On Wednesday, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado will be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize during a ceremony in Oslo. Machado, who was barred from running for president and has been in hiding since last year, is being honored for "her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy."
Also taking the stage during the ceremony? A shaggy-haired singer and close ally of Machado, who in recent years has become one of the most prominent voices against the Venezuelan government: Danny Ocean.
The 33-year-old singer first splashed onto the Latin pop scene in 2016 with "Me Rehúso," a reggaeton-infused breakup song inspired by his experience moving from Venezuela to the United States and having to leave his then-girlfriend behind. The breakout single became an instant staple in clubs across Latin America and around the world; it's been certified platinum 13 times in the U.S. and racked up more than 2 billion streams on Spotify.
As his music career has grown, Ocean has often incorporated references to his home country and its culture into his songs. In 2024, ten days before Venezuela held highly-contested presidential elections, he released an EP called venequia.: a reclamation of the word "veneco," a slur often used against Venezuelan migrants abroad.
On songs like "por la pequeña Venecia," Ocean all but calls out President Nicolás Maduro by name, condemning the separation of countless families — more than 7.7 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees — and pleading for a peaceful transition for the country's future.
And he was specific about who he'd like to see lead that change, collaborating with Machado directly on the project. In the music video for the song "escala en Panama" from venequia., Ocean envisions a time when displaced Venezuelans can return home. In the video, crowds of people run through an abandoned airport and onto a plane. When they board, a familiar voice greets them. "Bienvenidos a Venezuela," Machado says. "Bienvenidos a casa." ("Welcome to Venezuela, welcome home.")
In an interview with NPR following the video's release, Ocean explained why he was throwing his full support behind the now-Nobel laureate. "It had to be her. I think she might be the only one who can welcome us all [back] at some point. She is the one who has to be that voice of welcome for us, you know?" Ocean said. "This is no longer a political issue. This is about light versus dark. This is good versus evil. And María Corina was the only one who could deliver that message."
Late last July, Maduro claimed victory over Edmundo González, the Machado-backed opposition candidate who was widely recognized as the winner of the presidential election. Protests swiftly broke out across Venezuela and around the world; Danny Ocean's lyrics popped up on signs and banners, and videos on social media showed crowds of people chanting his songs. Personal anecdotes of heartbreak and disillusionment became diaspora anthems, representative of the struggle to end Venezuela's socioeconomic crisis.
On Wednesday, Ocean will finally get the chance to perform for Machado herself, who plans to travel to Oslo and accept the Prize in person. Venezuelan pianist and composer Gabriela Montero and Norwegian folk singer Vera Sonne are also on the lineup for this year's ceremony. Last year, the Human Rights Foundation awarded Montero the Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent for her anti-violence and human rights activism, particularly as it relates to her home country.
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