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In mid-November, Juan Luis Guerra shared on his social media a sneak peek of a new project that has him very excited: An animated movie called Capitán Avispa. The film, scheduled to hit theaters in the United States and Latin America sometime in 2024, according to Guerra, will feature old and new songs by the Dominican music master.
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“In addition to the fact that I am going to write songs specifically for the character, you will hear everything from ‘Rosalía’ to ‘La Bilirrubina’,” Guerra told Billboard Español in a recent interview in New York, in which he revealed details of the movie for the first time. “He is a very beautiful character,” he added enthusiastically about Capitán Avispa (Captain Wasp in English). “He is a Latin hero, we could say, and everyone will like him.”
“Strong and brave, he never lies!” the insect declares in the teaser that Guerra published last month on his Instagram account, without identifying the voice behind the courageous and sweet character.
“The main voice of the Captain is done by my dear [Luis] Fonsi,” Guerra told Billboard Español in the interview recorded for Billboard News, adding that “Joy [Huerta, from Jesse & Joy] does the voice of Honey Bee, who is Capitán Avispa’s companion.” He also excitedly announced that they both sing a “beautiful song together — they are the most beautiful voices you can ever hear.”
Helmed by his son Jean Gabriel Guerra (who has directed many of his father’s music videos) along with animation director Jonathan Meléndez, Capitán Avispa was created by Juan Luis, who has recruited other friends and colleagues to give life to the different characters: Juanes provides the voice of Sargento Picadura, he revealed, and the Colombian rocker’s wife, actress Karen Martínez (also known as Chechi) plays Jimena. Additionally, Dominican actor José Guillermo Cortinez provides the voice of a character named Jacques Puasón, and Dominican actress Amelia Vega — Miss Universe 2003, as well as Guerra’s niece — voices Bolivia.
A four-time-Grammy and 24-time-Latin Grammy winner, Guerra has had a fruitful four-decade career, in which he’s placed dozens of songs and albums on the Billboard charts — from “Ojala Que Llueve Café,” his first entry on Hot Latin Songs, which reached No. 21 in Nov. 1989, and his iconic Bachata Rosa, which topped the Tropical Albums chart for 12 weeks in 1991; to “Mambo 23,” which reached No. 1 on the Tropical Airplay just last week (Nov. 25).
The latter song is part of his most recent production with his group 4.40, Radio Güira, a six-track EP full of humor, love and poetry, over mambo, bachata and merengue rhythms, very much in the style of Juan Luis Guerra. Each of the songs is presented as if it’s being played on the radio, with supposed calls from listeners and even a special cooking recipe.
“We wanted to put a smile on the faces of people who listened to Radio Güira,” Guerra said. “It was part of what Radio Güira is, bringing joy, bringing a message of peace, of love.”
Watch more of the interview above in the Billboard News video.
Billboard cover star Manuel Turizo shares his greatest influences across several different Latin genres: pop, reggaeton, regional Mexican, bachata and merengue; the stories behind his biggest hits and collaborations, and more!
Manuel Turizo:Hey there, this is Manuel Turizo …
… and this is the Different Tones of of Manuel Turizo.
I wasn’t a good sportsman or a smart kid or a good student in my classes at school, but I was good at music, so I gave it a try.
My goal, when creating music, is mainly to enjoy it, to challenge myself all the time. I’d say I feelcomfortable making music of any genre, and that’s something that also depends on the song.
You could make a reggaeton and say, “Hey, I love this,” or the next day you could make, I don’t know, a disco beat song, and say, “Wow, I’m loving this,” or other I don’t know … maybe just with a piano, and you like that as well.
I think that people are understanding a bit more the identity of Manuel Turizo. The fact that many years have passed already, I had the opportunity to show them that I made urban music, I made reggae, ballads, I made bachata, merengue, northern cumbia, I made reggaeton … so, OK, “This is what Manuel likes, and that’s Manuel’s identity.” Manuel’s identity isn’t just a genre.
My first approach to pop music, I’d say it was with Sin Banderas with Fonsi, with Alex Ubago. I remember that by the time we released “Una Lady Como Tú,” there was controversy, an argument over what sound it was, like, if that was pop, but it had a dembow, so, what was it?
Watch the full video above!
