Throughout a big convention room desk someplace contained in the bowels of the Wynn Las Vegas, the members of Grupo Frontera appeared drained.
The Tex-Mex quintet had been shuffling up and down the Las Vegas strip for eight straight hours doing media interviews within the lead-up to the Latin Grammys, held on Nov. 13 at MGM Grand Backyard Enviornment. They have been nominated twice within the regional Mexican tune class for his or her cumbia norteña tracks “Me Jalo,” a collaboration with the clamorous Mexican American band Fuerza Regida, and “Hecha Pa’ Mí,” however would lose out to Los Tigres del Norte’s “La Lotería.”
Regardless of the exhaustion, Grupo Frontera was pleased to be again in Sin Metropolis as soon as once more — a testomony to how far they’ve are available in such a short time frame.
In 2022, shortly after forming, the South Texas band confirmed up over the past Latin Grammys week held in Las Vegas, uninvited to any respectable ceremony; it’s a standard transfer by rising artists to get their title on the market and presumably rub elbows with among the largest stars and producers within the Latin music world.
“We have been simply doing all the things round it however not the [Latin] Grammys,” says lead vocalist Adelaido “Payo” Solís III. “I at all times consider that point that we got here with nothing beneath our belt.”
Grupo Frontera had already generated buzz because of their cowl of “No Se Va,” a 2018 hit by Colombian pop band Morat. Their norteño take cracked the Billboard Scorching 100 regardless of the group having no main label deal or studio album of their very own. Fame got here rapidly for them after linking up with fellow border child Edgar Barrera. The award-winning songwriter-producer (Madonna, Shakira, Karol G and The Weeknd) took the band beneath his wing after watching them carry out on the grand opening of a tire store in McAllen, Texas.
In early 2023, Barrera paired them up with Unhealthy Bunny for “Un x100to.” Backed by the accordion — a staple of borderland music for greater than a century — the trendy lovelorn cumbia about stalking an ex on Instagram and utilizing the final remaining little bit of cellphone battery to apologize broke containment, propelling Grupo Frontera into the mainstream. Per week after its launch, Unhealthy Bunny introduced Solís on stage to carry out the monitor at Coachella.
With a co-sign from the most important artist on the planet and beneath the tutelage of Barrera, Grupo Frontera rapidly cemented itself because the Texas consultant of the brand new wave of música Mexicana, turning into one of many largest gamers in a style on the cusp of dominating the worldwide streaming charts.
“The primary yr was 100% the songs, lyrics and what [Barrera] advised us to do,” stated Solis. “We didn’t actually know something concerning the music trade so to start with we simply let him information us and develop the sound he wished for us.”
The band known as Barrera their Rick Rubin, referencing the Def Jam Information co-founder who produced albums for the Purple Scorching Chili Peppers, Slayer, Run-D.M.C., Girl Gaga and many extra seminal acts.
Since then, Grupo Frontera has put out three full-length albums and 4 EPs, amassing three Latin Grammys within the course of — they received for Regional Mexican tune in 2023 (“Un x100to”) and 2024 (“El Amor de su Vida” a collab with Grupo Firme), and Norteño album in 2023 for his or her debut studio album, “El Comienzo,” which peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard 200.
Their most up-to-date LP, “Lo Que Me Falta Por Llorar” (launched Oct. 23), is a mix of basic cumbias norteñas (the bouncy, heart-torn “Que Bueno Que Te Fuiste”), swaying Tejano songs (“Si me Quiere”) and a hip-churning huapango (“Quien la Manda”). It additionally leans into different widespread Latin genres, with strands of reggaetón in “No Lo Ves” (that includes Ozuna) and lure flare in “Triste Pero Bien C—,” (that includes rapper Myke Towers).
“It’s like ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears,’ fame,” stated Solís. “The primary [album] was too small, the second was too massive, and this one was good.”
In November, Grupo Frontera acquired their first two Grammy nominations for his or her joint EP “Mala Mia” with Fuerza Regida, and a solo EP titled “Y Lo Que Viene.” The band was notified earlier than performing on the Grand Ole Opry, marking one more milestone because it turned the primary regional Mexican group to play on the iconic Nashville venue.
There’s an ongoing guess inside the group: If Grupo Frontera wins an American Grammy, Juan Javier Cantu, the group’s accordion participant and secondary vocalist, will tattoo a gramophone someplace on his particular person. It’s a giant deal given his apprehension towards physique artwork.
