Willy Hobal is a Dominican-born, Swiss-based singer/songwriter, actor and multi-disciplinary artist, who like countless artists and creatives have supported himself with a full-time job as a luxury hotel marketing specialist.

As a musician and recording artist, Hobal specializes in high energy, entertaining music featuring Caribbean rhythms meant to get people moving. Last year, Hobal exploded out of the gate with two singles, the Raniero Palm-produced “No Pares” and “Nadie me conoce,” which led to performances at the Somos Latinoamerica Festival in Lausanne, Switzerland and the Miss Universe Switzerland pageant.

Last summer, Hobal announced that he was working on his debut EP, VIRGO, which is slated for a summer 2023 release. The six-song effort explores the qualities of those born under the zodiac sign of Virgo, and to two zodiac signs that share similar qualities with Virgo. The EP is specifically for open minded people — and as Hobal says “for the black sheep, the people, who seek the freedom to be themselves through dance and music.”

The EP’s first single “Willy From The Block” is a swaggering, dance floor friendly banger that features a slick mixture of Europop and Dominican dembow rhythms — and a sonic nod to Jennifer Lopez‘s “Jenny From the Block.” Thematically, the song also draws a bit from Lopez’s smash hit with teh song encouraging the listener to work hard to overcome any of the obstacles they may have to face.

Fittingly, the accompanying video is a colorful, high energy visual that stars the Dominican-Swiss artist at a ranging house party with some ridiculous hip-hop cliches, including large piles of cash and a collection of incredibly attractive Virgos — who have the Virgo zodiac symbol on their heads.