CROING Partners With e.l.f. Cosmetics to Welcome Joaquina as Brand Ambassador and Bring “ya no estoy” to Mirror Mix
CROING Partners With e.l.f. Cosmetics to Name Latin GRAMMY Winner Joaquina as Brand Ambassador With “ya no estoy,” Her Original Song Made in Collaboration With e.l.f. and Featured on “Mirror Mix,” the Brand’s Second Music Album
Through its collaboration with e.l.f. Cosmetics, CROING brings Joaquina’s artistry and Venezuelan identity into the brand’s growing investment in music and culture, while expanding the story through “Mirror Mix,” a multi-artist music project bringing together seven artists and distinct creative perspectives.
CROING partnered with e.l.f. Cosmetics to lead the strategy and creative development behind e.l.f.’s expanding approach to talent partnerships, bringing together beauty, music, culture and a new generation of Latina talent through its collaboration with Venezuelan singer-songwriter and youngest-ever Latin GRAMMY winner for Best New Artist Joaquina.
The partnership launched with “ya no estoy,” (“No longer there”) an original Spanish-language song written and composed by Joaquina, also an eight-time Latin GRAMMY nominee, in collaboration with e.l.f. The song, which marks the second release of Joaquina’s new musical era, launches September 24 as part of “Mirror Mix,” e.l.f.’s second original music album, alongside the announcement of Joaquina as the brand’s newest Brand Ambassador.
CROING, a Latina-led creative agency and production company founded by Alejandra Salazar, built the partnership around a clear strategic idea. Rather than a conventional endorsement, the agency centered the collaboration on the artist’s creativity, identifying Joaquina as a rising talent with a strong connection to beauty and music, who has built a genuine connection with her community. Working across cultural strategy, creative development and production, CROING gave e.l.f. a framework to build the collaboration around Joaquina’s own music, language and creative voice. The approach reflects a more authentic way to build brand and artist partnerships, integrating the artist’s world into the collaboration rather than layering a marketing message on top of it.
For e.l.f., that meant giving Joaquina the freedom to create from where she was in her life, in her own language and on her own terms. The result is a song about self-love, independence and unapologetic self-expression, with lyrics including “Hablo más duro si me quieres callada,” (“If you want me quiet, I’ll only get louder”) that felt inherently aligned with the brand.
“From the beginning, e.l.f. and CROING were aligned that this partnership should give the artist a platform to create, express herself and be fully herself. What we saw in Joaquina, beyond her incredible talent as a songwriter and her impressive musical career at just 22, was her genuine connection with her fans. Girls, women and adults show up to her concerts recreating her signature red eye, and that moment is pure connection. For a fan-focused brand like e.l.f., we knew we had to be part of it.
Leading this project creatively from CROING, has been a true honor for me and my team. An original song, written entirely by Joaquina, in Spanish and produced by her alongside two Latin musicians, Kakush from Argentina and Nico González from Colombia. This is exactly the kind of work we exist to do: culturally rooted and artist-first. ‘Ya No Estoy’ is proof that when you put women and community at the center of the creative process, the work speaks for itself,” said Alejandra Salazar, Founder and CEO of CROING
That strategy was also at the heart of e.l.f.’s vision for the partnership: creating a platform for an artist whose voice, creativity and community could shape the work.
“Latin music is one of the fastest-growing genres in the world and women are still too often its least-heard voices. Joaquina represents a new generation of Latina talent with global influence and welcoming her as a Brand Ambassador is about giving that voice a bigger stage,” said Patrick O’Keefe, Chief Integrated Marketing Officer, e.l.f. Brands. “We instantly knew she was a kindred spirit and once we heard ‘Ya no estoy,’ the song proved it. The song expresses the values we stand for: self-expression, confidence and empowerment.”
Joaquina sits at the intersection of several communities that already matter to e.l.f.: beauty, music, culture and a new generation of women and young Latinas. Beauty is already part of her relationship with fans, from her signature red cat-eye to the fans who recreate the look and wear it to her shows. Music is where she has the deepest creative connection with her audience. Bringing those two worlds together allowed e.l.f. to build a partnership around an existing audience behavior.
