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This year, Sergio Lizárraga’s Banda MS marks two decades in the music business, and it’s kicking off its celebrations with “Un Chingo de Tequila,” a song featuring Mario Domm — from Mexican pop group Camila — who was eager to test the waters of the Regional Mexican genre. Written by Domm, the track debuts Friday (February 3) at 5:00 pm ET.
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“About a year ago I wrote a song and I thought it was something very different from all I had done in my life and I asked myself who was the most important banda artist, and immediately I thought of Banda MS. It’s something new for me; I’m singing something different, new, but I feel comfortable doing it. I am happy to collaborate with Alan, with Walo, in short, with the whole team that has been incredible with me”, Domm says to Billboard Español.
In recent years, the band from Sinaloa, Mexico has recorded with pop artists like Yuridia and Carlos Rivera. According to Banda MS’s singer Oswaldo “Walo” Silvas, when it comes to collaborating, the main thing for him is to admire the other artist’s career, so that there is a connection.
“Mario Domm is definitely one of my favorite artists. I’m a fan of him and Camila — so when the opportunity to do this collaboration came about, we were very excited, being aware of the quality of what was going to be done,” says Silas. “When I heard the song, I was sure it would be a hit. I think people who are experiencing a heartbreak will relate perfectly, and I assure you it will be the song they’ll listen to on many a night of leisure and enjoyment. We’re grateful to Mario and to all who made this possible.”
“Un Chingo de Tequila” is a song about heartache that combines the bravío and very Mexican style of Banda MS with Domm’s and Camila’s romantic pop. Much tequila is added to these ingredients, and though liquor is no way to heal a broken heart, according to the song, at least it helps you not think about it. “A shot of tequila to forget/ Distance, time and someone else taking your place/ So that you never forget when you lied to me/ So that you regret what you have lost,” the lyrics go, in Spanish.
But this track is just the beginning of a year of celebrations, which will include new collabs with artists as varied as Ice Cube (check out the announcement on Instagram), as well as Christian Nodal and again, Yuridia. It also includes a 35-date tour, kicking off February 5 in León, Mexico and ending on December 2 in Fort Myers, Florida. On September 2, they will return to Madison Square Garden in New York, where they’ve previously sold out two shows — the only band from Sinaloa to achieve that. (Tickets are already on sale in Mexico and the U.S.)
Over the years, Banda MS has sold more than 30 million records. It currently has 14 million monthly listeners on Spotify and its YouTube videos have amassed more than 2 billion views. On the Billboard charts, it’s had dozens of entries, including 10 top 10s on Hot Latin Songs, 23 top 10s on Latin Airplay and 18 No. 1s on Regional Mexican Airplay. Its album Que Bendición made it to the Billboard 200 albums chart, debuting and peaking at No. 71 in February 2016. It also reached No. 1 on Top Latin Albums, where it led for three weeks.
Banda MS’ story is a shining example of how an empire can be built from scratch. Thus, after more than a decade of being a part of an international record label, the group chose to create its own. Established in 2016, Lizos Music is an award-winning company that has become a benchmark for the Regional Mexican genre and among independent labels.
Below, the CEO and leader of Banda MS, Sergio Lizárraga, talks to Billboard Español about their career and the plans for this year’s celebrations.
How do you summarize what has happened with Banda MS these last two decades?
The truth is I feel proud that most of us, who started in 2003, continue to be together and continue together well. Saying what needs to be said, respecting ourselves, improving ourselves, wanting to continue innovating and moving forward. Twenty years is a life; so many things have happened that we have to celebrate it in a big way, and nothing better than celebrating it with this tour we’re now about to start. But above all, being at the Mazatlán carnival this February 18 is the icing on the cake for us. In addition, we will return to Madison Square Garden in New York in September, and on September 15 we will also celebrate the national holidays in Las Vegas with our fellow Mexicans.
How did the approach to Mario Domm for “Un Chingo de Tequila” happen?
The way I like it — organically. We met one day and talked about doing a song together; time went by and we met again in Los Angeles, and that’s when we had a deal. He went to Mazatlán and there we finished putting together the song that we’re sure both audiences will like.
Lizos Music has shown that success in the Regional Mexican genre can be achieved by being independent.
We can say that it was our job to team up and move ahead, but in this world no one is totally independent; there are many people around who have been a part of what has happened. We have worked very well as a label and as artists. This includes order and discipline, but above all, overcoming problems that arise.
How have you adapted to the new trends in music?
You have to always be aware of what’s going on, what is new — but above all you must be open to everything. That’s what we have done and it has worked. The proof is in collabs like [our song with] Snoop Dogg. Another duet with Ice Cube will happen very soon, one that will pleasantly surprise the public — and we can announce exclusively that we still have another duet with Yuridia, and a second one with Christian Nodal pending.