Powerhouse producer and musician Emilio Estefan was the very first person to ever receive the Billboard Latin Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994. For a short period of time (1995-1998), the award’s name was changed to El Premio Billboard and was awarded to Tito Puente, José Feliciano, Herb Alpert and Ralph Mercado. In 1999, it returned […]
While J Balvin still hasn’t shared the name of his upcoming album, he notes that he had decided on the title before he recorded a note. “My albums have always started with their names,” the Colombian star says. “That way, we let ourselves be guided by the vibe.” In the past, he has mostly used one-word titles: Jose (2021), Colores (2020), Oasis (2019), Vibras (2018) and Energía (2017).
He says that the mood of his latest, arriving this fall, was sheer joy. Recorded at RAK Studios and Abbey Road during a monthlong stay in London, Balvin’s first full-length album in nearly two years features a variety of producers, including Tainy, Mura Masa, Michaël Brun, Hear This Music/DJ Luian, Mambo Kingz and Súbelo NEO. The project also boasts “precisely” curated collaborations, including tracks with Stormzy and Anuel AA.
“I like to explore other cultures and genres,” he says. “But as far as my DNA and my essence, I represent Medellín, Colombia.”
London Nightlife
Coming out of the pandemic, Balvin and his team looked around at a world mired in negativity. “The vibe wasn’t right for inspiration,” Balvin says. “We decided, from within ourselves, to focus on giving happiness to our listeners and change the vibe from negative to positive.” A key element was London’s vibrant club scene, which became a living, breathing experiment to discover and test beats. Balvin and his team hit two or three clubs every weekend to take inspiration from dancefloors and observe what fans were connecting with. And, on occasion, he would even play demos. “We wanted to see fan reaction,” he says, “and it was amazing.”
Usher
Though Balvin has known the veteran hit-maker for years, their first collaboration was the result of a chance encounter during Paris Fashion Week in July. “When I saw him, I had that flashback to the songs that defined my childhood,” recalls Balvin, who, on the spot, asked Usher if he could sample his 2004 smash “Yeah!” in a new track that wasn’t even done yet — and whose title he hasn’t yet divulged. “He said of course, but then I thought, ‘It’d be great to actually do something with him.’ Recording the track and filming the video with someone so legendary fills me with nostalgia and gratitude. I think this song will have huge global impact.”
Work-Life Balance
Balvin and girlfriend Valentina Ferrer welcomed son Río in June 2021. “Having my son has changed my perspective, but my competitive spirit, that drive to improve as an artist and a person, is part of my day to day,” says Balvin, who often takes Río on his global travels. Daily workouts, he says, are also key — as is maintaining mental health, a topic he has been outspoken about. In that regard, his new album is a way to actively put positivity to work: “It’s not just talking about mental health, but actually applying the concept,” he says. “This album is a mood that will make people happy just by listening to it. I’m contributing by raising serotonin levels.”
This story will appear in the Aug. 26, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Regional Mexican music — an umbrella term given to the broad range of subgenres with folk roots that include banda, mariachi, norteño and corridos — has long been absent from the main categories of the Latin Grammy Awards. Though regional Mexican has its own field with five categories, a living regional Mexican artist hasn’t taken home the trophy for album, record or song of the year in the 23-year history of the Latin Grammys. (Juan Gabriel won posthumously in 2016 for Los Dúo, Vol. 2.)
The absence reflects an unspoken stigma: Regional Mexican is considered unsophisticated music for the masses and, therefore, unworthy of a win in the Big Four categories. Only one act associated with the genre — Monterrey, Mexico, DJ collective 3BallMTY — has won a Big Four award (best new artist), and that was over a decade ago in 2012.
But now, with a 42.1% increase in consumption of regional Mexican music year over year, according to Luminate, the genre’s crossover may be impossible to ignore. The growth started in May 2021, when Gera MX and Christian Nodal’s collaboration “Botella Tras Botella” became the first regional Mexican song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 in its 63-year history. Two years later, regional Mexican is the dominant Latin genre on the Hot 100: For the week ending June 25, 13 of the 17 Spanish-language tracks on the chart fell under the regional Mexican umbrella as acts like Grupo Firme and Fuerza Regida sell out arena tours alongside veterans like Pepe Aguilar. Also in June, Génesis, the new album from ascendant superstar Peso Pluma, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
“Regional Mexican is no longer seen as the ugly duckling,” says Maria Inés Sánchez, head of marketing at AfinArte Records and a vocal advocate of the genre, on its potential presence at the Latin Grammys. “This will definitely be the year — and it’s just the beginning.”
