Roberto Carlos Lange, born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1980, is an American musician who performs under the name Helado Negro. In 2019 he earned a Residence of American Artists Fellowship in the music category from the United States Artists Foundation. That same year he also received the Grants to Artists award in music from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, and in 2015 he was honored by the Joyce Foundation.
Raised by Ecuadorian immigrants in South Florida and now based in Brooklyn, Lange’s background informs his artistic voice. His lyrics frequently blend English and Spanish, reflecting a bilingual sensibility that runs through his work. Under the moniker Black Ice Cream, Helado Negro creates music that sits at the intersection of avant-pop and intimate storytelling. The project embraces an adventurous approach to song while still nodding to recognizable pop textures.
Helado Negro has collaborated with a rhythm of creative partners and labels that helped shape its path. The project is associated with RVNG Intl, a Brooklyn-based institution known for supporting experimental and boundary-pushing music. The release This Is How You Smile marked a milestone, receiving strong critical praise and earning a Best New Music designation from Pitchfork, signaling a remarkable reception within independent music circles.
In a broader musical landscape, the Alicante band stands apart with a bold first full-length album captured live in a cottage tucked into the Sierra de Aitana. The record channels the intensity of a writer facing inner conflict and the drive to break free. Marcos Martínez, the band’s principal composer, anchors the sound with a radiant emotion and a tight rhythm section that features piano. The album unfolds with a center of gravity that pairs hopeful unexpectedness with a lingering sense of melancholy. Tracks like Inocentes and We were fire carry a reflective tone, while Los buenos momentos injects a brisk, uplifting pulse as the collection moves forward.