# Boy Pablo
**Boy Pablo** is the indie pop project of Nicolás Pablo Rivera Muñoz, a Norwegian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist of Chilean parentage based in Bergen, whose home-produced, harmonically rich pop broke through in 2017 when the video for his single "Everytime" went viral on YouTube[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boy-pablo-mn0003779759) • [2](https://www.nme.com/big-reads/boy-pablo-cover-interview-2020-wachito-rico-2767633). He writes, plays, and produces essentially all of the project's music himself, fronting a backing band of school friends[3](https://remezcla.com/features/music/boy-pablo-profile/) • [4](https://www.latercera.com/culto/2020/11/08/boy-pablo-la-estrella-chileno-noruega-que-lanzo-su-disco-contagiado-de-covid-fue-especial/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Real name | Nicolás Pablo Rivera Muñoz, born 1998 in Bergen, Norway, to Chilean parents[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boy-pablo-mn0003779759) |
| Debut | Single "Flowers", February 2016, released at age 17[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boy-pablo-mn0003779759) |
| Breakthrough | "Everytime" went viral in October 2017 after YouTube's algorithm auto-queued the video; it later passed 30 million views[2](https://www.nme.com/big-reads/boy-pablo-cover-interview-2020-wachito-rico-2767633) |
| Debut album | *Wachito Rico*, released October 23, 2020 on his own label 777[5](https://www.nme.com/reviews/boy-pablo-wachito-rico-review-2795093) |
| Genres | Indie pop, bedroom pop, lo-fi; MusicBrainz also lists jangle pop[6](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/512171a4-d41a-4df6-838d-de0a47aea068) |
| Most-streamed songs | "Dance, Baby!" (174.7 million Spotify streams), "Everytime" (153.3 million), "Sick Feeling" (132.3 million)[7](https://www.musicmetricsvault.com/artists/boy-pablo/7wbkl3zgDZEoZer357mVIw) |
| Label | 777 Music, self-run with family and friends; major-label offers were declined[8](https://www.nme.com/news/music/boy-pablo-says-turning-down-major-label-deals-was-best-decision-we-ever-made-2771679) |
## Background
Muñoz was born in Bergen in 1998 to Chilean parents who emigrated to Norway in the 1980s, fleeing [Augusto Pinochet](https://www.edgepedia.org/augusto-pinochet)'s dictatorship[9](https://paths.significanthobbies.com/am-i-the-next/boy-pablo/). Music ran in the family: his father and an older brother, both multi-instrumentalists, taught him guitar, drums, bass, and piano from a young age, and he began producing on a brother's MacBook with [GarageBand](https://www.edgepedia.org/garageband)[9](https://paths.significanthobbies.com/am-i-the-next/boy-pablo/). His father has his own music project, Chilika, and one brother records as the pop artist Felipe Alexis[3](https://remezcla.com/features/music/boy-pablo-profile/). At home the family speaks Spanish, and Muñoz has said he learned the language as a small child from his Chilean parents[10](https://www.grammy.com/news/boy-pablo-growing-bicultural-why-writing-about-love-comes-easily-him/).
He attended a private music high school in Os, near Bergen[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boy-pablo-mn0003779759), identified in other accounts as Kongshaug Upper Secondary School of Music[9](https://paths.significanthobbies.com/am-i-the-next/boy-pablo/). Before starting boy pablo he had tried to find someone else to sing the songs he wrote, and turned to his own voice when he could not[10](https://www.grammy.com/news/boy-pablo-growing-bicultural-why-writing-about-love-comes-easily-him/). The stage name came from his manager Fabio, who suggested "boy pablo" after Muñoz wanted a name containing "Pablo"[10](https://www.grammy.com/news/boy-pablo-growing-bicultural-why-writing-about-love-comes-easily-him/).