Banda MS ‘Un Chingo de Tequila’
Courtesy Photo
After being the lead vocalist of norteño act Grupo Arranke for four years, Carin León is certain that going solo in 2018 was the best thing to happen in his career. “There’s a time to make those kinds of decisions,” he says. “I made it when I felt capable. I felt that I could dominate a stage. I felt that I could compose, produce [and] make my product by myself … And I didn’t have to deal with people who didn’t have the same vision as me.”
To help launch his solo career, the regional Mexican artist born Óscar Armando Díaz de León Huez signed to Tamarindo Rekordsz, the independent label owned by his manager, Javier “El Tamarindo” González. He found quick success, scoring his first entry on Billboard‘s Regional Mexican Airplay chart in 2019 with “Me La Aventé” and since collecting eight top 10 hits, two of which reached No. 1 (“El Tóxico” with Grupo Firme in 2021 and “Ojos Cerrados” featuring Banda MS in March).
Starting next year, León will expand his independence with the launch of his own label, through which he will sign and develop new talent — primarily from his hometown of Hermosillo, Mexico. He also plans to release a new studio album (his first under his own label), where he will experiment with other genres such as vallenato, bachata and bluegrass, but with, as he says, “a lot of soul.”
“The moment you have the freedom to make the music that you like, it gives you a very strong power called ‘sincerity,’ ” adds León. “When your essence is really there and you are not satisfying the needs of the industry and you are the owner of your image, people feel it and connect with it.”
Most of your Billboard hits are collaborations. As an independent regional Mexican artist, why is this beneficial?
I’ve always noticed it in the urban market, but in our genre, a lot of artists are territorial with their work. After I began collaborating, I realized that I can progress a lot and I could solidify my audience. It’s not so much that collaborations have benefited me, but it’s simply the model of the music that is being used now.
As you’ve gained momentum, why did you remain independent?
I was never open or closed to the possibility [of signing a major-label deal]. I think things began to happen in my solo career, and I don’t know why, but no record company paid attention to what I was doing at the time. Then I began to see that the path could be achieved independently. I personally think that being independent is the best thing that can happen to any artist because it means developing your art in the freest way possible and not depending on many things.
What is key for indie artists when building a team?
It’s letting the artist develop, taking care of them to a certain point and always trying to polish and exploit the best things about them. In the end, there are many people who can influence the final product but might not really trust or love it the way that you do. Make sure that the interests are not only for business or numbers but that there is also chemistry for making art. Everyone on your team has to like how the music and the product are being made and feel proud of it.
What’s your advice for emerging indie artists?
Learn from the opportunities that life gives you, and pay attention to what the music industry is lacking. I feel that looking within, you’ll realize what type of music fans want to listen to. But truthfully, be sincere with your music. Learn how to express yourself and discover what makes you different. Regardless, after any good deal or promo plan, I believe that when you make good music, there is no human power that can prevent something from working.
This story will appear in the Nov. 5, 2022, issue of Billboard.
In May, regional Mexican act Grupo Frontera performed at Houston nightclub El Rodeo Disco to approximately 300 people. Three months later, in August, the act returned, and this time, much to the surprise of 19-year-old vocalist and bajo quinto player Adelaido “Payo” Solis III, the crowd had increased to 3,000. “I had to take off my in-ear to listen to everyone sing with us,” he remembers. “This was a dream come true.”
The experience would have been unfathomable a year ago, when Grupo Frontera was a local band from the Texas border town McAllen, creating music merely as a hobby. After recruiting Solis, fresh out of high school, into its now six-man ensemble — also comprised of Juan Javier Cantú, 29 (vocalist and accordionist), Julian Peña Jr., 26 (percussionist and animator), Alberto “Beto” Acosta, 30 (bajo quinto), Carlos Guerrero, 28 (drums), and Carlos Zamora, 32 (bass) — the group officially launched this March with an independently released debut EP that contained four cover songs, including Diego Verdaguer’s “La Ladrona.” “When choosing our covers, we decided to focus on timeless pop songs,” says Peña.
But it was a one-off released just one month later — their norteño rendition of “No Se Va,” a 2019 single by Colombian folk-pop group Morat — that catapulted them to fame. “We practiced that song just 16 hours before recording it,” says Peña. “Payo began singing it, then I added rhythms with the congas, and then Beto followed with the bajo quinto, and we all stared at each other thinking, ‘Wow, this sounds cool.’ We practiced it three times on a Wednesday, and the next day we recorded it live in one take.”
