Salvador Navarrete (born 16 February 1992), better known by his stage name Sega Bodega, is an Irish-Chilean music producer, singer, songwriter, DJ and co-head/founder of record label and collective Nuxxe. Sega Bodega is known for his futuristic, bass-heavy and leftfield takes on electronic and club music, fusing various elements of UK bass and hip-hop music, deconstructed club, and trip hop music into his songs. He has also been heavily associated with the hyperpop music scene. He rose to prominence producing tracks for London-based rapper, co-founder of the Nuxxe label and close collaborator Shygirl, gaining attention from the likes of Rihanna, using various Nuxxe tracks for her Fenty Beauty commercials and fashion shows. Sega Bodega released various EPs before releasing his debut album, Salvador, in 2020, and his second album, Romeo, in 2021.
Early life
Salvador Navarrete was born on 16 February 1992, in Galway, Ireland to a Chilean father and an Irish mother. He lived in Ireland until he was 10, when he relocated to Glasgow.
He had ambitions of being a producer since 2008, playing in various bands until he could understand how to use DAWs. Navarrete briefly studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, but largely taught himself to produce music using online tutorials.
Initially, from about 2010, Navarrete operated under the moniker Peace, but retired it when the indie rock band of the same name began rising to fame. He would later settle on his Sega Bodega moniker in 2012.
Career
2012–2015: Early beginnings
Sega Bodega first began gaining traction through various remixes, from which he gained widespread attention from, and DJ gigs, supporting Lil B in Glasgow and playing the London Field Day festival in 2012.
In February 2013, Sega Bodega released his debut EP Song Dynasty, a collection of tracks recorded as far back as 2010, but refined and polished after developing a better understanding of the technicalities to music production. The EP was released via the London-based label, Week of Wonders. This was followed by his 34 EP, released in May 2013, also via the Week of Wonders label.
In May 2014, Sega Bodega was a part of the lineup for BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend festival, where he played his re-released single "Stay Nervous", and "Maryland", which would later appear on his 2018 EP self*care, among other tracks. He also relocated to London in 2014.
After taking a hiatus from releases, Sega Bodega returned with the October 2015 release of the first SS project, containing reimagined and 'alternative' takes on cult film scores, such as A Clockwork Orange, Eraserhead, Akira and Boyz n the Hood, among others. The project was self-released. This was followed shortly after by the Sportswear EP, released via the Activia Benz label.
2016–2018: Nuxxe, Ess B, the start of collaboration and self*care
In June 2016, London rapper Shygirl released her debut single, "Want More", produced by Sega Bodega. The single marked the first release of collective and label Nuxxe, co-founded by Sega Bodega, Shygirl and French producer and performer Coucou Chloe, formed from a desire to create music and art with an easy-going, free-flowing and fun attitude, separate from other pre-establishing labels, and to introduce a sound that no one had heard before to the world. The single would also appear in a Fenty Beauty commercial later in 2019. The release of "Want More" was followed by a collaborative single in October 2016 from Sega Bodega and Coucou Chloe titled "SPIT INTENT", under the moniker Y1640.
February 2017 marked further collaboration with the single "CC", featuring Shygirl. The track was the lead single from Sega Bodega's next EP, titled Ess B, released later that month via the Crazylegs label, followed by one other Crazylegs release: the "Nivea" double single in July. More Nuxxe releases continued shortly after Ess B's release, such as another Y1640 single in March, titled "WEEP", Shygirl's double single "MSRYNVR" in May, and Coucou Chloe's EP Erika Jane in September, on which Sega Bodega is featured. In October, Sega Bodega released a second installation of the cinema-inspired project, SS, featuring more reimagined takes on film scores such as Requiem for a Dream (this track also features Shygirl on vocals), Alien and Ghost in the Shell, among others.
March 2018 marked the first release from French singer and producer Oklou on the Nuxxe label: her EP The Rite of May, on which Sega Bodega contributed co-production on the final track, "Friendless". Sega Bodega also released a piano version of the song later in the year. The two would continue to collaborate further down the line.