Luis R Conriquez Speaks Up: ‘They Said If I Sang a Corrido, They’d Cut Off the Sound System’ (Exclusive)

On April 11, Luis R Conriquez performed at the Feria del Caballo in Texcoco, in the State of Mexico — a city where the corrido singer has performed four or five times before, always drawing a big crowd. But this time, concert organizers gave him a warning: “They said that if I sang a corrido, they would cut off the sound,” Conriquez recalls.

The warning came as a result of new government ordinances in Mexico banning live performances of narcocorridos in several states. Conriquez, who’s known for his narcocorridos, has ignored similar orders in the past and paid fines as a result. But this time, he wasn’t just facing a fine—his entire concert was at risk of being canceled. That wasn’t a chance he was willing to take.

A few hours before the show, he posted on social media letting fans know that his set wouldn’t include narcocorridos. Apparently, not everyone in the crowd saw the post. An hour and forty minutes into his performance, fans started demanding he sing his most popular corridos. When Conriquez explained that he couldn’t, some fans booed and threw objects at the stage. Eventually, Conriquez said, “No corridos. What do we do? Should I just go home instead?” He walked off the stage.

The next day, Conriquez addressed the situation again on his Instagram stories, saying, “Some people don’t get it. They think I make the rules, but the truth is, there won’t be corridos at shows anymore—not from any artist, folks.”

Since then, Conriquez has received support from fans and fellow artists. He’s now preparing to bring his Trakas tour to the U.S., kicking off at UBS Arena in New York on April 25, where he’ll be able to perform his full repertoire. But at his next concert in Mexico, it’s likely there won’t be corridos. Here’s what he told Billboard about the whole situation.

Why did you decide not to sing corridos at this particular show?

They said that if I sang a corrido, they’d cut off the sound. They said, “We’ll cut off the sound. It’s prohibited.” So, I said, “Okay.” That’s where my frustration came from. I wasn’t mad, honestly. I just wanted to give the crowd what they came to hear, but I had to stick to the rules.

Did you think about canceling the show?

No. I always planned to go ahead with it. I said, “I’ll post that I won’t sing corridos.” But even before showing up, I’d already told people I wouldn’t be singing corridos.

What happened during the show?

I’d been performing for an hour and forty minutes when people started asking for the songs I wasn’t allowed to sing. At that point, people are usually a bit more rowdy or have had a few drinks, so they think anything goes. It got to the point where I thought, “I better leave, or they’re gonna throw a chair at me or something.” So, I decided to leave, and that’s when things got crazy. Last year, something similar happened to me in Chihuahua. I had to pay a $45,000 fine — around 850,000 pesos — for singing one corrido. I didn’t sing corridos for the whole show, but at the very end, I sang one and paid the fine. Just for one song. But that was part of a state decree. They showed up with official paperwork for us to sign, saying we couldn’t sing corridos or anything like that.

You seem like a very chill person, and you didn’t react aggressively on stage while all of this was happening — even when people were throwing things. Did you ever think about fighting back or responding?

Exactly. I said, “If it’s no, it’s no. If it’s yes, it’s yes.” Honestly, I’m a pretty chill person. I try not to be someone who explodes. So, it wasn’t like, “Oh, I’m gonna lose it and go crazy.” I stuck to the rules, and I think I did the right thing. I feel like I did the right thing. I did what they told me to do.

Were you surprised by how aggressive the crowd was?

Of course. But I think it’s just because I didn’t sing what they came to hear. Before performing there, I’d done another show and posted [on social media] that I wouldn’t be able to sing corridos. Why? Because they’ve started cracking down on this stuff. It wasn’t my decision, obviously. Everyone who listens to me and artists like me—what do they want to hear? Corridos. But if it’s not allowed, we won’t cause problems by singing them. If they told me, “It’s a one-million-peso fine for singing corridos,” I probably would’ve paid it just to make my fans happy. But it wasn’t up to me this time, and I ended up on the losing side of things.

What’s happened since then?

Honestly, I’ve gotten a lot of support from the fans. People who’ve followed me for a long time understand the situation. It’s not even about me anymore. Artists like Alejandro Fernández, Edén Muñoz — even artists who aren’t in this genre — have reached out, saying, “Keep your head up, man. Hang in there.” Peso Pluma also sent me a message. Unfortunately, I might’ve been the first to go through this, but after this, maybe people will start understanding.

I’ve been performing in Texcoco for four or five years, and every time, people are excited to see Luis R Conriquez. But this time, this happened. Imagine what could happen in other places. At the end of the day, I’m not going to sacrifice my career or my fans—I’d rather perform than not perform. That’s the bottom line. If it comes down to damaging my career just to sing corridos, then obviously, I won’t sing corridos.

What do you think about corridos being banned? Do you think it’ll make a difference?

I don’t think so. Corridos have existed since before I was born. They’ve always been around. I grew up listening to corridos. I listened to artists and always thought, “I want to be another voice in regional Mexican music.” The artists who sing corridos are at the top globally. In a way, we represent Mexico. But before you were born, corridos were about Pancho Villa — not drug lords. I know, but they’re still corridos at the end of the day. There were corridos about crime even back then. If I have to, I can adapt and write songs that aren’t as explicit, but I’ll keep the same vibe and storytelling. People are free to listen to what they want. Like I said, if I have to adjust, I’ll adjust.

You mentioned you’d change the lyrics to your songs. What did you mean by that?

I meant I won’t release songs that are super explicit anymore. I might tweak the lyrics a bit on certain songs, but I’ll keep singing them.

Where does the tour go next?

Jalisco, Hermosillo, Sonora, Monterrey — and then the U.S. tour. Corridos aren’t banned everywhere. But who knows what’ll happen? I need to put together a setlist and share it so people know what I’ll sing. Then they can decide whether to buy tickets or not. We always try to please our fans, and we’ve been doing it for four or five years. But now, if we have to follow the rules, that’s what we’ll do. I hope people understand.

There’s no ban in the U.S. Will you sing corridos at your shows here?

Of course. We’ll keep singing what people want to hear. If I have to tweak lyrics or make other changes, I’ll do it. The goal is to keep singing and working—this is how we make a living, and it’s how the people around us make a living too.

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