Listen to Alex Anwandter's Gorgeous 'Siempre Es Viernes En Mi Corazón'

Chilean dance pop phenom combines giddy abandon with sobering social themes in songs that sound of “Latin American sentimentality passed through an electronica filter.”

Alex Anwandter’s songs combine a feeling of almost giddy abandon with sobering social themes.

His 2011 track “Cómo Puedes Vivir Contigo Mismo” became a party anthem for gay youth battling discrimination in his native Chile. His new song, “Siempre Es Viernes En Mi Corazón,” premiering today on Billboard, has the same dual spirit.

“'Siempre es viernes en mi corazón' is inspired by alienation -- the product of non-stop work and living in what is sometimes an oppressive society,” Anwandter, who’s often been called Chile’s “prince of pop,” tells Billboard. “It doesn’t immediately sound like subject matter for a dance pop song. However the song both ignores and embraces those feelings.”

The new single features vocals from Ale Sergi and Juliana Gattas of Miranda!, the saucy Argentines who share Anwandter’s talent for capturing what he describes as “Latin American sentimentality passed through an electronica filter.”

“We've been friends for a long time and this was the perfect opportunity to collaborate on a track,” Anwandter notes. “Siempre Es Viernes En Mi Corazón’ describes a collective sentiment, and I felt it was important to be able to count on more voices to tell this story."

Anwandter has recently turned to storytelling through film as well as music. His first feature, "Nunca Vas A Estar Solo," was inspired by the experiences of one of his fans, Daniel Zamudio, a Chilean teen who died after being attacked in a Santiago park. Zamudio's death led to the passing of new hate crime legislation in Chile. The film will screen at the Berlin Film Festival in February as part of the Panorama program.

Amiga, Anwandter’s new album, comes out April 8 on Nacional Records.