Following are 10 regional Mexican acts that have a chance at a main-category nomination.
Yahritza y Su Esencia
The Washington state family band is fronted by Yahritza, whose glorious voice floats over the guitars of her brothers Mando and Jairo. Nominated last year for best new artist, the trio stands a chance in the song and record of the year categories this year, with a new Columbia Records deal and a poignant single, “Frágil,” featuring Grupo Frontera.
Carín León
León’s velvety voice, melodic approach and outside-the-box collaborations with C. Tangana and Matisse make him better known in pop and alternative than other regional Mexican acts. His new album, Colmillo de Leche, arrived in May just ahead of the eligibility cutoff, making him a top candidate for an album of the year nod.
Eslabon Armado
Last year, the Mexican American group known for its romantic sierreños was shut out of the Latin Grammys, even though the band’s 2022 album, Nostalgia, became the first top 10 regional Mexican title ever on the Billboard 200. This year, the act returned with a vengeance: Its runaway smash, “Ella Baila Sola” with Peso Pluma (a No. 4 hit on the Hot 100), should be a contender for both song and record of the year.
Edén Muñoz
The former Calibre 50 frontman has emerged as a formidable solo artist who collected his fourth consecutive SESAC Latina songwriter of the year award in June and is also making waves as a producer. (Credits include Ángela Aguilar’s “Qué Agonía.”) His first solo album, Consejos Gratis, arrived in October and could be a contender.
Grupo Frontera
The sextet from the border town of McAllen, Texas, got its start late last year covering pop songs to its Mexican cumbia beat, but with the help of a mentor in songwriter-producer Edgar Barrera, the band has quickly evolved. Hit singles with Bad Bunny (“un x100to”) and Carín León (“Que Vuelvas”) should give the act a shot at both song and record of the year, as well as best new artist.
Ángela Aguilar
The 19-year-old daughter of ranchera icon Pepe Aguilar lost best new artist to Karol G in 2018, but that hasn’t stopped her from bringing traditional Mexican music to the masses. In the five years since, she has become a fixture of the Latin Grammys telecast, while also touring alongside her famous father and releasing major collaborations with artists like Steve Aoki and Fito Páez. “Qué Agonía,” her successful duet with Yuridia, could get a nod for song or record of the year.
Fuerza Regida
The quintet from San Bernardino, Calif., is known for bold music that straddles Mexican and U.S. sensibilities, mixing tuba and guitars with delicious crunch. Although the act’s in-your-face sound and cheeky lyrics may not suit all voters, Fuerza Regida has a finger on the pulse of the streets — don’t discount the group for album of the year with its back-to-back releases Pa Que Hablen and Sigan Hablando.
Peso Pluma
The 24-year-old from Guadalajara, Mexico, is the genre’s current golden boy, debuting just one year ago and already charting 11 tracks on the Hot 100 and 20 on Hot Latin Songs. A disruptor who collaborates both within and outside the genre, Peso Pluma could take home best new artist.
Natanael Cano
Since bursting onto the scene three years ago, the 22-year-old has been considered by many to be the originator of the current corridos tumbao movement — and yet he has not received a single Latin Grammy nod. While his new album, Nata Montana, released in June, didn’t make the deadline, a trio of singles on the Hot 100 do: “PRC” (with Peso Pluma) and “Pacas de Billetes” and “AMG” (with Peso Pluma and Gabito Ballesteros).
Christian Nodal
Widely seen as a successor to the grand ranchera tradition of Alejandro and Vicente Fernández, Nodal may be the most versatile regional Mexican singer today. Although he has already won Latin Grammys in the regional Mexican field, newfound awareness (including a single with Romeo Santos, “Me Extraño”) may boost his chances at main category nods.
This story will appear in the July 15, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Fuerza Regida talks about how regional Mexican music has exploded and taken over the Billboard charts, collaborating with other big regional Mexican acts like Grupo Frontera, Peso Pluma, Natanael Cano, their tour and more.
Jesús “JOP” Oritz Paz:¿Quién es Fuerza Regida? ¿Cómo describirías a Fuerza Regida? We would describe Fuerza Regida as unique, crazy, spontaneous. Fuerza Regida.
I used to cut hair, one of my clients say “hey, I got this band right there looking for bass player.” So I was just going to be the bass player in the band. Came in, I played the bass all practice, and then they asked me, “Do you sing? Sing a little bit.”