## Breakthrough
Muñoz debuted as Boy Pablo at 17 with the song "Flowers" in February 2016[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boy-pablo-mn0003779759). In October 2017, YouTube's recommendation algorithm began auto-playing the "Everytime" video after clips by similar bedroom pop artists, and the view count jumped from around 20,000 extra in a day to 100,000 and then 250,000; Muñoz initially suspected his manager had bought him Instagram followers[10](https://www.grammy.com/news/boy-pablo-growing-bicultural-why-writing-about-love-comes-easily-him/). A Reddit post further boosted the clip, which at one point earned about 50,000 views daily and reached 8.3 million views by mid-2018[3](https://remezcla.com/features/music/boy-pablo-profile/).
The viral moment placed him in an international circle of teenage bedroom pop artists that included [Clairo](https://www.edgepedia.org/clairo), Cuco, Yellow Days, and [Rex Orange County](https://www.edgepedia.org/rex-orange-county), through site-curated playlists in 2017[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boy-pablo-mn0003779759). His self-produced debut EP, *Roy Pablo*, arrived on 777 Records in May 2017 with "Everytime" on it, and by then he had formed a backing band that appeared in the video[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boy-pablo-mn0003779759). The live band at that stage comprised Pablo on vocals, Gabriel on guitar, Fredrik on bass, Eirik on keys, and Sigurd on drums[3](https://remezcla.com/features/music/boy-pablo-profile/).
## Records and touring
The second EP, *Soy Pablo* (2018), produced the viral hits "Losing You" and "Sick Feeling"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boy-pablo-mn0003779759). That year the band toured outside Norway for the first time, including a sold-out club tour of the United States and Canada[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boy-pablo-mn0003779759). In 2019 the project drew a crowd of about 10,000 at Lollapalooza Chicago, on a bill that also included [The Strokes](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-strokes), Ariana Grande, Tame Impala, and [J Balvin](https://www.edgepedia.org/j-balvin)[11](https://copesa-la-tercera-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/culto/2019/08/04/chileno-lollapalooza-eeuu/).
**Wachito Rico.** His debut album, released October 23, 2020, takes its title from Chilean slang meaning "handsome boy" and works through the alter ego of a character stumbling through first love[5](https://www.nme.com/reviews/boy-pablo-wachito-rico-review-2795093). Muñoz wrote, played, and produced the record, with credits also listing Esteban Muñoz, bob junior, and Judah Kubendran as producers[12](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/247223-boy-pablo-wachito-rico.php). The pandemic delayed the supporting tour, and Muñoz contracted COVID-19 around the release[4](https://www.latercera.com/culto/2020/11/08/boy-pablo-la-estrella-chileno-noruega-que-lanzo-su-disco-contagiado-de-covid-fue-especial/). A third EP, *Tuck Me In*, followed in 2021[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boy-pablo-mn0003779759).
In February 2022 he released "La Novela", a collaboration with the Mexican-American artist Cuco recorded over a week in a Texas studio, which he described as his first song sung in Spanish[13](https://www.rockdelux.com/en/musica/boy-pablo--estoy-viviendo-mis-suenos-de-nino). Singles "Don't You Want Me" (a cover of [The Human League](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-human-league) with Celine Autumn of Sobs) and "Be Mine" followed in mid-2022[14](https://www.nme.com/artists/boy-pablo).
## Reception
Critical response to *Wachito Rico* split sharply. NME gave it 80, calling it "a magnificent debut" that proved Boy Pablo was no flash in the pan[5](https://www.nme.com/reviews/boy-pablo-wachito-rico-review-2795093). Pitchfork scored it 41, with reviewer Adlan Jackson, a culture writer for outlets including The New York Times Magazine and [The New Yorker](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-new-yorker), arguing that the album stayed inside a derivative indie-pop template and only briefly broke monotony when Latin American influences came forward, as on "Te Vas / Don't Leave"[15](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/boy-pablo-wachito-rico/). Aggregated on Album of The Year, the record held a critic score of 70 from six reviews and a user score of 65[12](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/247223-boy-pablo-wachito-rico.php).
Muñoz has been open about the pressures behind the sunny image, describing struggles with insomnia and anxiety addressed on the single "rest up"[5](https://www.nme.com/reviews/boy-pablo-wachito-rico-review-2795093). He has also said he deliberately writes songs that project optimism, not wanting his music to be the reason a listener feels sad[13](https://www.rockdelux.com/en/musica/boy-pablo--estoy-viviendo-mis-suenos-de-nino).
