NOTE: Noé Montez of the LAist covered the story and spoke to fans about what brought them out. LAist is a media partner of CALÓ NEWS.
Peso Pluma, the musical artist from Jalisco, Mexico, has made significant waves in the genre of music known as Corridos Tumbados. The genre is an updated sound of traditional Mexican corridos and rancheras that sprinkles in references to contemporary youth culture.
The singer’s rise in popularity in the U.S. has been meteoric, connecting with a new generation of crossover listeners. His new album, Génesis, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
The music of Peso Pluma cuts across genres, generations, and cultures, and Los Angeles makes for the perfect backdrop for this unique style of music. We spoke to a few die-hard fans to tell us more about why they came out to support at his two-night sold-out stop at YouTube Theater in Inglewood on July 19 and 20.
Magdalena Lopez, 27, Long Beach
What brings you here today?
Peso Pluma!
Do you listen to a lot of music in Spanish?
Yes, I listen to a lot of Reggaetón.
Did you grow up listening to Mexican Regional Music? Where?
Yes, for generations. It was always around me. On car rides, everywhere in East LA.
What does it mean for you to see this genre become mainstream, especially here in the U.S.?
I’m liking it. Artists like Peso Pluma are putting it on the map. I have tías and tíos, older generations, asking me about it.
Jacob Melendez, 21, Santa Clarita
What brings you here today?
It’s my birthday. I bought it for myself.
Do you listen to a lot of music in Spanish?
I haven’t before. It’s been since last year. I wasn’t really on it but, you know, Peso Pluma brought me to the corridos and all that.
What were you listening to before? What else do you listen to?
Bad Bunny and rap, that’s it. J. Balvin.
What do you think of the fact that he’s blowing up?
It’s good to see. Mexico is close to California; we got all the Mexicans over here, so, you know, I like to see him represent the Latino community. Us too.
Guadalupe Pineda, 53, Ontario
What brings you here today?
I came to see Peso Pluma. I like him.
Do you listen to a lot of music in Spanish? Did your family listen to music in Spanish?
Yes. I always say that in my home there was la Virgen de Guadalupe and El Corrido de Camelia la Tejana. We are hardworking people and we are able to live vicariously through this music and its stories of other people’s lives.
Did you grow up listening to Mexican Regional Music? Where?
Yes, in Guadalajara, Mexico. I grew up listening to corridos. I think this is like the contemporary version of Los Tigres del Norte and Ramon Ayala. I’m happy because I like this music and now my son likes it, too. It’s brought us closer.
What does it mean for you to see this genre become mainstream, especially here in the U.S.?
I love it! It’s refreshing to give these young people importance. I have young people in my life, and I like to see them singing and enjoying the music. It’s great.
Karely Salas, 34, Veracruz, Mexico, and Edwin Torres Soto, 21, Lima Peru
What brings you here today?
Karely: Peso Pluma! Yes!
Edwin: Doble P.
What other kind of music do you listen to?
Edwin: I really listen to everything: salsa, corrido, banda.
Does your family in Peru listen to this music?
Edwin: No, they don’t listen to this there.
Does this music get played in Veracruz?
Karely: Yes, Reggaetón is more popular, but they do play this.
What does it mean for you to see this genre become mainstream, especially here in the U.S?
Karely: I think we are in different times now. The times have changed, and the music has, too. This has come to revolutionize everyone because no one ever thought that these corridos tumbados were going to be this big.
Paola Benitez, 26, Los Angeles
What brings you here today?
Peso Pluma. I have been listening to him since this year.
What do you think of the fact that he’s blowing up and artists like him are blowing up so big in this country?
I think it means a lot, especially for the Mexican community. Especially for this kind of music to be blowing up by competing with Reggaetoneros and rap songs. It means a lot to the community.
Have you always listened to this kind of music?
Yeah, I have.
Your family too?
Yeah, we’re from Sinaloa, so we’re big fans.
Nayra Martinez, 33, and Raul Barajas, 35, both of Compton
What brings you here today?
Raul: Big fans of Peso Pluma since he started. What has it been? A year ago? Something like that.
Nayra: And he’s from Jalisco.
Do you listen to a lot of Regional Music?
Raul: Yeah, all the time, all the time!
What else do you listen to?
Raul and Nayra: Rap, Hip Hop.
Did your family listen to music in Spanish?
Nayra: Yeah. Only rancheras.