I sing a song, and they’re like, “Hey, you want to be the singer?” I’m like, “Yeah, we’re a group.” That’s how we met. Then later on, we had met him but he was like 14, we just be like, “Hey, what’s up little guy.”
Just cashing out. We had a hit song in San Bernardino, “Uno Personal.” It was a cover. It was not a hit but it was like a hit because they were like, “Who the hell are these Fat Boys?” You know, just singing, you know? But from there is history.
Doing some type of music that my culture did and like being famous for it was like one of my dreams. Cuando llegó la música mexicana a Los Angeles ya estaba ahí, todos con el mismo flow. Todos con la tejana, todos con un pintado, todos con boots, para nosotros en solo música. For us is just music, so we love it … My dad listens to this, we come on home you listen to and it’s just that’s what’s special about it. Nothing else. Nothing so special. Like, where’s difference just a certain music we grew up with and we love it.
Watch the full cover profile above.
On a bright, sunny day in May in the rural Santa Clarita Valley, a 45-minute drive north of Los Angeles, the quintet known as Fuerza Regida and its clan roll up in three luxury cars: a 2023 black Cadillac Escalade SUV, a graphite off-roader Lamborghini Urus and a white Chevrolet Corvette. As the band members made their way to the shaded area, sporting brands like Rhude and Dior along with custom-fitted Dodger caps, their necks and wrists sparkled, dripping in diamonds.
Given their style, one could easily label the members of Fuerza Regida as rappers. But the group from San Bernardino, Calif., is a trailblazer of the burgeoning música mexicana (or regional Mexican, as the music is also known) movement that has taken over the Billboard charts since the beginning of the year.
Born and raised in the United States, the members of Fuerza Regida — frontman and lead songwriter Jesús Ortiz Paz (known as JOP), lead guitarist Samuel Jaimez, second guitarist Khrystian Ramos, tuba player José García and tololoche player Moisés López — have become one of the main drivers of a homegrown music that celebrates Northern Mexican roots with a trap bravado. “We’re all American, so we like to dress with American swag. Whatever we sang about, it wasn’t the regular ranch stuff. It was about what’s going on in the hood, what’s going on in California, what’s going on in these different [U.S.] states. Then it just started growing,” JOP tells Billboard Español.
“The worst enemy of a Mexican is another Mexican. There’s not as many duets now. You know why? Because in regional, they’re all enemies.”— JOP, leader of Fuerza Regida and businessman
It grew so much that it outpaced any other genre. On the Billboard Hot 100 dated July 1, 17 Spanish-language songs appear on the chart, and 13 of them are música mexicana. In May 2021, Gera MX and Christian Nodal made history with “Botella Tras Botella,” becoming the first regional Mexican title to enter the all-genre list. Before 2021, only three regional Mexican acts had appeared on the Hot 100 since 1958, but they were classified as Latin pop in the charts. This year, however, consumption of música mexicana has skyrocketed: As of May 25, its popularity jumped by 42.1% in the United States, topping all genres but K-pop, according to Luminate.
As for Fuerza Regida, the group earned its first entry on the Hot 100 in January with “Bebe Dame” alongside Grupo Frontera, a swaggering romantic cumbia jam with a grupera persuasion that peaked at No. 25. Since then, the group has placed three other tracks on the all-genre chart: “Ch y La Pizza” with Natanael Cano, “Igualito a Mi Apá” with Peso Pluma, and the band’s penultimate solo single, “TQM.”
José Garcia, Moisés López, Jésus Ortiz Paz, Khrystian Ramos and Samuel Jaimez of Fuerza Regida photographed on May 23, 2023 at Tranquility Canyon Ranch in Santa Clarita, Calif.
Martha Galvan
And while Fuerza Regida’s music falls under “regional Mexican” or “música mexicana” — an umbrella term that covers Mexican music genres from accordion-based norteñas and brass-powered banda to corridos, cumbia, mariachi and sierreño — the band takes things a bit further by mixing in a hip-hop mentality and swagger into its norteño sensibility.
“Fuerza Regida are transgressors in the música mexicana space, who really show us how the new generation of Mexican Americans in the U.S. have their own language, they know how to use it, how to reach fans. I feel that today they’re the voice of the people,” says Carlos Quintero, senior manager for artist relations and marketing at Sony Music.
