regional mexican music
Los Tigres del Norte aren’t mincing words in their new single, “Aquí mando yo” (I’m in Charge Here). The track, which they are releasing on Thursday (May 30) along with an EP of the same name, talks about the legendary Mexican group’s struggles as immigrants, as well as the price of fame, with verses that may — or may not — refer to the current state of Mexican music and its new stars.
“Aquí mando yo, y este colmillo no lo tuve que comprar […] Ya veníamos de la tienda cuando tú ibas por el pan (I’m in charge here, and I didn’t have to pay for this fang […] We were already back from the shop when you were going in for bread),” they sing in the chorus.
But group leader and lead singer Jorge Hernández, who spoke with Billboard from his home in California, says the words aren’t meant for anyone in particular.
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“I saw this theme as the story of so many immigrants who come from their towns with nothing. That was my first reaction,” says Hernández. “Then, the sentiment in other parts of the lyrics is that suddenly those of us who tell the truth are judged and those who lie are the heroes […] Also suddenly there are people who don’t quite see the roots of the tree. And many of these new elements today, I don’t know if they ignore this — or if this is an example so they can see who came before them, just as we’re also thankful for those characters who were interesting in their time.”
“Aquí mando yo”, with its clear message of empowerment as well as advice (“Many students have been swallowed by money; they forgot their roots and became arrogant”), is released as Los Tigres announce the rest of their world tour, including their first date at legendary Madison Square Garden, set for May 24, 2025.
After playing what will be more than 50 dates between the United States, Mexico, and South America — with stops including Foro Sol in Mexico City, three nights at the Movistar Arena in Bogotá, and dates in Spain — 12 months of touring will culminate for Los Tigres with their MSG date, their first ever in that venue.
Details of the concert, presented by Zamora Entertainment, which is producing the group’s tour, will be announced May 30 at a press conference at MSG.
“I never imagined I would be in that place, and I think it’s very important for our career and for our style of music,” says Hernández — noting the group have been ambassadors of norteño for over five decades. “We have fought to dignify this music, and to carry it and showcase it around the world. We’ve managed to visit large and small towns in the United States, and now we travel the world dignifying this music in the best way. And it has been a very big job, ensuring the music endures and and it’s looked at with good eyes.”
Also on Thursday night, Los Tigres will release their new five-song EP, also titled Aquí Mando Yo, on Fonovisa. The album includes songs by various writers, including Héctor Guerrero, who penned the title song. As has historically been customary for Los Tigres, the group listens to a lot of music, from many writers — even new ones — before choosing what to record. Guerrero, whom Hernández had never met, presented 15 songs to the group.
“I always listen to them all,” says Hernández, who unlike many current artists, does not put his name as a composer unless he’s actually participated in the songwriting. “You know we respect everyone and all our colleagues,” he adds. “I don’t try to compare myself to anyone […] I always say that when music does well, there is a great opportunity for the music movement to continue, and that makes me very happy. If someone is successful, somehow I will be successful. The selfish never succeed.”
Here are the complete lyrics of “Aquí mando yo,” available beginning Thursday (May 30).
Singing to our peopleFelt like an incoherent dreamWe broke a thousand barriers, starting from the bottom Without a dime, that was tough.
In the world of mythLies finally floatAnd there’s a lot of students eaten up by moneyThey forgot their roots and became arrogant.
I think many students won’t liketoday’s classThere’s several names missing from the list, their run is overand what was strong starts to crumble.
I’m in charge hereI didn’t have to pay for this fang. It’s years of trajectory, we’ve tasted glory We were back from the store when you came in for the bread. You have to face the truth.
(SPEAKS)These verses I speak todayWere made for many now running their mouthsin a hypocritical world, those who speak the truth becomes villains,Loose lips full of fake wordstelling stories they never lived, but in this jungleThe crown isn’t passed around, and the TIGER is respected, his head held higheven if you look own on me, know that I’M IN CHARGE HERE
Lying is common I’ll refresh your memory, now that you’re sitting down,when it comes to the boss of bosses, you never talk down.
I think many students won’t liketoday’s classThere’s several names missing from the list, their run is overand what was strong starts to crumble.
I’m in charge hereI didn’t have to pay for this fang. It’s years of trajectory, we’ve tasted glory We were back from the store when you came in for the bread. You have to face the truth. I’m in charge here!
Mexican music star Espinoza Paz has signed a global deal with Virgin Music Group, Billboard has learned. Born Isidro Chávez Espinoza in Sinaloa, Mexico, the prolific singer-songwriter is known for his deep and emotional songs penned for other artists – such as Jenni Rivera and Banda MS – and for himself. Explore Explore See […]
One of the key themes to emerge from Billboard Latin Music Week in Miami earlier this month was the undeniable and unstoppable rise of Mexican music — a trend that’s being powered by the TikTok generation.
In an era marked by a global surge in music consumption, the revival of Latin music in the United States is nothing short of spectacular. Data from the RIAA paints a compelling picture, showing U.S.-based Latin music revenues have increased by 15% year on year to reach a record high of $627 million in the first half of 2023, accounting for 7.5% of market share. When we reflect on numbers from the first half of 2021, the leap of 52% over these two years is particularly striking. The primary impetus for this is the growing audience tuning in to Latin music on ad-supported on-demand music streaming services. This is remarkable growth in a genre characterized by non-English language songs.
The rise of reggaeton in particular has been nothing short of meteoric. The commercial success of the likes of Bad Bunny, J Balvin and Karol G has left an indelible mark on the Latin music landscape. However, it’s important to note that Latin music’s appeal isn’t confined to a single genre.