All different band members, which additionally embrace congas participant Julian Peña Jr., bajo quinto participant Alberto “Beto” Acosta and drummer Carlos Guerrero, have already got a gramophone tattoo to signify their Latin Grammy victories to this point. They’re an costly behavior, Solís famous, pointing to Acosta, whose neck and arms are coated in ink, as proof.
“ I believe Beto’s physique is price greater than his watches,” he stated.
“He’s nugatory,” Cantu chimed in. Confused, I requested if he as an alternative meant “priceless.”
“No, he meant nugatory,” Guerrero jokingly interjects, inflicting the group to jolt in roaring laughter. Teasing apart, there may be an unequivocal sense of respect and appreciation for each other. All through the interview, the band members busted one another’s chops, throwing within the occasional “Te amo, compadre!”
“We need to at all times be the 5 of us, nevertheless lengthy the group lasts,” stated Cantu, who admits he’s probably the most sentimental of the bunch. “We’ve had our variations however there’s by no means been a second the place somebody desires to go away [the band].”
The newest album comes at a pivotal time for the Texas band, which will embark on its worldwide “Triste Pero Bien C—” tour subsequent yr. Not all the things about their meteoric rise has been rosy.
Earlier this yr in a now-deleted TikTok video, Grupo Frontera seemed to be dancing to the Village Individuals’s “Y.M.C.A.,” a tune related to Donald Trump’s rallies since a minimum of 2020. Different movies of Solis’ grandparents dancing to the tune whereas holding voting stickers circulated on-line, prompting many spectators to surprise if the members have been Trump supporters.
“No means, I don’t suppose individuals will consider that! It didn’t occur,” Solis first advised himself when he noticed the rumors start to unfold on-line.
“It’s like when you’re slightly child and your mother asks you, ‘Who did this?’ You realize you didn’t do something however they blame you for it, however your mother is aware of you didn’t do it,” added Solis. “That’s a little bit of how we have been feeling in the mean time.”
Shortly after the social media frenzy, Grupo Frontera was named as a headliner for the Sueños music pageant in Chicago, inciting backlash amongst many attendees. One particular person on-line created a petition for its removing from the lineup on Change.org.
The rising onslaught of criticism prompted the band to reply, posting a message on its social media platforms on Feb. 7 and once more on Feb. 22 stating that Grupo Frontera had “no affiliation, nor any alliance, with any political social gathering that’s in opposition to immigrants and the Latino group.”
The statements got here at a fraught political second for a lot of within the Latino group. Trump, who has vehemently focused immigrant teams, had simply been sworn into workplace for his second time period and was promising to conduct “the biggest mass deportation in U.S. historical past.” Many political consultants additionally pointed to the Latino vote swaying towards Trump.
“Our music is to make love, join individuals by the border, not the alternative,” Cantu stated. “Why would we get entangled in one thing that’s significantly damaging households?”
Solis hoped to clear the air on the subject as soon as and for all, and transfer ahead from the social media rumors.
“Any one that is in opposition to our individuals and who’s harming our individuals, not simply our Mexican group however all Latinos, we don’t help that,” he stated. “Not simply the president, however anyone.”
The band members say they’ve realized a number of key classes from this expertise. For one, they’ve continued to indicate up the place they consider counts probably the most, within the communities they maintain expensive to their coronary heart. In March, when flash floods impacted Reynosa, Mexico, the border metropolis throughout from the river from the Rio Grande Valley, the group delivered help to help impacted people. The band additionally donated a portion of all proceeds from its shock EP “Y Lo Que Viene” to frontline organizations within the wake of the continuing immigration raids focusing on Los Angeles since June.
“When it comes from the center, individuals really feel it and understand it,” Cantu stated.
“That’s how this dream started with us 5, we wished to make music that was totally different from what individuals have been listening to, [music] that made sense and that everybody who’s of their properties can unite over a tune,” stated Cantu. “[We want to hear ] a child say, ‘I need to hearken to ‘No Capea’’ and his grandfather too!”
One might assume that such on-line rumors would weigh on the psychological well being of every member, maybe frustrate them to no avail, however the group has made peace with the concept that some people will proceed to query the group’s intentions.
“However we perceive individuals which are annoyed and need to take out their anger in the direction of somebody, nobody desires to see [their favorite artist] supporting somebody who’s in opposition to the group,” stated Cantu. “However we’re with you.”
Whereas largely quiet throughout the complete interview, Peña, who usually delivers the group’s tagline on the finish of each tune (“Y esto es Grupo Frontera!”), lifted up his sleepy gaze from the desk to ship one last assertion of the afternoon: “There’s a saying, that what one doesn’t owe, one doesn’t concern.”
