The demand for regional Mexican music increased by 60% in the US in 2023.

The term "regional Mexican music," which includes genres such as mariachi, banda, corridos, norteño, and sierreño, has gained worldwide popularity and reached new audiences as it spreads beyond its borders.

In recent years, something extraordinary has occurred in the world of Tejano music.

Last month, "Ella Baila Sola" by Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma became the first regional Mexican Top 10 hit on Billboard's all-genre Hot 100, peaking at No. 4. Days later, Bad Bunny's collaboration with Grupo Frontera, "Un x100to," hit No. 5.

In 2023, four out of the six Latin artists who reached 1 billion audio streams in the U.S. were Mexican artists: Peso Pluma, Eslabon Armado, Junior H, and Fuerza Regida. These artists were among the top 125 streamed in the country. Additionally, regional Mexican music experienced a 60% growth in the U.S., with a total of 21.9 billion on-demand audio streams.

To understand the development of regional Mexican music prior to the 66th Grammy Awards on Feb. 4, the Associated Press contacted musicians, producers, and industry experts.

A LONG TIME COMING

Billboard's chief content officer for Latin music coverage, Leila Cobo, has consistently believed that Mexican music would become extremely popular in the U.S. due to the large Mexican American population.

"Never did I imagine it would become so global," she remarks.

Streaming has played a significant role in the global popularity of regional Mexican music, making it accessible to a wider audience and allowing people to discover and appreciate it.

Spotify reported a 400% increase in global popularity of Mexican music over the past five years, while YouTube's Peso Pluma surpassed Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny to become the most streamed artist in 2023.

Cobo highlights the growing interest among Mexican Americans in discovering their ancestral music, as well as the emergence of a new generation of musicians who are blending it with contemporary genres such as rap, reggaeton, and electronic music, thereby revitalizing the genre.

""Now, I see a movement in music, which was once old-fashioned, according to Cobo," he says excitedly."

While Mexican music has a rich history spanning centuries, "contemporary Mexican music is struggling because it is the genre that resonates with the younger generation."

Last month, 56% of Spotify listeners who listened to Latin American artists were under 30. In Mexico, this percentage rose to 60%.

""Now, young people are teaching their parents music, as regional music has become as popular as reggaeton," says DannyLux, a 19-year-old singer of sad sierreño, a novelty subgenre that emerged almost five years ago."

A MOVEMENT, NOT A MOMENT

To comprehend regional Mexican music, listeners must first recognize that "it is a movement" that is currently experiencing its "moment to shine globally," as regional Mexican artists now encompass a diverse range of genres and sounds.

Both Grupo Frontera and Peso Pluma are known for their distinct lyrical approaches in cumbias and corridos tumbados, respectively, and their performances are comparable to those of American artists.

Drake is selling out the same venues a week later as artists like Frontera, Fuerza Regida, and Junior H, he says.

Barrera thinks that part of the cross-border appeal of these regional Mexican genres is due to their foundation in live instrumental performances, including guitars, tubas, trombones, trumpets, and more.

He states that they are authentic musicians who create genuine music, not just a computer program or someone who retrieves sounds from a library.

REGIONAL IS INTERNATIONAL

During the 2019 Premios Juventud awards ceremony in Puerto Rico, Mexican singer-songwriter Carín León wore a t-shirt that read "F--- Regional," which may have been a reference to the term "regional Mexican music." Later, she published a manifesto criticizing how the term has been used to limit different types of Mexican folk music.

"He informed the AP that "Labeling it regional" is incorrect, as they are more "international" than "regional.""

León collaborated with Maluma on a pop-norteño track called "Según Quién" on his 2023 album "Don Juan."

Maluma predicted that corridos and banda music would become global, so he contacted Barrera, the producer, in 2018 and requested different instrumentals to write Mexican songs. Barrera suggested continuing with reggaeton, but Maluma replied, "You'll see!"

Then the sound was everywhere.

"Maluma is thrilled that it occurred because it was necessary for the industry, as he states, "That missing Mexican sauce in the global view of Latin music.""

A ROCKY ROAD TO WORLDWIDE SUCCESS

Regional Mexican music faced criticism and was considered inferior, similar to how reggaeton was once stigmatized before gaining global acceptance.

The new generation is responsible for changing the way the world views Mexican music, as singer Pedro Tovar of Eslabon Armado hopes the genre will shift from "regional Mexican" to simply "Mexican music."

"The genre is expanding more and more, and the roots are there," he says for a younger audience.

In 2016, the Latin Grammys removed the category for best ranchera/mariachi music album due to a low number of entries, which coincided with the death of Juan Gabriel and Vicente Fernández's retirement from the stage.

Gabriel Abaroa Jr., president of the Latin Recording Academy, stated in an interview with the AP that they had been warning for years about the decline of a particular music genre.

Lucero, a seasoned performer of regional Mexican music, recalls those times.

"Now that ranchera music has rebounded, she is excited, even though the songs are a hybrid approach to the genre," she says.

A NEW SOURCE OF PRIDE

Despite an abundance of musical genres to explore, young Latin American musicians persist in embracing and experimenting with regional Mexican music. For them, it represents a source of pride, a link to their heritage, and a means of celebrating their identity.

Becky G, a 26-year-old Mexican American artist, successfully released her latest album "Esquinas," which she characterized as a "love letter to my abuelitos, to my younger self, and, hopefully, to the future generations."

She always talked with her grandparents about doing a project inspired by regional Mexican music since she was a child.

She describes regional Mexican music's current popularity as a source of pride for Mexicans.

Peso Pluma, 24, couldn't agree more.

Hearing all these people from different countries listening and singing along to my songs is a dream come true, as he shared with the AP at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.

"He expressed gratitude for the genre he does, which is gaining global popularity and breaking barriers. He also thanked the people supporting Mexican music."