Photo Credit: Kim Quitzon

Lupe Llerenas is a Mexican-American music and entertainment journalist, content creator, and media professional born and raised in Los Angeles, California. With a voice rooted in culture and community, Lupe has built a respected career by telling stories that center Latinx identity, amplify underrepresented artists, and uplift her city’s pulse.

Her bylines and on-camera presence have appeared across major platforms including the Los Angeles Times, iHeartMedia, BET, mitú, HipHopDX, and the Associated Press. Through her vibrant storytelling and undeniable digital presence, she’s shaped narratives around some of the industry’s most influential and emerging voices from Mary J. Blige, Cardi B, and DJ Khaled, to artists like D Smoke, G Perico and Nipsey Hussle.

A proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, Lupe grew up in the San Fernando Valley with early influences from Spanish-language journalism icons Jorge Ramos and María Elena Salinas, as well as hip-hop radio legends like Sway Calloway, Angie Martinez, and Big Boy. That influence planted a seed early on. As a first-generation college student, she earned her Bachelor of Arts from California State University, Northridge, and later her Master’s in Journalism from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, breaking barriers not just for herself but for those watching.

Lupe’s path began in radio and music media, with internships that included working under digital media strategist Karen Civil and cutting her teeth at Home Grown Radio, where she rose from intern to digital content producer. Her work contributed to the iHeart Radio station earning the top spot for nighttime radio in Los Angeles County in 2021.

Alongside her journalism, Lupe has also led digital campaigns with major brands like Pepsi, Beats by Dre, AT&T, and Cadillac. In 2023, she moderated a national panel on The Future of Journalism in the Era of Social Media for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention in Miami, sharing insight on how the digital space can be a tool for truth and transformation. That same year, she was named one of L.A.’s Top 100 Women of Influence at the Women Empowerment Expo.

In 2024, Lupe was featured as a music journalism expert in Tubi’s hip-hop documentary Killing Hip-Hop, where she reflected on the legacy of West Coast artists like Nipsey Hussle, YG, and DJ Mustard.

In 2025, she joined the Los Angeles Times' Latinx vertical De Los as a video producer and on-camera creator. Her video storytelling exploring Latinidad across the U.S. has surpassed engagement benchmarks and contributed to a 50% growth in the platform’s following within six months.

Lupe is a proud member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and continues to mentor rising journalists and content creators through her work. At the heart of it all, she remains committed to creating an elevated version of herself, documenting culture, capturing impactful stories, and navigating the media world as a self-made, ever-evolving, brown Latina voice.