Wos

Valentín Oliva (born 23 January 1998), professionally known as Wos (stylized as WOS), is an Argentine singer, actor, and freestyler.

Starting as a freestyler, he won the Argentine competition of freestyle battle El Quinto Escalón on several occasions, achieving national recognition. He also won the FMS Argentina and the international tournament Red Bull Batalla de Gallos, both in 2018.

Following his success in freestyle battles, he decided to pursue a musical career. In 2018, he released his first single "Púrpura", while in 2019 he released his debut studio album Caravana. He has won several Gardel Awards and received a nomination for Best New Artist at the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2020.

Early life Oliva's father, Alejandro Oliva, is a musician and founder of the group La Bomba de Tiempo, while his mother, Maia Mónaco, is a dancer and actress who was a part of the group El Diablo en la Boca. His parents' artistic influence led him to study piano and drums from a young age. He also studied acting at the Escuela Metropolitana de Arte Dramático in Buenos Aires.

Career

At 15, he participated for the first time in the Argentine freestyler competition El Quinto Escalón. He won the competition in 2016 and was runner-up in 2017. In 2017, he competed for the first time in the Red Bull Batalla de los Gallos competition, winning the national competition but losing the international one in the final against Mexican rapper in Ciudad de México, the next year he won the international competition in Buenos Aires.

After announcing his retirement from freestyle competitions, he released in 2018 his first single "Púrpura" followed by "Andrómeda", both under the label Agencia Picante with production from LOUTA and Nico Cotto. In March 2019, he performed at the music festival Lollapalooza in Argentina.

On 9 August 2019, he released "Canguro" under the label Doguito Records, being the first single for his debut album. His album Caravana was released on 4 October 2019, consisting of seven songs it was premiered in two performances on 11 and 12 October at Groove, a venue in Buenos Aires. On 21 May 2020, he released the EP Tres puntos suspensivos, recorded during the quarantines due to the COVID-19 pandemic is composed of four songs including one with his brother, Manuel.

At the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2020, WOS received a nomination for Best New Artist. The same year, at the Gardel Awards, he won Song of the Year and Best Urban/Trap Song or Album for "Canguro" and Best New Artist for Caravana. Also in 2020, he made appearances in the comedy webseries Almost Happy and the music docuseries BREAK IT ALL: The History of Rock in Latin America, both from Netflix.

On 4 November 2020, he released "Mugre" as the first single for his upcoming second studio album and on 17 December 2020, he released "Convoy Jarana" as the album's second single. On 18 November 2021, he released his second studio album titled Oscuro éxtasis.

In his album "DESCARTABLE" (2024), he collaborated with the emblematic Argentine rock singer Indio Solari, releasing the song “Quemarás”, a deep, slow, and melancholic ballad with a classic rock undertone.

Discography Studio albums Caravana (2019) Oscuro Éxtasis (2021) DESCARTABLE (2024)

Extended plays Tres puntos suspensivos (2020)

Awards and nominations AwardYear Category Nominated work Result Ref. Latin Grammy Awards 2020 Best New Artist Himself Best Pop/Rock Song "ARRANCARMELO" Best Alternative Song "Culpa" 2023 Best Short Form Music Video "DESCARTABLE" 2024 Best Alternative Music Album DESCARTABLE Premios Gardel 2020 Album of the YearCaravana Best Alternative Rock Album Best Rock Song "QUE SE MEJOREN" Best Urban Music Song"Cambiando la Piel" Best Urban Music Collaboration 2023 Best Urban Music Song "Quereme" Best Urban Music Collaboration 2024 Song of the Year "Investido" Premios Quiero 2019 Best Trap Video "Canguro" 2022 Best Rap / Trap / Hip-Hop Video "QUE SE MEJOREN" Rolling Stone en Español Awards 2023 Video of the Year "ARRANCÁRMELO"