Cola Boyy, the California singer-songwriter who collaborated with MGMT and the Avalanches and advocated for people with disabilities, has died. She was 34 years old.
Cola Boyy, whose real name was Matthew Urango, died Sunday at his home in Oxnard, said his mother, Lisa Urango. No cause was given.
Describing himself as a “disabled disco innovator,” Urango brought together diverse instruments to create a mix brimming with funky rhythm and colorful sounds that accompanied his seductive voice, a surprising balance between silk and squeak.
Mr. Urango was born with spina bifida, kyphosis and scoliosis and had worn a prosthetic leg since he was 2 years old.
As Cola Boyy, he released a debut album in 2021, “Prosthetic Boombox,” which earned million plays on Spotify and other platforms and featured upbeat, introspective tunes like “Don’t Forget Your Neighborhood,” a collaboration with indie pop group Avalanches.
He used his burgeoning platform as an artist to advocate for social causes, including those related to people with disabilities.
“Not many artists are visibly disabled,” he said in a interview with tmrw magazine. “Society wants us to stay closeted and be shy and docile, and not feel safe or cool or sexy.”
As Cola Boyy, he performed for audiences at major music festivals, including Coachella in 2019, where he appeared on a bill that included Ariana Grande and Bad Bunny.
He was signed to the French independent label Record Makers and collaborated with Mac DeMarco, MGMT and others, according to his manager, Jack Sills.
Urango had been a community organizer who worked on issues in Oxnard’s agricultural and immigrant communities, Sills said.
Matthew Joseph Urango was born Feb. 14, 1990, in Ventura County, his mother said. He grew up in Oxnard, a largely Latino, working-class city on the Southern California coast, known for large nearby farms.
Mr. Urango taught himself to play several instruments, his mother said. The first was a “battery for little kids,” she said in an interview with The Fader that was published in 2018.and added that he had later learned to play the piano and guitar.
At an impromptu vigil in an Oxnard alley Monday night, dozens of people came out to cry, his mother said. Flowers and candles piled on the floor, the words “RIP COLA BOYY” spray painted on an upstairs wall.
Mr. Urango is survived by his twin brother, Marcus; his younger brother, Noah; and his mother and father, Lisa and Joseph Urango.
As a teenager, Urango joined Oxnard’s thriving punk scene, playing in several bands, Sills said. Before becoming a solo artist, he had been a member of an indie pop band called Sea Lions, said his manager, who toured and played shows abroad.
In the interview with Fader, Urango spoke at length about the influence of his hometown.
“The people I grew up with and the people I surround myself with now are real people who have been through a lot,” he said, speaking of the people of Oxnard. “They are very resilient.”
Alain Delaquérière contributed to the research.
