For the first time ever, the talent search show Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento crowned five singers as winners for its 23rd season finale on Nov. 25.
The five artists — Lilo Bermúdez, Yahir Garduño, Danny Rea, Carlos Gabriel and Hector Osobampo — are now part of the first-of-its-kind regional Mexican boy band Nuevo Elemento. As the winning band, Nuevo Elemento received a grand prize of $100,000 from television network EstrellaTV and obtained a recording contract with Sony Music Latin.
“When you’re an emerging artist, you’re always wondering who will be part of your team, who will guide you and if we’re ever going to get a contract with a record label,” says 17-year-old band member Garduño. “But thanks to this opportunity, although we’re starting from scratch, we have a major label supporting us and well that just makes us feel even more confident. It just makes us want to work even harder.” Nuevo Elemento will be managed by industry veteran Jason Garner alongside OCESA Seitrack.
“Working with Nuevo Elemento has reminded me of the reason I chose to dedicate my life to artist management,” says Alex Mizrahi, OCESA Seitrack’s CEO. “These young men are so full of energy, talent, and desire, it’s contagious! I have no doubt that this band is going to break barriers and make history in the regional Mexican space.”
Just hours after being crowned the big winners, Nuevo Elemento released their first single and music video “No Andes Con Nadie,” a mariachi-style ballad that showcases each of the members’ talent. “We all felt so nervous leading up to the grand finale,” says 21-year-old Gabriel. “But we knew it was in God’s hands and well after we won, we didn’t even have much time to say anything to each other, we just said ‘let’s get to work.’”
Nuevo Elemento are currently working on their debut album with Luciano Luna as producer. The boys promise the album will be an eclectic set where they’ll explore different subgenres within regional Mexican to reflect the members’ versatility and diverse voices. Songwriters already recruited for the album include Joss Favela, Luna and Horacio Palencia.
“That’s what I love about the project — that we get to sing banda, mariachi, norteño, a little bit of everything. That’s only possible because we all come from different backgrounds,” says 21-year-old Rea.
Below, meet Nuevo Elemento’s five members:
Lilo Bermúdez: The 15-year-old from Phoenix plays the accordion in a local group and already has a club of female admirers that refers to itself as “Las Tóxicas de Lilo.” His musical inspirations are Christian Nodal and Gerardo Ortiz and he describes his musical style as ranchero. “My parents would always listen to music in Spanish but growing up I would only listen to English music. Then I started playing the accordion five years ago and fell in love with Spanish music.”
Yahir “El Choco” Garduño: Born in Mexicali, Baja California, and based in Calexico, Calif., the 17-year-old started playing the guitar two years ago and fell in love with the instrument. His inspirations are Vicente Fernández and Ariel Camacho and describes his musical style as chameleonic. “I started singing mariachi when I was 6 years old with Vicente Fernández as my biggest inspiration. But then I started experimenting with the sierreño genre inspired by Ariel Camacho. I’m a mix of them both.”
Danny Rea: The 21-year-old from Waukegan, Ill., has spent years pursuing his dream of become a major norteño singer. His biggest inspiration is Los Tigres del Norte and he describes his musical style as versatile. “Like my band members, I started singing at a young age. Growing up I’d listen to whatever my grandpa or my parents would listen to, but my idols have always been Los Tigres del Norte.”
Carlos “Gabo” Gabriel: The 21-year-old Guatemala native and Florida resident is a singer, songwriter and dancer. His musical inspiration is José José and he describes his musical style as versatile. “I’ve always loved José José and his music. To describe my style I’d say I’m versatile because I don’t just sing one genre.”
Héctor Osobampo: The 22-year-old is a native of Sinaloa, Mexico, and moved to Mexico City at age 18. His inspiration is Luis Miguel and he describes his musical style as an old soul. “Since I was little, I looked up to Luis Miguel. I like how versatile he is. He sang ballads, pop and then mariachi. My style is very similar.”