“This partnership is truly a dream come true. Makeup has always been a way for me to express myself, and my red cat-eye has become such a fun way for me to connect with my fans. They recreate it and even come to my shows wearing it, which means so much to me. What I love about this partnership is that it goes beyond beauty. It gave me the opportunity to make music and create something that feels very much like me, in Spanish and from a very personal place”, said Joaquina.
Their relationship started around the 2025 Latin GRAMMYs, when e.l.f. got Joaquina ready for her performance, and continued through the NWSL Challenge Cup, where she sang the national anthem in June. The brand later supported her beauty look for her performance with world-renowned Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel during his debut season as Music & Artistic Director of the New York Philharmonic at Radio City Music Hall. CROING was part of that evolution, helping build and support the relationship as Joaquina’s connection with the brand continued to grow. Those moments gave e.l.f. a relationship with Joaquina that could evolve naturally as her career and creative world expanded.
“ya no estoy” is now part of Mirror Mix, e.l.f.’s second original music album, creating a larger platform around the collaboration and connecting Joaquina with other emerging artists, including basketball star, rapper and philanthropist Flau’jae Johnson, as well as Brasko, Hello Sister, Mamii, NEZZA and Sadie Rose Van. The partnership then continues into live entertainment and content, including the e.l.f. x Genius Open Mic in Los Angeles on September 30, where Joaquina will perform “ya no estoy” live for the first time, as well as a Genius Verified episode exploring the song’s lyrics.
The partnership demonstrates a model in which strategy identifies the cultural opportunity, the artist’s own creative world shapes the execution, and the resulting work creates value beyond a traditional campaign deliverable.
ABOUT CROING
CROING is a women-led creative and cultural agency founded by Venezuelan Alejandra Salazar and part of the 0.1% of agencies founded by women in New York. It is dedicated to reshaping the creative industry into one where more women and communities are included, seen, and credited for their contributions, with space to grow and change lives, one campaign at a time. With over 10 years of experience, CROING crafts culturally relevant campaigns and partnerships for global brands. www.croing.com.
ABOUT E.L.F. BRANDS
e.l.f. Brands includes e.l.f. Cosmetics, e.l.f. SKIN and e.l.f. Hair, all part of e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF). e.l.f. is on a mission to make the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip and face through positivity, inclusivity and accessibility. e.l.f.'s superpowers are creating premium-quality, vegan and e.l.f. clean products that are universally appealing at affordable prices. All products are double-certified by Leaping Bunny and PETA as cruelty-free. e.l.f. is proud to have products made in Fair Trade Certified™ facilities. Learn more at www.elfcosmetics.com, www.elfskin.com and www.elfhaircare.com.
ABOUT JOAQUINA
Joaquina is an American-Venezuelan singer-songwriter and one of the emerging voices in Latin music, with a growing international audience across the United States, Latin America, and Spain. Her music combines folk-pop and rock en español, characterized by songwriting centered on emotional and personal narratives.
She is a six-time Latin GRAMMY nominee and the youngest winner of the Latin GRAMMY for Best New Artist. She was also the youngest nominee in the Best Singer-Songwriter Album category.
Her debut album al romper la burbuja was written entirely by Joaquina and received critical recognition across international media. In 2026, she released al romper la burbuja 2, an 18-track continuation of the project that further expanded its scope. The project has been supported by major live milestones, including performances at Lollapalooza Chile, Lollapalooza Argentina, and Tecate Emblema in Mexico City, as well as sold-out shows across Spain, Latin America, and the United States, where she has also shared the stage with artists including Andrea Bocelli, Alejandro Sanz, Juanes, Morat, Aitana, and Sebastián Yatra. In September 2026, Joaquina also performed alongside Gustavo Dudamel and the New York Philharmonic at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, marking another major milestone in her growing international career. This year, Joaquina also debuted on the cover of Rolling Stone en Español’s ‘Future of Music’ issue.
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