Today, the rugged desert scenery of our Santa Clarita location and the band’s high-end urban gear, bling and luxe cars all collide neatly to highlight the rustic borderland sound with a trap twist that Fuerza Regida has been brewing to global hype.
Como En Familia
Gathered around the snack table, the members of Fuerza Regida are messing around like rowdy cousins at a family carne asada function. They, along with Ángel Ureta and Diego Millan of Calle 24 — two artists that JOP signed to his label, Street Mob Records — place bets on what is clearly an exhilarating game of dice. “Boom! It happens, foo, it happens,” exclaims López, as he and García split a wad of $10 bills for their winning round. “That was a beautiful hand, bro,” says Jaimez.
The name Fuerza Regida (pronounced REH-hee-dah, with the emphasis on the “e”) denotes, for its members, a dominant or ruling force, although the word “régida” does not exist in the dictionary of the Real Academia Española and “regida” without the accent means “governed.” But in the band members’ street language, it makes perfect sense.
Jesús Ortiz Paz of Fuerza Regida photographed on May 23, 2023 at Tranquility Canyon Ranch in Santa Clarita, Calif.
Martha Galvan
The group tends to speak primarily in English, with smatterings of Spanish. “La neta [or “the truth,” in Mexican slang], I didn’t learn English or Spanish. I got bad vocabulary,” says JOP. “Me too,” adds López. “We all do,” echoes García. “Yeah, man, I’m not good at that. I probably have like third grade level,” JOP jokes.
JOP navigates not just as a wildly entertaining and spontaneous frontman but also like a boss. He is assertive yet jokes around and doesn’t hold back when speaking his mind. “I wanted to be famous for whatever: a boxer or an actor. But I was like, ‘No, I’m going to go through the singing stuff, because I’ve been doing it since I was little with my dad,’ ” says JOP, who doesn’t shy away from making shockingly bold and controversial statements.
“The worst enemy of a Mexican is another Mexican,” he says bluntly. “There’s not as many duets now. You know why? Because in regional, they’re all enemies. I’m trying to tell everybody, ‘Hey, let’s get united,’ like we did a year back [when] the genre wasn’t popping like that,” he says. “The five, six that are on top [of the charts] don’t want to duet. Now that we got here, everyone’s like, ‘I’m cool, I’m cool,’ ” he says. While the Hot 100 is loaded with música mexicana collaborations, the skyrocketing money at stake has sparked more competition and caution among artists when selecting their collaborators, he alludes.
The five San Bernardino natives met through “destiny,” in their words, and word-of-mouth at JOP’s old gig. “I used to cut hair, and one of my clients said, ‘Hey, I know this band that’s looking for a bass player,’ ” he recalls. “I came in and I played the bass during practice. Then they asked me, ‘Hey, do you sing?’ I sang them a song, and they were like, ‘Hey, you want to be the singer?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, we’re a group!’ ” That was six years ago.
With JOP’s raw, passionate vocals, Jaimez’s fiery requinto riffs, Ramos’ driving rhythmic guitar and García’s whirling yet powerful melodies on tuba, the first iteration of Fuerza Regida was born. In 2021, López, who’s about six years younger than the others (who are all either 26 or 27), joined the troupe on the tololoche (a kind of Mexican contrabass).
The first-generation Mexican Americans loved regional Mexican music from a young age, although they were shy to admit it back then. “You had to only listen to it at home,” JOP admits. “Now, it’s the opposite. It’s taking over. Now, it’s bigger than rap.”
José Garcia of Fuerza Regida photographed on May 23, 2023 at Tranquility Canyon Ranch in Santa Clarita, Calif.
Martha Galvan
The Power Of Mexican
Mexican music has always been hugely popular in Mexico and the United States thanks to the large stateside Mexican American community that consumed the sounds and looks from home. Regional Mexican artists not only performed genres like banda and norteño but dressed the part with cowboy hats, boots and matching uniforms. But in the past decade, regional Mexican artists lost ground to a new Latin urban movement that took over the charts.
In that climate, Fuerza Regida didn’t debut strong but instead steadily built momentum as its sound, and moxie, evolved. “We were the group that was the suckiest in town,” JOP recalls with a chuckle. “Although we sucked with the instruments, we had a unique style.” In 2018, Fuerza Regida released its first local hit — “Uno Personal,” a Chayín Rubino cover — and things began “popping off,” as the members say. That year, they also released their live debut, En Vivo Puros Corridos.