Sergio Eslava, 36, Anaheim
What brings you here today?
Out here with my brother to see Peso Pluma.
Have you always listened to this kind of music? Regional, rancheras?
I’m originally from Mexico City. I’ve been listening to reggaetón for a long time but this, of course, is a new trend. It’s catchy. I’m Mexican. He represents our country. Why not!
Do you listen to a lot of music in Spanish?
I’ve been listening to Spanish music ever since I was growing up. Him, pretty much as soon as (I’m not gonna lie) the first track that hit on the radio.
What do you think of the fact that he’s blowing up like this?
If it’s his time to shine, he’s going to shine. And he’s doing an amazing job. That’s what he’s doing, he’s putting in work. I’m from Anaheim and I know he records in Anaheim, really close to where my parents live.
(Noé Montes; Assist: Elias Montes/LAist)
Maria Garcia, 45, Los Angeles
What brings you here today?
Peso Pluma, big fan. ¡Belicones!
How long have you listened to him?
Barely, maybe six months.
Did you listen to this kind of music before?
Yes. Chalino Sanchez. I grew up with this.
Your family, the kids, they’re listening to it, too?
I have a nine year old and I try to put the clean version on, but yeah, you can’t control it. It’s everywhere. You go to restaurants and it’s there. Everywhere you go the music is there, so I can’t cover my daughter’s ears.
Manuel Rodela, 32
Grew up in Wilmington. Lives in San Pedro
What brings you here today?
Peso Pluma, I got into him this year, my brother got me into him. He’s a really big fan of this style of music. Gotta support the culture.
Have you always listened to regional, rancheras?
Our family, yeah. Corridos, Antonio Aguilar.
What else do you listen to?
I listen to everything. Actually my primary stuff I listen to is heavy metal. I like reggae, reggaetón, I’m just expanding my music. My brother really got me into him [Peso Pluma]. I said, “Ok, let’s go see him.”
What do you think of the fact that it’s blowing up so fast?
I think it’s good. It shows the rest of the world that Mexicanos got talent to be on the platforms that other artists are as well. That they can carry that flag and sell out major stadiums two nights in a row. That tells you something, and I hope it opens up the way for other Mexican, other Latino artists as well, and see that “Hey man, we can do it, too.”
Tony Tony, 38, and Angelica Morales, 36, both of Lawndale
What brings you here today?
Tony: Peso Pluma. Big fans for a long time. Our family, our kids, everyone.
Do you always listen to this kind of music?
Tony: Yeah, we like all the young guys that have been coming up. Natanael Cano, JOP and them, all the young guys, Junior H.
What about back in the day? Did your folks listen to corridos?
Yeah, Chalino Sánchez and all those classics. At every party for sure.
What do you think of the fact that Peso Pluma is so popular here in the U.S.?
Angelica: I think it’s a good movement for Mexicans period, or Hispanics, that he’s blown up here in the U.S.
Tony: Yeah, it’s awesome to finally get somebody that’s being recognized worldwide, you know what I mean. Not just the Mexican region but here in the U.S., in Europe, in Argentina, everywhere. Colombia, everybody wants to work with him. It’s good for the Mexican people.
Eli Morales, 31, East LA
What brings you here today?
I brought my son to see the Peso Pluma concert. He really likes it.
Do you listen to a lot of music in Spanish? Musica regional?
Yes, always.
What do you think of Peso Pluma and artists like him getting so big in the U.S.?
Honestly, I think he’s doing really good right now. It’s something new, you know. I think there was a need in Mexican music for someone to actually put our name out there. That’s why I brought my Mexican flag, cause this guy is kind of representing out there. He’s basically No. 1 right now. What can I say, he’s been doing great right now.
Yordy Estrada, 19, Long Beach
What brings you here today?
I’m out here to see Peso Pluma, the biggest artist out here right now.
Have you been listening to him for some time?
Yeah, for a while. Before he became famous, I’ve been listening to him.
Have you always listened to this kind of music?
Oh yeah, yeah. Like corridos, corridos tumbados. I love it, you know.
Do you listen to anything else?
I listen to reggaetón and all that, too.
What about your family? Do they listen to Mexican music?
Yeah. My family is a big fan of corridos. The old corridos, too.
What do you think of the fact that he is so popular in the U.S.?
I think it’s because of his unique voice. He’s so unique. That voice is like never heard, never before.