Lifelong North Bergen resident receives proclamation for winning Oscar, Grammys

North Bergen is celebrating one of its own — and with good reason

Erika “Kika” Parra won three Grammy Awards and an Oscar this spring for her musical achievements.

Parra won the Grammys for her role as one of the recording musicians for the Disney movie “Encanto,” for which she also won the Oscar.

A North Bergen proclamation issued earlier this month congratulated her for her awarding-winning achievements.

“It’s an accomplishment that I am truly proud of and I’m really happy that Columbia music went the extra mile in connecting me with Disney for such an opportunity,” says Parra. She recorded and performed Columbian percussion on eight tracks for the 2021 animated Disney film.

“It wasn’t too difficult to do, but it was a different experience in a sense since I was recording music with both English and Spanish lyrics in it,” she said.

Parra normally plays Afro-Columbian music and performs with her band Groupo Rebolu, which she has been a member of for more than 10 years. The band recently recorded and released the album “My Heritage,” in Spanish titled “Mi Herencia,” in May 2022. The album was recorded with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.

She still resides in North Bergen, where she has lived her whole life. Groupo Rebolu will be performing at Hudson River Park in August. The band will also be performing at the Nuits d’afrique festival in Canada this July. They’re also beginning preparations for a new album.

A proclamation is an official announcement issued by a mayor to recognize a person, day, week or month with a major citywide impact. The goal of a proclamation is to honor, celebrate or create awareness for the significant occasion.

“A Grammy and Oscar award is a testament to Erika’s exceptional talent and hard work, and North Bergen couldn’t be more proud to call her one of our own,” said Mayor Nick Sacco. “We are thrilled to honor Erika with this proclamation and celebrate her achievements with the entire community.”

A graduate of the Lincoln School as well as the North Bergen High School, Parra has always had a passion for music, and her talent and dedication have now earned her widespread recognition and praise. Under her father’s guidance she started playing percussion at the age of 13 and later studied with Moris Canate, her musical mentor and Rebolu bandmate.

She later enrolled at the Boys & Girls Harbor Conservancy in New York, where she studied and performed with both the Colombian and Latin Jazz ensembles under the direction of Pablo Mayor and Louis Bauzo.

“It brings me immense joy to congratulate Ms. Parra for her many achievements,” said North Bergen Board of Education Superintendent, Dr. George Solter. “We are all incredibly proud of her and thrilled to see a former student reach such lofty heights. We wish her nothing but continued success in the future.”

In addition to her contributions to the silver screen, Parra has also performed at festivals and events such as Montreux Jazz Festival, Montana Folk Festival, Richmond Folk Festival, Lincoln Center Outdoors, Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, Kimmel Center, SXSW, Mundial Montreal, Carnaval de Barranquilla, the Library of Congress, Getty Center, Hollywood Bowl, and many more.

A graduate of Berklee College of Music with a BM in Music Education, Parra has since worked and collaborated with FolkColombia, center for Traditional Music and Dance, Folklore Urbano, Gregorio Uribe Big Band, La Cumbiamba Eneye, Mestizo Dance Compan, Toto La Momposina, Sonia de Los Santos, Ruben Rodriguez, Miss Yaya and C&C Music Factory. She is currently teaching at Avenues: The World School.