Following its release on April 28, its music video gained steam on YouTube on the heels of the EP, though at first the band still “didn’t understand why” it was performing so well, says Peña. “Then we went on TikTok.” Its engagement has sustained momentum on the platform, ultimately exploding due to a video from September that shows a suave man named Elmer and his dance partner, Erika, moving in rhythm to the song in Chihuahua, Mexico. The clip, which has now amassed more than 12 million views, “gave the song the push it needed to get to another level,” says Peña.
“No Se Va” debuted on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart in September and has since climbed to No. 4. Meanwhile, the track became only the fifth regional Mexican song in Hot 100 history, reaching a No. 57 high after entering the all-genre songs chart in early October. “Honestly, I think it was the seasoning that we put with the congas,” Cantú says of its runaway success. “It doesn’t sound like your typical norteño song; in fact, it sounds like something fresh with that reggaetón vibe.”
Despite Grupo Frontera’s success with its cover version, Morat’s original “No Se Va” has yet to appear on any Billboard charts (though the band did reach the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart in June with “Paris,” a collaboration with Argentine rapper Duki). While Grupo Frontera has not had any communication yet with Morat, Cantú insists the act deserves all the credit. “We wanted to pay tribute to a group that many of us admire,” he continues.
Amid all of its recent success, Grupo Frontera has added indie record label VHR Music founder Victor Ruiz as its manager. Ruiz — also the vocalist of Grupo Zaaz and manager of a handful of other Texas-based groups — additionally serves as the band’s booking agent and has already secured various performances in Texas, Arizona, North Carolina, New York, California, Florida and Mexico. Plus, he’s worked with the group to help boost its visibility, insisting on the importance of vlogging for each member. “I want them to get to the point that everyone can identify who’s who in the group,” he says. “People love seeing the intimacy of an artist, how they prepare for their shows and how they are behind the scenes.”
But beyond touring and vlogging, Grupo Frontera wants to keep testing its success as an independent act — even after multiple record labels have made generous offers, according to Ruiz. Adds Cantú: “I’m not saying that we won’t ever sign with a label but for now, we’re very happy this way. We want to see how far we can get as indie artists.”
Todd Spoth
The band plans to flood the space with new material, starting with a recent song titled “Vete.” Grupo Frontera aims to release at least five more original tracks before the end of 2022, with some help from reigning Latin Grammy producer of the year winner — and fellow McAllen native — Edgar Barrera. “I’m worried that they’ll become a one-hit wonder, and that’s why I tell them they need to release music constantly because if not, the momentum fades away,” Ruiz says.
“You’d think we’ve been playing together for 10 years, but we’ve only been out for eight months,” Cantú adds. “I still can’t believe everything that’s happening to us.”
A version of this story will appear in the Nov. 5, 2022, issue of Billboard.
Interscope Records has announced a partnership with RB Music, the regional Mexican indie label that’s home to Grupo Marca Registrada.
According to both companies, the alliance is an effort to “power” both the catalog and new music of the norteño-sierreño group that hails from Sinaloa. The first release under the venture is Marca’s new single “Puro Campeón,” a collab with corridos singer-songwriter Luis R. Conríquez that released on Friday (Oct. 14).
“From afar, I’ve admired what Ricardo Bobadilla and the entire RB Music team have done over the past few years,” says Nir Seroussi, executive vp at Interscope Records. “Their impact with Grupo Marca Registrada is game-changing. They catalyzed the group’s evolution from a local favorite to an international contender. Together, we have the collective and combined platform to launch Grupo Marca Registrada into the stratosphere.”
With more than 8 million monthly listeners on Spotify, three entries on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart this year (“Si Fuera Facil,” “Solo Me Dejaste” and “El Rescate” with Junior H), Grupo Marca Registrada has carved a lane for itself in regional Mexican collaborating with artists such as Grupo Firme and Gerardo Ortiz.
RB Music CEO/founder Ricardo Bobadilla added, “Music to me is a family business. When we were introduced to Nir and his team there was an instant family-like connection with their knowledge of our business and focus on quality, artistic creativity, and integrity. At RB Music, we have always done things our own way and on our own terms. But I knew I wanted to partner with Nir, as he approaches music with an independent spirit that we at RB Music identify with. In the end, I believe Interscope understands where we want to go and is willing to invest significant time and resources to get us there.”
The partnership between Interscope and RB is the latest example of major labels teaming up with indie regional Mexican labels companies. Most recently, Sony Music Latin teamed up with Rancho Humilde to support Fuerza Régida. Meanwhile, Warner Music Latina signed DannyLux via a partnership with the indie VPS Music.
