genre latin

Netón Vega seems to be suddenly everywhere nowadays, but he’s hardly an overnight success. Born in La Paz, Baja California, Mexico, the 22-year-old artist is best known for co-writing countless hits, including Peso Pluma’s “Rubicon” and “La People.” After cementing himself as a go-to songwriter, Vega’s journey as a singer is just taking off — most recently, his reggaetón anthem “Loco” earned him his fourth top 10 entry on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart — and that’s exactly how he planned for it to be.

“Writing songs was the best first step because you start making points, and when you get hits from those songs you’re writing — well, that really gets your name out there,” Vega, this month’s Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise, explains. “Other artists start to know that you can write well and then eventually find out you can also sing. That opens doors for you. It’s what happened to me. The songs I wrote really took off. It was hit after hit, and everything after that just happened so fast.”

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Vega fell in love with music at a young age. By age 9, he was singing at school concerts and, five years later, he created his own band in Culiacán — where he grew up — with him as lead singer. What started off as a hobby quickly turned into a money-making business. The band was composed by fellow classmates and a neighbor who they recruited while eating burgers. “We were so busy playing at parties, it was crazy,” Vega remembers. “At the beginning, we actually didn’t know much to charge. We were getting like 500 to 1000 pesos per event, but we worked long hours and like five days a week. I would go to school defeated, but with money in my pocket.”

Like many kids who grow up in the state of Sinaloa, Vega listened to regional Mexican music, especially corridos, and then started writing his own. His parents — who encouraged Vega’s love for music — also consumed música Mexicana, but also the more traditional stuff, including norteña. “My parents were never opposed to me playing at events — sometimes they would go with me,” he says.

Two years ago, Vega met Jesús Josafat Chávez Angulo, who was part of the local music scene in Culiacán, and was the unofficial manager of a few groups in town. “It’s a small community and everyone knows everyone,” says Vega. “I was invited to his house and that’s where I met him. We got along really well and I started working with him.” Today, Chávez Angulo is Vega’s manager, and founder of Josa Records, the indie label home to Vega. “The support I needed then was being able to go record in a studio and be able to make music videos. It’s really what I needed to get my name out there.”

The opportunities started coming quickly through social media. People in Culiacán started discovering him, and one day, a friend and fellow musician told him that Peso Pluma wanted to record one of his songs. “I wrote ‘Rubicon’ and that was a before and after in my career,” he recalls. “I remember that person came up to me and told me that Hassan (Peso’s real name) liked the song, and wanted to record it. I was like, ‘Great, he can record it.’” The track peaked at No. 12 on Hot Latin Songs.

Vega’s big break as a singer came last year through a collaboration with Luis R Conriquez. The corridos bélicos pioneer reached out to Vega via Instagram. “He sent me a video saying he had a corrido, and he wanted to sing it with me. He came to Guadalajara and we recorded the song and video here.” The collaborative effort peaked at No. 2 on Hot Latin Songs in June, followed by “La Patrulla” with Peso, which also peaked at No. 2 on the tally in September.

Vega, who now spends most of his time in Guadalajara wrapped 2024 with the success of “Loco,” a reggaetón smash hit that showcased his versatility, and the rise of Mexican reggaetón. “I’m more comfortable maybe in Mexican music but I feel good in both genres. I don’t ever want to regret not doing a style. Having a song like ‘Loco,’ and for it to explode, it means a lot. People are discovering my music with this song. That’s always a good thing and I want to continue to do that with my music, without ever losing my essence, of course.”

Most recently, Vega released Mi Vida Mi Muerte, his debut album, which has further fueled his momentum. The set is stacked with heavy-hitters in the genre, including Óscar Maydon, Tito Double P and Gabito Ballesteros. In a nod to his growing popularity, Vega will headline the inaugural Michelada Fest in El Paso, Texas on May 3, along with Chino Pacas, marking his first U.S. performance.

Read more about our February Latin Artist on the Rise below.

Name: Luis Ernesto Vega Carvajal

Age: 22

Recommended Song: “I would actually want them to listen to my new album, from beginning to end. You can really get an idea of what type of artist I am and how much I enjoy making all kinds of music.”

Major Accomplishment: “Being nominated for Mexican music new artist and Mexican music collaboration of the year at Premio Lo Nuestro.”

What’s Next? “I really want to start performing in the U.S. I want to see how people will react to my songs.”