During this time, a phenomenon on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border began to occur. Música mexicana equipped with a trap beat began to cross-pollinate and dominate streaming services. In 2018, corridos tumbados pioneer Natanael Cano from Hermosillo in Sonora, Mexico, and California group Herencia de Patrones began out-streaming some of the most notable players in pop and hip-hop.
Fuerza Regida also began making noise with its riveting corridos track “Radicamos En South Central” (2018), which was soon released by Rancho Humilde Records — the label that has been spearheading the música mexicana movement to unfathomable heights. “It really opened the doors for us,” JOP told Billboard in 2020. “Thanks to that song, Ramon Ruiz from Legado 7 discovered us and we got signed to two labels: his, Lumbre Music, and Rancho Humilde.”
Another turning point for the wider visibility of the movement was the group’s studio album Del Barrio Hasta Aquí (2019), which emerged as one of the leading trap corridos releases. On the cover, the then-four-piece appears to be crossing a street in front of a Santa Fe, N.M., pawn shop, like the cover of The Beatles’ Abbey Road. Sonically, the group took the rancheras out of Mexico and gave them a street-style, bicultural spin with a rags-to-riches lyrical approach, while still fondly reflecting on its neighborhood hustle. The album wound up appearing on several year-end critics’ lists.
Khrystian Ramos of Fuerza Regida photographed on May 23, 2023 at Tranquility Canyon Ranch in Santa Clarita, Calif.
Martha Galvan
It’s a sound that’s attracting both U.S. and Mexican fan bases. In the month of June, Fuerza Regida clocked 343 million views on its YouTube channel. And in one year’s time, the group has accumulated a staggering 2.9 billion streams on the platform, with Mexico responsible for 1.6 billion views and the United States 872 million. Guatemala, Colombia and Honduras follow. The band’s top two streaming markets by city in the last 12 months are Mexico City, at 219 million, and Los Angeles, with 91.7 million. Following them are Mexican cities Guadalajara (65.4 million), Monterrey (61.7 million) and Tijuana (52 million), Dallas (49.7 million) and Guatemala City (47.4 million).
On Spotify’s most-streamed list, Fuerza Regida is No. 196, as of June 22, gathering 24.2 million monthly listeners, with most from Mexico: Mexico City has 3.7 million listeners, followed by millions more in Guadalajara, Monterrey, Zapopan and Puebla.
Last year, the band signed a bigger deal with Sony Music Latin through Rancho Humilde, whose founder, Jimmy Humilde, “transmits the emotion he has for the music and the genre,” says Quintero. “From the first song I heard by them in 2019 up until now, I’ve always thought they’re artists with the street cred and language that makes them very current in Mexican music.”
But the group is looking to go beyond that. “We’re actually trying to manifest [a collaboration] with Karol G,” says JOP. “We got that song ready for her whenever she wants to hop on. We would love to expand our relationship with other genres and make this bigger than what it is now.”
When Billboard Español spoke to Fuerza Regida in May, the band was fresh off releasing its latest hit, “TQM.” The song debuted at No. 35 on the Hot 100 and No. 19 on the Billboard Global 200. The group was also in between tour stops on its Mexico trek, preparing to embark on its first arena tour in the United States. The Otra Peda Tour (or “Another Drunken Tour” in Mexican slang) begins July 7 and has already sold out multiple stops including the band’s first two shows, in Dallas at the Dos Equis Pavilion and in Los Angeles at BMO Stadium.
“[The fans] all need to be lit,” JOP says excitedly. “If they’re not lit, I got to get them lit — and make sure they’re all singing each song. If they’re not singing it, I got to figure it out and change that. They go to turn up, not to be bored,” he says, before adding with a smirk: “I love drinking too much on tour.”
Moisés López of Fuerza Regida photographed on May 23, 2023 at Tranquility Canyon Ranch in Santa Clarita, Calif.
Martha Galvan
Through it all, JOP has made big efforts to support up-and-coming talent, which he mentors under his label, Street Mob Records, founded in 2018 in partnership with Rancho Humilde. This year, Street Mob signed a distribution deal with Cinq Music, which will be working label artists including Chino Pacas, Calle 24 and Ángel Tumbado.
