Although she has called the United States home for decades, Peruvian-Japanese singer Mimy Succar hasn’t looked away from her heritage and musical roots. On February 2, when Mimy and her son Tony Succar were awarded the Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Album, she proudly shouted out her home country. “This is for Peru and my father,” she said in her acceptance speech. 

At 65 and only a few years as a recording artist, Mimy became the first Peruvian woman to receive this honor from the Recording Academy. But that’s not to say her music journey is incipient—quite the opposite. Mimy started making a living out of music when she first moved to the United States. 

A Family Journey 

“In Peru, I always sang ad honorem,” she tells FIERCE. “When we arrived in Miami, we had an aunt who lived there. Since she knew me and knew that we were popular with the public, she said, ‘Look, there isn’t a Peruvian music orchestra here. You’re going to do well.”

With the help of Mimy’s father, who has always supported her family’s music aspirations, Mimy’s husband bought a piano and a speaker. “That’s where the whole adventure began,” she says. “We played in restaurants, in the streets. At that time, lambada was popular, so we played lambada and people used to come out to Coconut Grove and lined up to see us. From then on, we felt that we had something that people liked.”

As their children grew older, Mimy and her husband started introducing them to the live music scene. They eventually joined the band. Tammy, the oldest, would do backing vocals, while Tony, now her producer, was in charge of percussion. “We got more acceptance when we worked as a family, together,” Mimy shares. “People really liked that.” 

Mimy Succar and A Grammy-filled Career

Despite living and breathing music, Mimy didn’t release her first studio album until 2023. The album was a collaboration with her son Tony, a then-renowned Berkley-educated producer. The duo crafted 11 songs embracing Andean and Afro-Peruvian music and salsa, timba, and son. Established Latin names such as Cali Flow, La India, and José Alberto “El Canario” joined as featured artists. 

In 2024, Tony and Mimy followed up with a live album, “¡Alma, Corazón y Salsa!” recorded at the Gran Teatro Nacional de Lima. The album earned them a Grammy nomination—which they later won. Simultaneously, Mimy was invited to collaborate in Sheila E.’s rendition of Cuban powerhouse Celia Cruz’s “Bembá Colorá.” The project also featured Gloria Estefan. 

Mimy, whose greatest music inspiration has been Celia Cruz, was starstruck. “I said, my God, how can I be next to them?” she recalls. “It was a wonderful experience, I would’ve never thought I could [sing] with Sheila E, a tremendous artist, a well-rounded musician with years of experience, and Gloria Estefan, who I had only seen on TV.”

Both of Mimy’s projects were recognized by the 13,000 voting members of the Recording Academy. “¡Alma, Corazón y Salsa!” won the 2025 Grammy for Best Latin Album. Meanwhile, “Bemba Colorá” was awarded Best Global Music Performance. 

Latino Pride 

Mimy and Tony consider earning one of the greatest awards in the music industry an honor and a source of pride. Throughout their careers, both have championed Latin and Peruvian music, reaching as far as Europe and the Middle East. 

“It’s extremely a big honor for the industry to recognize us, music in Spanish and tropical rhythms,” Tony tells mitú. “I feel like Latin music is the best in the world. I love all styles of music: jazz, pop, soul, R&B, country, classical—there are just so many amazing styles. But when salsa and tropical sounds hit, it just makes me move. […] I want to keep bringing Latin music to the forefront.” 

Tony, who will celebrate 15 years in the music industry in 2025, has built his career on celebrating Afro-Cuban and Afro-Peruvian music styles. In 2019, he made history at the Latin Grammys, taking home the awards for Producer of the Year and Best Salsa Album. Tony became the youngest person to win both. 

“My Latin heritage is everything,” he states proudly. “Although I grew up in the United States, my music is Latin. That’s what I defend, and that’s what I represent.”

Mimy Succar: A Peruvian Jefa

As for Mimy, she is thrilled that her Grammy win has also brought recognition to the Peruvian music industry and foreign collaborators. “We are very happy that this recognition is not only for Tony and me but for all the people who participated in this project, which are almost 80% Peruvian musicians and Peruvian music engineers,” she says. “Nora Suzuki joined us from Japan, Cali Flow Latino from Colombia… We are very happy that we were able to bring this joy to all these people who maybe thought, ‘Oh, [winning a Grammy] is impossible,’ but nothing is impossible in life.”

For Mimy, who was born and raised in Peru, her Peruvian and Japanese roots have always prevailed. “From Peru, I carry the flavor to interpret our Latin, Peruvian, and Afro-Peruvian music. From my Japanese ancestors, I learned discipline, perseverance, patience,” she says. “Latinas should always highlight our culture because we always have something, a different flavor. That identifies us. We are strong, we have a lot of taste, a lot of power.” 

Mimy also shares words of encouragement for fellow Latinas. “My message is that it’s never too late to fulfill your dreams. And to always focus. If you want to do this, do it with dedication, discipline, [and if possible,] with the support of your family.” 

More To Come

Supported by her 100-year-old father, husband, and three children, Tammy, Tony, and Kenyi, Mimy hopes to continue delighting global audiences with her music. “I think there are many very beautiful projects coming up, collaborations with great artists. Very nice things are coming,” Mimy anticipates. “There will be Mimy for a while, just like Celia Cruz, who is my inspiration and sang until her last days.” 

And, of course, family will continue to be the driving force behind Tony and Mimy’s project. “I will always be with my children and producers, Kenyi and Tony, because they are the ones who pave the way for me,” Mimy shares with conviction.

Tony echoes the sentiment. “My plan for the future is to continue working with my mother on her project. I think she has much more to give. I will continue pushing her because she needs to continue building the legacy that she just started building in terms of recording.”  

The singer and producer also anticipates a personal project to celebrate the anniversary of his Latin-infused tribute to Michael Jackson. ”I already have songs, so that’s coming soon, I’m collaborating with artists. That’s going to be cool because it’s the 10th anniversary of when I started that project.” 

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