Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 10, 2026

Candelabro

Candelabro is a Chilean art rock band formed in Santiago in 2021. Originally founded by Matías Ávila, Javiera Donoso, Franco Arriagada (drums), Carlos Muñoz, Nahuel Alavia and Luis Ayala (guitar), they added their seventh member, saxophonist María Lobos, in 2024. The band gained initial attention through their debut album, Ahora o Nunca in 2023. Their second studio album, Deseo, carne y voluntad was released in 2025 to critical and commercial acclaim.

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Jun 10, 2026
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Candelabro
Candelabro in 2025 (left to right): Javiera Donoso, Luis Ayala, Matías Ávila, Franco Arriagada, María Lobos, Nahuel Alavia, and Carlos Muñoz
Candelabro in 2025 (left to right): Javiera Donoso, Luis Ayala, Matías Ávila, Franco Arriagada, María Lobos, Nahuel Alavia, and Carlos Muñoz
Background information
OriginSantiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile
Years active2021–present
Members
  • Matías Ávila
  • Javiera Donoso
  • Carlos Muñoz
  • Franco Arriagada
  • Luis Ayala
  • Nahuel Alavia
  • María Lobos

Candelabro is a Chilean art rock band1 formed in Santiago in 2021. Originally founded by Matías Ávila (vocals, guitar), Javiera Donoso (vocals, keyboards), Franco Arriagada (drums), Carlos Muñoz (bass, piano), Nahuel Alavia (soprano saxophone, keyboards) and Luis Ayala (guitar), they added their seventh member, saxophonist María Lobos, in 2024.2 The band gained initial attention through their debut album, Ahora o Nunca in 2023. Their second studio album, Deseo, carne y voluntad was released in 2025 to critical and commercial acclaim.

History

In 2021, guitarist Matías Ávila debuted as a solo artist with the albums Heterocromía and El destino de las hormigas.3 For his live performances, he performed with bassist Carlos Muñoz and drummer Franco Arriagada, with whom he had previously formed a musical group with in 2018.3 Singer and keyboardist Javiera Donoso, guitarist Luis Ayala, and saxophonist Nahuel Alavia would join the band by 2022,3 adopting the name Candelabro in 2023.4 That same year, they released their first album, Ahora o nunca, which CityLab Global nominated for "Best Album of the Year" in the alternative music category,5 and were highlighted by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the most relevant bands in the Chilean independent scene.6

That same year, they released their second album, Deseo, carne y voluntad, which was named "Chilean album of the year" by music critic Marcelo Contreras of the newspaper La Tercera.7 They were also chosen as the "breakthrough band of Chilean rock" by critic Felipe Retamal.8 The album won the "Best Album of the Year" award granted by CityLab Global for its 2025 edition.9

On March 11 of that same year—the day José Antonio Kast was innagurated as president of Chile—the band released covers of the songs "Ultraderecha" and "Latinoamérica es un pueblo al sur de EE.UU" by Los Prisioneros.10 On March 14, they performed their "Ultraderecha" cover at Lollapalooza Chile 2026, accompanied by images of Kast, Donald Trump, Javier Milei, and Benjamin Netanyahu with swastikas on their foreheads referencing Nazism, which generated important controversy in Chilean mainstream media.11 On April 13, at Citylab GAM, they held the premiere of the music video for "Prisión de Carne", directed by Germán Pavez,12 which was then officially released on April 17.13 On April 28, they received a nomination for Best Rock Album for Deseo, carne y voluntad at the Pulsar Awards.14 In February 2026, the band announced a tour across Spain,15 with a performance in Barcelona as part of Primavera Sound.16

Musical style and influences

Candelabro has been described as "one of the benchmark bands within the Chilean independent scene in the post-pandemic era," alongside Asia Menor, Hesse Kassel, Estoy Bien, and Chini.png.34 Among their international influences, are the American band Wilco and British Windmill scene bands such as Black Country, New Road, while they take important influence from Chilean bands such as Congreso, Fulano, Niños del Cerro and Los Prisioneros, the latter being noted as a particular influence in their musical and political directions.3

