Los Tigres del Norte

“La Reina del Sur” will be heard again in Europe with the arrival of Los Tigres del Norte in Spain on April 4, when the “Jefes de Jefes” return to the country after 14 years as part of a tour that will take them to Madrid, Barcelona and Pamplona. The first show will be at the capital’s Wizink Center, with capacity for more than 17,000 people. They will also perform for the first time in England, at the Eventim Apollo in London, 10 days later.

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After 55 years since their formation, the icons of norteño music maintain a solid, current career, releasing new music and touring constantly throughout the U.S., Mexico, Central and South America. Their current tour, Siempre Contigo, began on February 2 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California and will keep them busy for most of 2024. It is something they do with the best attitude towards their fans.

“Love must always be present in everything you do,” says Jorge Hernández, frontman of Los Tigres. “The most important thing is to be honest with your audience.”

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With hits including “La Puerta Negra,” “Contrabando y Traición,” “Jefes de Jefes,” the Billboard Hot Latin Songs No. 1s “El Acaudalado Mojado” and “El Circo,” and many others, Los Tigres del Norte — who have seen many musical trends come and go over the years — are pioneers of traditional corridos, with the authority that time, accolades and fans have conferred on them.

In an interview with Billboard Español, Hernández spoke about the key to their longevity, his opinion on the new artists who are globalizing música mexicana, their return to Spain and upcoming projects.

Why did it take you so long to return to Spain?

In 2001 we started going to Spain every year and a half, or every other year. Then we were going to release an album and go there before the pandemic, but in the end it couldn’t be scheduled. Now that everything has been falling into place, promoters from Europe called us and the tour was finalized. It begins on April 4 in Madrid and ends on the 14th in London.

Will you have musical guests at the concerts in Spain?

We want to invite several female artists to sing with us. We’ll tell you who they are soon.

At a crucial time for regional Mexican music, it is important to perform in as many places as possible.

That’s right. The work that other colleagues have done has great validity for us and we all have to take advantage and be present so that our music takes this boom full force for which we have fought so hard for a long time.

In fact, we plan to record several videos of our upcoming singles there.

You travel thousands of miles every year to entertain your fans in different countries. How do you prepare physically and mentally to live constantly on the road?

There is always a discipline. Above all, taking care of your health, sleeping the necessary hours, taking care of your body, taking care of how you live. Always go on stage consciously to have the respect of the audience. You must do this from the beginning of your career for it to last. You must be prepared so that vices don’t win over you. All of this is part of taking care that your path is as clean as possible.

The music of Los Tigres del Norte is already part of the Mexican culture. What do you think of the new trends?

Trends will always exist because they are part of the growth of music. I give as an example a tree that has many branches: Norteño music is the base and there are musical currents that come and go over time, different styles, but in the end everything goes back to normal because the essence or base is solid. Young people look for what gives them joy, music to have fun, and there are artists for everyone.

There are young artists who prefer traditional norteño music. Any in particular that you like?

They all deserve our love and respect. I couldn’t name any single name. For me, music is all of us who make up this union. We all work with the same goal: To be relevant.

And what has been the key for Los Tigres del Norte to remain relevant?

The most important thing is persistence. Love must always be present in everything you do, you must be in love with your work. The honesty with which you do your work. One of the main things to stay relevant is to finalize your plans, not leave them halfway. But the most important thing is to be honest with your audience.

You’ve been to some South American countries, but there are many that are still waiting for you.

We have constantly gone to Colombia, to Bolivia, we were recently in Chile. Now we are going to take the tour to Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, which are the countries we were missing.

Will there be any collaborations with other artists this year?

Yes, there will be collaborations. Our label, Fonovisa Records/Universal Music, has some options for us that we will be reviewing. We will have several surprises this year.