“Regional Mexican is one of the hottest and fastest[-growing] genres in the world right now, so to have that relationship with someone like Jesús means a lot to us,” says Cinq Music president Barry Daffurn. “From the time we first started working in regional Mexican music and the first time I sat down with Jimmy of Rancho Humilde, our goal was to bring this music global. The vision at that point was not to make it regional Mexican music, but more música mexicana, expanding it outside that network, to all the countries outside of [Latin America].”
The multiple deals are very much in line with how Jimmy Humilde works. “He’s like a mini me,” he says of JOP. “He listens to me a lot, and he’s a firecracker. He works very, very, very hard. We work together, we plan everything together.”
Samuel Jaimez of Fuerza Regida photographed on May 23, 2023 at Tranquility Canyon Ranch in Santa Clarita, Calif.
Martha Galvan
JOP’s artist Chino Pacas recently entered the Hot 100 with his groundbreaking song “El Gordo Trae El Mando,” a testament to the label’s support and JOP’s business acumen.
“I started my label a year after my career,” he says, “because I’ve always liked…”
“Business,” García chimes in.
“…Money,” JOP adds. “Hard work beats talent, always. A little bit of luck, a little bit of talent, and hard work. I consider myself an artist, but I got to work a little harder because I’m [also] an entrepreneur. I’m a businessman. I got my whole company. I’m doing these big deals with my artists. I’m probably going to make more money with my label than I ever did with my career, with Fuerza Regida, but that’s fine because I enjoy being an artist.”
“[JOP] is an entrepreneur, and now he has his own label,” Quintero says. “But independent of anything else, he’s on TikTok, on Reels, on the YouTube charts, everywhere, always sharing his music. I think that’s the big key to success for this new generation of música mexicana, and he’s a big leader in that.”
There’s even a YouTube clip of the band visiting the Tijuana border crossing and performing in the line of cars awaiting entry like músicos callejeros, or buskers. That’s where they met one of JOP’s latest signees, Chuy Montana. “We went to the line because we wanted to experience how it felt to play for the cars,” JOP says. “[Montana] used to work there about a month ago. Now he’s in concert with us.”
Samuel Jaimez, Moisés López, Jesús Ortiz Paz, Khrystian Ramos and José Garcia of Fuerza Regida photographed on May 23, 2023 at Tranquility Canyon Ranch in Santa Clarita, Calif.
Martha Galvan
In December, Fuerza Regida ambitiously released two full-length albums a few days apart, Pa Que Hablen and Sigan Hablando. The band supported the releases with publicity stunts like performing on the rooftop of a supermarket in San Bernardino. “Thousands” showed up, according to Quintero. “They really are the voice of the people when it comes to música mexicana today,” he says.
And increasingly, the group is becoming the voice of the people beyond Mexican and Mexican American audiences.
“Artists like Natanael Cano, Fuerza Regida and [others] are writing about things that are different from the stories in Mexico or about drug cartels [like traditional corridos or narcocorridos],” says Krystina DeLuna, Latin music programmer at Apple Music. “[JOP] is very proudly Mexican American, but he has always had that global mindset, [so] their approach to música mexicana is innovative. Whether they do a more traditional-leaning song or take risks and push boundaries, their essence always comes through and connects.”
Being Mexican American, JOP says, means that “you hit the gold pot. It’s the best.”
“I wouldn’t want to be Mexican. I wouldn’t want to be American,” he says. “I’m perfect.”
On a bright, sunny day in May in the rural Santa Clarita Valley, a 45-minute drive north of Los Angeles, the quintet known as Fuerza Regida and its clan roll up in three luxury cars: a 2023 black Cadillac Escalade SUV, a graphite off-roader Lamborghini Urus and a white Chevrolet Corvette. As the band members made their way […]
At the start of 2022, Yahritza y Su Esencia emerged as the buzzy regional Mexican music act every label wanted to sign. In a matter of months, the Washington state-based Martinez sibling trio went from a local band that sang at family parties to the future of regional Mexican with its sad, catchy sierreño songs, powered by Yahritza’s emotional vocals, Mando’s requinto and Jairo’s bajoloche.
By March 2022, after signing a deal with independent label Lumbre Music, Yahritza y Su Esencia released their official debut single, “Soy el Único.” It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 20 and made Yahritza the youngest Latin performer to debut on the chart at just 15 years old. The act subsequently notched its first No. 1 on Regional Mexican Albums with its Obsessed EP, scored a Latin Grammy Award nod for best new artist and, by November, signed with Columbia Records in a partnership with Lumbre Music and Sony Music Latin. A worldwide deal with SESAC Latina soon followed.
