Rita Indiana

Rita Indiana Hernández (born 11 June 1977) is a Dominican writer, and singer-songwriter. In 2011, she was selected by the newspaper El País as one of the 100 most influential Latino personalities.

Born in Santo Domingo in 1977, Rita Indiana is the grand niece of the soprano Ivonne Haza and great-great-great-granddaughter of the poet and hero of the Restoration War, Manuel Rodríguez Objío. She is also second cousin of the journalist Óscar Haza and of the politician Víctor Bisonó. She was baptized in honor of her great-grandmother Rita Indiana del Castillo y Rodríguez-Objío.

She began her writing career with novels such as La estrategia de Chochueca and Papi, fueling her creativity with Dominican slang and colloquialisms.

Later, she decided to explore Dominican popular music, reinventing merengue dancing through her compositions and interpretations with the group Los Misterios. With her band, Rita appeared at the celebrated venue SOB's in New York. NPR included her El Juidero in their list "Top 10 Latin American Albums of 2010".

Topics of her songs range from social issues to divergent sexuality. She has publicly come out as homosexual. Her partner and frequent artistic collaborator is filmmaker Noelia Quintero.

Some of her songs have been written for such influential Latin American musicians as Julieta Venegas and Calle 13. As of 2012 she resides in Miami.

Short stories

• Rumiantes, 1998
• Ciencia Succión, Amigo del Hogar, 2001

Novels

• La estrategia de Chochueca, Riann, 2000
• Papi, Vértigo, 2005; Periférica, 2011
• Nombres y Animales, Periférica, 2013
• La mucama de Omicunlé, Periférica, 2015

• El Juidero (2011)

Singles

• "El Blu del Ping Pong"
• "La Hora de Volve"
• "Jardinera"
• "Equeibol"
• "El Juidero"
• "Oigo Voces"
• "Flores de Fuego"
• "Da Pa Lo Do"
• "Como un ladrón en la noche"
• "Bajito a selva*"
• "Maldito Feisbu"