want to play some girl hip-hop, because the girl hip-hop scene right now is killing it.

I mean, yeah. I think at the party, I don’t know if it was you or King Inesse played “Deli” [by Ice Spice]. I was like that just, it was just the vibe … That was the first time I had like heard it, it was new still. That song was new. That was the first time I heard it in a club, and I was like, “Oh, no, this sets the vibe.”

Yeah, she’s the hip-hop DJ. She obviously, she plays everything, but I think one of her favorite genres is hip-hop.

What day are you guys going to be on, is Sorry Papi gonna be on?

We are also on Saturday.

Okay, so Saturday is a busy day for you. You’re just gonna be …

Yeah, crazy.

Luckily, they give you all trailers, so you’re just gonna be chillin’ there Saturday. If you’re just tuning in, we have DJ Miriam Paz here with us on Vocalo Radio. We are talking about the road to Sueños, your road. I know you’re getting ready. I mean, you have to have the fits ready, right?

I’m trying. I should, but I honestly don’t. So that’s also another thing that’s been stressing me out. But not the first thing on my mind, of course.

Boy DJs never have to deal with this… They just roll up in a black T shirt, right? T-shirt and jeans. They don’t even …

No makeup.

I know, we’re like hair, makeup, we have to have all these things in line.

It’s crazy.

But again, Sueños is going to be taking place, it’s coming up fast, next weekend, Memorial Day weekend, 25 and 26. Your pop-up is going to be May 21, and then if people want to follow you, keep in touch with what you’re doing, follow you that whole Sueños weekend, all the afterparties you’re gonna be doing, where can people go?

You can follow me on my Instagram, and my Instagram is @MiriamPaz_91, and that’s my same at for all my platforms. So Twitter, I’m pretty active on TikTok, too. I go actually live on TikTok during all my sets.

Oh do you really?

Yeah, I go live during all my sets. Every time I DJ, I go live on TikTok. And I tried to go live last year at Sueños. But the reception…

I was gonna say, it is pretty bad.

So I probably won’t go live for that. I’ll try, but I don’t think it’s gonna go through.

Do you ever forget about the phone, or does it ever get knocked over or anything?

All the time. I’ve gone through so many stands. So if you have any … I just have never found the right one, or I don’t have a favorite one. They all break. They’re flimsy. They’re not sturdy. So if you know of any recommendations, hit me up, please. I need a good phone stand!

Send it to her DMs! Where can people follow Sorry Papi and V5 at?

So Sorry Papi, our Instagram is @SorryPapiTour, and that goes the same for Twitter and TikTok. We’re also pretty active on TikTok! And for V5, it’s @V5Group, on Instagram, V5 Group.

^{Miriam Paz (left) and Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez first met in 2021 at the first Sueños festival. Morgan Ciocca | Vocalo Radio}

Amazing. Thank you so much for stopping by! We’ll be covering Sueños so I’ll be excited to see you.

Yes, please.

And see your sets! And also, Sorry Papi is currently touring, amongst everything else going on. You guys are doing another stop back in Chicago soon, right?

Yes, in July.

In July.

In July. I believe it’s either [July] 6 or 7. But you can go to SorryPapi.com and correct me if I’m wrong. I don’t know, fact check me if you can.

And get your tickets, because they do sell out! Those tickets do sell out.

Yes, we’re gonna get the Ramova this year, which is a smaller venue than the Aragon. Still really, really dope. I think newly renovated.

Yeah, Chance’s. Chance and Jennifer Hudson. I’ve been there.

Very cool.

It’s a really cool venue.

I’ve never been, so I’m excited. But like I said, it’s a smaller venue so get your tickets ASAP.

Awesome. And thank you so much, Miriam, and we’ll see you at Sueños!

Thank you so much, guys. See you at Sueños! Thank you, Nudia!