Over the past year, new trends in regional Mexican music have leaned toward less aggressive lyrics and fresh sounds that blend with traditional Mexican music, moving away from corridos tumbados. This has been demonstrated by emerging artists in the genre, who have steadily climbed the Billboard charts this year.
On Tuesday (October 20), the panel “The New Mexican Music Generation” brought together the group Clave Especial, Edgardo Nuñez, Emmanuel Cortés, Hermanos Espinoza and Los Dos de Tamaulipas for a conversation about the road to success, moderated by Billboard‘s Isabela Raygoza.
Hermanos Espinoza, known for their positive lyrics that often reference God, spoke about their beginnings in music and their convictions. “We come from a very family-oriented background where our Mexican roots have been very important. We started by playing at small parties, which our mom used to book for us,” recalled the artists, who were born in McAllen, Texas. They emphasized that discipline is the key to achieving dreams.
Meanwhile, Los Dos de Tamaulipas, who after more than a decade in the industry have achieved the No. 1 spot on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart three times this year and a top 10 on Hot Latin Songs, discussed their path to success. “This career requires a lot of patience,” they said. “When we started, one of our music teachers told us it could take up to 12 years to have a hit. Today, we can say we’re grateful for that time because we’ve learned so much along the way. This career is about patience.”
Clave Especial, a California-based group signed by Jesús Ortiz Paz to his label Street Mob Records, has also worked hard to gain the trust of the Fuerza Regida leader. “He saw something in us, and that’s why he brought us into his company. But we had to earn the duet with them through hard work. Fortunately, ‘No Pasa Nada’ resonated with the audience, and we’re growing,” they shared.
At just 19 years old, Emmanuel Cortés has become one of the most promising talents in regional Mexican music, thanks to his unique style of blending the genre with cumbia. Born in Arkansas, where opportunities to make music were scarce, he persevered and is now seeing his career take off. “Where I live, music isn’t really made, so my first recordings were done in a homemade studio. But that didn’t stop me,” he said. “I started playing guitar because regional Mexican music touched my heart, and here I am, achieving my dreams by combining two cultures: the one my parents taught me and the one I grew up in.”
Edgardo Nuñez, who was born in Sinaloa and now resides in Phoenix, is one of the most well-rounded young artists today. Before achieving his dream of singing, he wrote and produced for major stars like Peso Pluma, Fuerza Regida and Xavi, among other stars. An expert accordion player, he admits that one of his biggest influences is Chalino Sánchez, one of the great corrido singers. “My music comes from my roots; I make corridos, but I also sing about love. Music has no limits; there’s always something new to learn. After writing 60 songs, one finally became a hit, so you should never give up,” he concluded.