TikTok has evolved into a hub for music discovery for millions of fans worldwide, with many trending songs on the platform often ending up on the Billboard Hot 100 or Spotify Viral 50. According to Luminate, 67% of the app’s users are more likely to seek out songs on music streaming services after hearing them on TikTok.
So what trends are we now seeing in Latin music? The short answer: Mexican music is leading the charge.
Over the past 12 months alone, Mexican music has experienced more than 83 billion views on TikTok worldwide, with a third of these coming from the United States, according to hashtag research the team and I have conducted in-house at Round. In that time, Mexican music has emerged as the fastest-growing genre on the platform with an astounding 322% surge in popularity, compared to electronic music (122%), rock/indie (96%), reggaeton (90%) and rap/hip-hop (87%). Mexican music stands as the third-largest genre on TikTok in terms of viewership in the U.S., with more than 27 billion views over the past 12 months, behind only rap/hip-hop and K-pop.
Artist after artist has emerged from the Mexican music scene to take TikTok by storm — from Natanael Cano and Yng Lvcas to Fuerza Regida and Grupo Frontera. However, one in particular is paving the way: Peso Pluma.
Thanks to Eslabon Armado’s viral TikTok hit “Ella Baila Sola,” on which Pluma is featured, the rising star has emerged as one of Mexico’s most exciting breakthrough artists. The track not only hit No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart, where it held for six weeks, but it also secured a No. 4 spot on the all-genre Hot 100 — an unprecedented feat for a regional Mexican song. Plus, it dominated Hot Latin Songs for 19 consecutive weeks, the longest run at No. 1 for a regional Mexican track since the tally’s inception in 1986. The song has generated 525.5 million on-demand official streams in the United States to date, according to Luminate. Moreover, “Ella Baila Sola” reached No. 1 on the overall Streaming Songs chart, becoming the first regional Mexican song to lead the list and the first No. 1 on the chart for both acts.
The undeniable catalyst in this success story has been TikTok, where Pluma has gained over 30 billion views in just 12 months and inspired over 5 million creations on the platform. In April, four of Pluma’s tracks dominated the list of top trending Latin songs on the platform in the United States.
The appeal of regional Mexican music is further broadening as tastemakers continue to upload educational videos about the genre to TikTok and Instagram Reels. That trend is helping to nurture a deeper connection to the genre, fostering long-term engagement and powering it to new heights.
So what lies on the horizon?
Round’s analysis of TikTok hashtags reveals a treasure trove of uncharted music cultures and sub-genres waiting to be discovered. For example, views of #sertanejo, a Brazilian sub-genre of traditional music, have doubled from 15 billion to 30 billion over the last 12 months globally. That nearly rivals #reggaeton, which received 33 billion views globally across TikTok over the same period.
As new trends arise, one thing remains certain: TikTok is a powerful force for promoting diversity in music and opening up international markets for local sounds. Its global reach has ushered in an era where artists can easily have their music heard by millions. Now, it’s no longer a question of if artists, record labels, brands and influencers are on the app — it’s about how they maximize its power to the fullest. The stage is set, and the world is listening.
Ray Uscata is managing director of Round, North and South America. Round is a tech-enabled digital agency using content, creators and communities to place the world’s leading brands and artists at the center of culture.
Regional Mexican music is dominating the Billboard charts thanks to artists such as Peso Pluma, Fuerza Regida, Carin León, Banda MS and Edén Muñoz. Overall, the Mexican style is having an unprecedented year, with consumption up 42.1% so far in 2023, outpacing all genres except K-pop, which is up 49.4%. As of July 15 alone, 27 Mexican regional tracks entered the Billboard Hot 100.
But what, exactly, is Mexican music — or as it is better known in many places, regional Mexican music?
The general term encompasses many subgenres, from corridos and mariachi to norteño and banda. Historically, Mexican music — alive for more than a century and a half — has had a strong presence on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Mariachi was symbolic of Mexico internationally, with which the country was recognized by outsiders. It is arguably the most international Mexican style, thanks to legends such as Vicente Fernández — and, before him, Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete and José Alfredo Jiménez, during the great Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1950s.
Two decades ago, the rise of Sinaloan banda and norteño music (named after the region where it was born) came to complement the strength of Mexican music with new sounds and new forms.
For example, pioneering artists like Sinaloa native Ariel Camacho led the sierreño style with Los Plebes del Rancho. Although his life was cut short at the age of 22 in 2015, years later he inspired a whole group of Generation Z musicians, such as Ivan Cornejo and Yahritza y Su Esencia, who have brought the movement to the masses. Similarly, Sonora-born Natanael Cano, also inspired by Camacho, revamped the corridos with his own tumbado version and gave them a more streetwise approach, closer to the current generation.
Mexican music has gone from being a niche genre to securing a global audience thanks to a traditional musical base such as Banda MS or the revolutionary new approach of Peso Pluma. Over the last five years, the genre grew 604% in Mexico, compared to 212% in the United States and more than 400% globally on Spotify.
“Música mexicana has gone through a similar evolution that reggaetón also went through when it blew up; [the artists have] modernized the way they look, the way they write lyrics, creating a movement for their generation,” Maykol Sánchez, head of artist and label partnerships for Latin America and U.S. Latin at Spotify, previously told Billboard. “It has been a long time coming, and Mexican being such a strong culture in the U.S. with the population, it just makes sense.”
Across the border, in the United States — home to the second largest Mexican community in the world — this genre is constantly evolving and continues to be the soundtrack of multigenerational households. Below, Billboard Español dissects the nuances and rhythms that exist within the burgeoning Mexican music scene.
— With additional reporting by Griselda Flores and Isabela Raygoza.
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