## Independence and later activity
Muñoz runs his own label, 777 Music, through which he releases his music, and has said turning down major-label deals was the "best decision we ever made"[8](https://www.nme.com/news/music/boy-pablo-says-turning-down-major-label-deals-was-best-decision-we-ever-made-2771679). He has described the label's ambition as an open home for artists of any style rather than a genre-specific imprint[13](https://www.rockdelux.com/en/musica/boy-pablo--estoy-viviendo-mis-suenos-de-nino).
After the 2022 singles, no new Boy Pablo releases appeared for several years, and his Bandcamp page lists no releases after "Be Mine" (July 2022)[16](https://boypablo.bandcamp.com/policies). In a 2022 interview he said he had 10 to 15 nearly finished songs written during the pandemic and was seeking a newer sound, though he could not yet say when material would appear[17](https://www.latercera.com/culto/2022/04/21/las-definiciones-de-boy-pablo-me-gusta-bad-bunny-pero-el-trap-mas-o-menos/).
## References
1. [Boy Pablo — Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/boy-pablo-mn0003779759)
2. [On The Cover – Boy Pablo: "I'm just a normal dude that got lucky", NME](https://www.nme.com/big-reads/boy-pablo-cover-interview-2020-wachito-rico-2767633)
3. [Meet Boy Pablo, Sunny Indie Pop From Norway's Chilean Diaspora, Remezcla](https://remezcla.com/features/music/boy-pablo-profile/)
4. [Boy Pablo, la estrella chileno-noruega que lanzó su disco contagiado de Covid, La Tercera](https://www.latercera.com/culto/2020/11/08/boy-pablo-la-estrella-chileno-noruega-que-lanzo-su-disco-contagiado-de-covid-fue-especial/)
5. [Boy Pablo – 'Wachito Rico' review, NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/boy-pablo-wachito-rico-review-2795093)
6. [boy pablo, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/512171a4-d41a-4df6-838d-de0a47aea068)
7. [boy pablo - Spotify Statistics & Monthly Listeners, Music Metrics Vault](https://www.musicmetricsvault.com/artists/boy-pablo/7wbkl3zgDZEoZer357mVIw)
8. [Boy Pablo says turning down major label deals was the "best decision we ever made", NME](https://www.nme.com/news/music/boy-pablo-says-turning-down-major-label-deals-was-best-decision-we-ever-made-2771679)
9. [Why You Are Not the Next Boy Pablo, Paths](https://paths.significanthobbies.com/am-i-the-next/boy-pablo/)
10. [Boy Pablo On Growing Up Bicultural & Why Writing About Love Comes Easily To Him, Grammy.com](https://www.grammy.com/news/boy-pablo-growing-bicultural-why-writing-about-love-comes-easily-him/)
11. [Boy Pablo, la figura "chilena" en Lollapalooza Chicago, La Tercera](https://copesa-la-tercera-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/culto/2019/08/04/chileno-lollapalooza-eeuu/)
12. [boy pablo - Wachito Rico - Reviews, Album of The Year](https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/247223-boy-pablo-wachito-rico.php)
13. [boy pablo: "Estoy viviendo mis sueños de niño", Rockdelux](https://www.rockdelux.com/en/musica/boy-pablo--estoy-viviendo-mis-suenos-de-nino)
14. [Boy Pablo, Artists, NME.com](https://www.nme.com/artists/boy-pablo)
15. [Boy Pablo: Wachito Rico Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/boy-pablo-wachito-rico/)
16. [boy pablo discography, Bandcamp](https://boypablo.bandcamp.com/policies)
17. [Las definiciones de Boy Pablo, La Tercera](https://www.latercera.com/culto/2022/04/21/las-definiciones-de-boy-pablo-me-gusta-bad-bunny-pero-el-trap-mas-o-menos/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Rock, indie, and pop groups › Indie and alternative bands › Indie pop bands*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license