Hurricane Maria hit. Now this Puerto Rican singer brings her call for independence to Miami Beach.

Ileana Cabra Joglar – known as iLe – was in Puerto Rico when Hurricane Maria hit.

The singer was unharmed. But she recalls retreating, terrified, to the interior of her family home as the storm smashed into the island.

And yet despite the devastation, she sees reasons to be hopeful.

“Even though it is a disaster here it is beautiful to see our people working together,” she said.

iLe plans to use her upcoming tour to bond with fellow Puerto Ricans. She appears Nov. 2 at the North Beach Bandshell. And as Puerto Rico works through its painful recovery, she hopes an understanding of the island’s vulnerability will push Puerto Ricans to consider the idea of independence.

iLe began performing with Calle 13 (under the name ‘PG-13’) at the age of 16 with stepbrothers René Pérez Joglar (Residente) and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez (Visitante).

She rode the wave of Calle 13’s international stardom as a dancer and rapper. When the group broke up in 2015, she began to develop her own artistic style. The result was her first solo album, “iLevitable,” which won a Latin Grammy in February 2017.

On the album, iLe takes listeners on a journey through her Puerto Rican roots, interpreting and celebrating family life from a female perspective. It’s a huge musical departure from her past self. She uses classic instrumentation and composition with a distinct, vintage big-band flavor and reveals a singing voice of remarkable maturity.

Featuring songs mostly written by women, including her sister and her late grandmother, “iLevitable” demonstrates iLe’s belief there is more to Puerto Rico than reggaeton. Her mission is to make sure the younger generation doesn’t forget classic styles.

“I started noticing that I was very passionate about our Caribbean music. I loved boleros, salsas and mambos. Music that marked a lot of our history in Puerto Rico,” she said.

iLe, who believes Puerto Rico should be independent, said that many Puerto Ricans are furious over the slow U.S. response in providing hurricane relief.

“At least one thing that gives me hope is that people start to question it all ,” she said. “That is the first step. We have never fought for our country as a majority. We are very proud of ourselves, and it is almost ironic how that pride transforms into dependency in other people who don’t even want our country to be part of them.”

She hopes her music brings a little bit of Puerto Rico to fans in America who feel disconnected to what is happening on the island.

“It’s nice to feel Puerto Rico even if you are not there and also to talk about what we are going through,” she said. “It is something I need.”

iLe performs Nov. 2 at the North Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; $20-$55; www.rhythmfoundation.com or 305-672-5202