Photo Credit: Kim Quitzon

Lupe LLerenas is a Mexican-American music and entertainment journalist from Los Angeles, Ca. Most recognized for her coverage for Home Grown Radio, iHeartMedia, Revolt TV, mitú, Associated Press, BET, and HipHopDX, she has spirited her city with her undeniable pen and presence in the emerging media scene.

She has landed interviews with some of the most sought-after celebrities, including Mary J Blige, Cardi B., DJ Khaled, Carrie Underwood, Gabrielle Union, Becky G, Camilo, Anuel AA, and Myke Towers, and has highlighted rising artists like Conexion Divina, 1TakeOcho, Azjah, D Smoke, and G Perico to name a few.

Born in San Fernando Valley to Mexican parents and influenced by Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas, the most recognized journalists in Spanish media, she developed an interest in media at a young age.

Growing up in L.A., she recalls Power 106 radio waves, BET, and MTV’s TRL being the soundtrack to her childhood. As her interests narrowed to music and entertainment, she greatly admired Sway Calloway, Big Boy, Angie Martinez, and Carson Daly. 

During a school field trip in middle school, when she toured a university campus for the first time, she set a personal goal to one day attend college. Being a first-generation student with zero previous examples set, she became eager to officially break a barrier and become the first graduate in her family. Once she graduated high school, Lupe furthered her education by attending community college and received her Bachelor of Arts at California State University, Northridge.

Immediately after graduating from CSUN, Lupe landed four music and radio internships. That summer, she worked her first music internship alongside social media and digital media marketing strategist Karen Civil, where she covered her first music event as an intern.

Eager to discover the world of music journalism and during a private movie screening, Lupe interviewed the cast of Universal’s Straight Outta Compton. Though she admits it took courage to approach the cast for the interview, she describes the opportunity as unforgettable and engraving to her career.

In April 2016, Lupe officially joined the team at Home Grown Radio, where she began as an editorial intern and eventually earned her position as a digital content producer for the official Home Grown Radio podcast in November 2016. Come December 2020, iHeartMedia Hip-Hop “Real 92.3” KRRL Los Angeles promoted HGR’s Saturday night show to six nights a week.

Lupe’s contributions assisted them in becoming the number-one night-time radio show in Los Angeles County for the first quarter of 2021. She now manages the Home Grown Radio site and has overlooked several interns over the last seven years.

Additionally, in 2017 Lupe interned for the media platform RnBass and, in the fall, briefly joined the team at In Touch Weekly as a contributing writer.

In 2021, Lupe attended the University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. During her studies, she contributed as a writer for Dimelo, USC’s only bilingual, student-run news desk. Her position amplified the Latin voice as she wrote untold stories that engaged audiences of color, created a safe space, and focused on essential matters to diverse crowds. Lupe also was a member of ATVN (Annenberg TV News), USC’s local news TV outlet, where she served as a multimedia journalist and live shot reporter. Finally, she served as a social media liaison for USC’s National Association of Hispanic Journalists chapter and received her Master of Science degree in journalism in 2022.

In addition to her career behind the mic, Lupe has managed several social media campaigns with Pepsi, Beats by Dre, Cadillac, and AT&T. The multi-faceted writer also belongs to the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

During the summer of 2023, Lupe moderated her panel: The Future of Journalism in the Era of Social Media in Miami at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention, where she shared innovative ways for journalists to use social media to their advantage. Shortly after, she was honored as a Top 100 Women of Influence in Los Angeles at the Women Empowerment Expo.

Currently, Lupe is focused on creating an elevated version of herself. Capturing impactful stories as she navigates the industry as a self-made and ever-evolving brown Latina.