All the while, Yahritza’s 25-year-old big brother, Mando — who had been living stateside as an undocumented person — and his team were working behind the scenes to sort out his immigration status in the United States. In need of an O-1 visa, Mando had to go to Mexico City and follow protocols to prove his eligibility. After spending most of his life living with his parents (who are originally from Michoacán, Mexico) and four siblings in Washington’s agricultural region of Yakima Valley, he was suddenly alone in an unfamiliar city, waiting for approval.
“It was a sacrifice, especially when I’m one of the main components of the band,” says Mando, who returned to the United States in April shortly after getting approved for a special visa reserved for individuals with extraordinary ability and achievement in their field. “We had to learn to record separately, something we had never done. It has always been all of us together in a studio.”
“I would write my music and wouldn’t know who to share it with,” says Yahritza, now 16. “He was a call away, but it wasn’t the same.” Adds 18-year-old Jairo: “We couldn’t do the things we used to do, which was practicing every day. That changed everything for us.”
The band members — managed by their oldest sister, Adriana Martinez — were influenced by their father and uncles’ own musical act, which Mando joined as a kid. Yahritza and Jairo later learned how to play instruments and would upload covers on TikTok, including their viral take on Ivan Cornejo’s “Está Dañada.” Yahritza then began writing her own songs — the first being the emotionally charged heartbreak track “Soy el Único,” which ultimately led to the formation of Yahritza y Su Esencia.
Ramón Ruiz, CEO of Lumbre Music, signed the trio soon after discovering the group last year on TikTok. He says his team’s top priority was to not let Mando’s visa application affect the band. “We were always working on what’s coming next,” he says. “It was hard because Mando is a big part of the production and Yahritza and Jairo depend a lot on Mando. I would try to help however I could, but they needed their big brother. He’s their role model; they look up to him so much.”
From left: Mando, Yahritza and Jario Martinez of Yahritza y Su Esencia
David Cabrera
Mando’s status remained uncertain for nearly seven months. “I would remind [my siblings] that we needed to take things one day at a time,” Adriana says. “We’ve always believed God’s timing is perfect, so it was important to never lose faith and remember nothing can break the bond we have as a family, not even being separated.”
Now, with the O-1 secured, Mando is able to record and promote music in the United States, which Yahritza y Su Esencia have remained consistent with — as Yahritza and Jairo often traveled to Mexico to record. In the past few months alone, the act released “Inseparables” (with Cornejo), “Cambiaste,” “Nuestra Canción,” “No Se Puede Decir Adiós” and “Frágil” — a norteña, cumbia-tinged collaboration with Grupo Frontera produced by hit-maker Edgar Barrera.
“Regardless of the situation, we had to be releasing music for our fans,” says Mando. “We’d jump on FaceTime a lot, and that’s how we would make the song’s arrangements.” Yahritza would write in her room and then send music to Mando for his feedback. But when it came to recording the harmonies, she had to call him directly. “I needed him to show me because I still don’t know how to do that,” she says. “He would help me when he was home.”
“Them being together is what makes this so special,” says Julian Swirsky, senior vp of A&R at Columbia Records. “It was always about getting Mando home first and foremost, but the group was fired up. We had a Zoom call on New Year’s Eve to talk about new music because they wanted to get set up for the new year.”
From left: Yahritza, Mando and Jario Martinez of Yahritza y Su Esencia
David Cabrera
The first thing Mando did once his visa was approved at the end of April was travel home to Washington, where he surprised his parents at a family gathering by popping up behind them as they were taking a photo. “My mom yelled when she saw me and started to touch my face to see if I was real,” Mando says. “That’s when it hit me.”
With a new album in the works and a long-awaited U.S. tour slated for the second half of the year, Yahritza y Su Esencia are finally poised to reach their full potential — just when Mexican music continues to grow exponentially, with the act helping usher in a new era for the legacy genre. In May, “Frágil” cracked the Hot 100. And on the Billboard Global 200, it is among a handful of regional Mexican songs that are surging, as the genre now makes up nearly 10% of the entire chart.
“What happened to us had to happen,” says Jairo, “and it changed us.” Adds Yahritza: “Before, we would fight and disagree on small things. We shouldn’t even be caring about that; all we should care about is that we’re back together.”
This story originally appeared in the June 3, 2023, issue of Billboard.
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