In 2024, Chilean music critic Loreto Neira referred to Ahora o nunca as a mix of Niños del Cerro with "syrupy melodies typical of the so-called música cebolla [...] while elements of Latin American fusion music are embellished with pop synthesizers that confirm the importance of Javiera Mena and Álex Anwandter as new artistic references."17 Their sophomore album, Deseo, carne y voluntad, has been described as "a work with conceptual ambition that reviews spirituality, although with a street vibe and settled in an unconventional musical approach, which makes it undoubtedly Chilean."18

Members

  • Matías Ávila — guitar and vocals
  • Javiera Donoso — synthesizer and vocals
  • Carlos Muñoz — bass and piano
  • Franco Arriagada — drums and percussion
  • Luis Ayala — guitar
  • Nahuel Alavia — soprano saxophone and synthesizer
  • María Lobos — saxophone and synthesizer

Discography

Studio albums

  • Ahora o nunca (2023)
  • Deseo, carne y voluntad (2025)

Awards and nominations

Year Event Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2023 CityLab Best Album of the Year: Alternative Music Ahora o nunca Nominated 5
2025 Best Album of the Year Deseo, carne y voluntad Won 9
2026 Pulsar Awards Best Rock Album Nominated 14
Santiago Music Video Best Song "Prisión de Carne" Won 19
Best Conceptual Work Won
Best Screenplay Won
References

References

  1. "Candelabro | Sonido Muchacho" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-28.
  2. Expectador (2024-04-22). "Candelabro en Espacio del Ángel: Es ahora o nunca". Expectador (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  3. Vargas, Diego (2025-12-23). "Candelabro". MusicaPopular.cl. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
  4. Camilo Morales Droguett (2024-04-07). "Viaje al centro de Candelabro: "Esta generación es mucho más performática que la anterior"". SACH | Solo Artistas Chilenos (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-28.
  5. "ESENCIALES2023 — citylabglobal". CityLab. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
  6. Villegas, Richard (2024-04-01). "'Comfort Music When Everything Was F-cked:' Inside Chile's Thriving Trap and Plugg Scene". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
  7. Contreras, Marcelo (2025-11-15). "Crítica de discos: Candelabro lanza el álbum chileno del año y ¿realmente es tan bueno el último de Rosalía?". La Tercera (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2025-11-15. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
  8. Retamal, Felipe (2025-12-20). "Candelabro, la revelación del rock chileno 2025: "Queremos que nuestra música suene en la micro, en la feria, donde sea"". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-28.
  9. "Cine, música, teatro, artes visuales y más: Sector creativo elige las obras Esenciales de 2025". El Mostrador (in Spanish). 2025-12-18. Retrieved 2026-01-06.
  10. Retamal, Felipe (2026-03-11). "Candelabro sorprende y lanza covers de Los Prisioneros coincidiendo con el cambio de mando". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  11. Retamal, Felipe (2026-03-16). "Candelabro defiende su show en Lollapalooza: "No dijimos ninguna mentira, hacemos música en torno a lo que vivimos"". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  12. Hernández, Diego Puebla (2026-04-17). "Candelabro estrena videoclip de "Prisión de Carne": una exploración visual sobre la incomodidad del habitar". Futuro Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  13. TVN. "Escucha lo nuevo de Candelabro, que estrena "Prisión de Carne"". www.tvn.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-21.
  14. Vera, Diego (2026-04-29). "Premios Pulsar 2026: Mon Laferte, Sinaka y Kid Voodoo lideran las nominaciones". BioBioChile - La Red de Prensa Más Grande de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-04-29.
  15. Bobadilla, Jorge (2026-02-02). "Candelabro anuncia su primera gira en España". MariskalRock.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-02-03.
  16. Seco, Carmen (2025-12-04). "Blood Orange, Mogwai, Black Country, New Road y más: medio centenar de conciertos confirmados para Primavera a la Ciutat 2026". Barcelona Secreta (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2026-02-03.
  17. Ocampo, Loreta Neira (2024-01-04). "Candelabro: Rock ñoño y esperanzador desde Chile". Indie Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-28.
  18. Retamal, Felipe (2025-12-27). "Los grandes discos, conciertos, hitos y personajes de la música en 2025". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-12-29.
  19. Lovable. "SAM Santiago Music Video". samvideo.cl. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
External links