Mexican Music Revolution: The Rise of Carín León

2023-12-14 20:06:23

Carin León “celebrates” on stage.(VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)

The Mexican artist Carín León is living the best moment of his career and, excluding the days in which his children were born, also the best of his life. The most notable thing is that everything is a product of the way in which he has approached his artistic career since he was 15 years old. Step by step, with irreverence and intelligence, he has become an artist who is much more than a fad. The proof has been his spectacular 2023, in which he has released two albums (the best urban style) and even became the first exponent of the genre (who does not do lying down) to appear on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jimmy Fallon .

“Music is generous. If you make it out of love and respect, it returns it to you with success and money,” said León, 34, in an interview with Yahoo Life and Style. “I believe in that so much that I only focus on the present, on maintaining the passion and joy for what I do. On enjoying the journey.”

Enjoying is what you are doing and the joy remains 100%. She is fulfilling the dream not only of her adolescence, but of her ancestors. Her maternal family, the Huez, is a hotbed of musicians, although only he has dedicated himself to it professionally.

Without gag

The revolution in the Mexican regional genre – a term that exasperates her, by the way – that Carín León has promoted does not only involve music. There is a lot of that, but it starts with his way of being. Although he has never followed the rules of the music industry game, his success has completely removed the gag of saying the right thing. An example of this is how he has recognized his consumption of prohibited substances. “Of respect one or another, a little mushroom, a little pill, but everything kind, but as long as, I am a person who is focused on work, the net I can be in that, but I really like my job,” mentioned in an interview reproduced by La Tribuna de México.

In its its recent appearance In the Spanish program ‘La Resistencia’, he not only told how much money he has and what he spends it on, but also revealed the estimated prices in the market. From a 1968 Dodge Charger valued at more than $80,000, to a Mercedes Benz G Class valued at $144,444. The collection, which is stored in a warehouse in Hermosillo, also includes a 1965 Shelby Cobra, a 1964 Chevrolet Impala, a 1997 Camaro, a 1997 Toyota Supra, a 1959 Buick Invicta, a Lincoln Navigator and a Dodge Durango STR pickup truck. , among others.

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“If you’re not yourself and you don’t say what you think, what’s the joke?” he asked. The same applies to his songs and his interactions with the press. His flag speaks of authenticity at all costs.

Oscar’s de Hermosillo

Óscar Armando Díaz De León Huez was born on January 26, 1989 in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, into the family created by Oscar Díaz de León and Carmen Julia Huez. His brother Kevin has made music with him, although in an amateur way.

Since childhood, Oscarin showed a deep interest in music. He grew up listening to the greats of the genre, such as Vicente Fernández and Antonio Aguilar, whose songs and styles would profoundly influence his own artistic development. For the lyrics, he points out the Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez as one of his influences. This early exposure to Latin American music spurred him to experiment with various subgenres, including mariachi, norteño, banda, blues and more.

He has passed that musical heritage on to his children. Carín León is the father of two boys. He rarely talks about them, although he sometimes posts videos on social media.

The stage name comes from that childhood nickname of Oscarin, like this, without accent and with echoes of that childish joy and passion that protects at every step.

The tickling of music

Music as a profession was an idea that grew little by little. “We started playing guitar in high school and it was almost by force that we picked up the guitar, there was a teacher who came from Bacerac (a nearby town) and formed a small group as a Sierreño, at that time I had that desire to make music, I had never I did nothing and I went and got involved with them, we had a wedding commitment, the first one we played, and after 15 days they took the teacher on exchange and he was the one who played the guitar, I had to hurry up to play the guitar in 15 days,” he said.

Los Reales, the name of the band, was dedicated to playing at local parties and events and was improving. In 2010 he created his own band: Grupo Arranke—known for their version of ‘Athrough the glass’ where he not only served as vocalist and bass guitarist, he was also in charge of administrative matters.

Meanwhile, he entered university to study music, but “I’m very crazy and it didn’t help me to have to adapt my style to what they were teaching me. Even the teachers said that it was better for me to follow my destiny,” he said.

Carín León, the soloist

At the beginning of 2018, Carín León goes solo with a new version of ‘A Través Del Vaso’. His voice and innovative musical style captured the attention of the music industry. Still, he refused to go fully into the system and created his own company which he called Tamarindo Records, which closed in 2022. “I walk at my own pace, that’s why I liked releasing my music by myself,” he recalled.

Then came his version of ‘La Boda Del Huitlacoche’, which made him a star. In 2022 he received his first Latin Grammy nomination in the category of “Best Regional Mexican Song” for his collaboration on the song ‘Como lo did yo’, alongside Matisse.

Carín León became one of the favorites of the young public and a king of social networks. Today, he is one of the Mexican artists More popular in TikTok.

His most recent album ‘Colmillo de Leche’ is the culmination of his entire life in music. His 18 songs “are my most intimate face” and he fuses his essence with other genres. In addition to collaborations with Pablo Alborán, Ángela Aguilar and Camilo.

The songs on ‘Colmillo de leche’ combine Mexican rhythms with soul, flamenco, pop and salsa, an experiment as novel as it is risky, which turned out very well. The album earned him this year’s Latin Grammy in the category of Best Northern Album.

In addition, he paid for the music of the city where he was born and shaped him. “95% of the musicians on this album are from Sonora, and those who are not, are from other parts but live in Hermosillo,” said to Billboard upon releasing it.

And one of his great loves is his city. “What I am experiencing is very beautiful, but to date I do not want to leave Hermosillo, I love my city, and it is like a place that continues to preserve many traditions and at the same time also adopts new customs, many new things to experience “near the border we adopt a lot of American things and that is also reflected in our music,” he said.

His talent and vision have earned him the appreciation of many colleagues. Initially he opened the door to collaborations within the Mexican regional and then outside the genre. His song ‘According to whom’, with Maluma, is currently the number 1 Spanish video on YouTube’s global list.

“Carín is one of those authentic artists who adapts to any style and has an ethic as strong as his party side. He is the perfect partner,” he told Yahoo Life and Style Jesús Navarro, from Reik. León and the Mexican trio released their pop song ‘El Correct’ in October.

The Venezuelans Mau and Ricky, who invited him to sing “Hands Cold”, pointed out that he “is one of those artists who really love music and do not worry too much about numbers and trends, such as those that are a fashion. He is a “a musician’s musician. He’s in it for the art and that’s why he’s free to play and experiment.”

That feeling was expressed by artists like Pepe Aguilar, who accompanied him on stage for the first time during his concert on Prime Music night, at Latin Grammy Week 2023, in Seville. A day later, videos of León, Aguilar and his children and other musicians singing Mexican music in a restaurant could be seen on the networks. It’s hard to think of a greater seal of approval than that for a Mexican artist.

The second album of the year

“U.V.V. Vol. 8” (Urge Valer V3rg@), Carín León’s new live album came out this week and is part of a Christmas tradition. It sounds like a very intentional and very end-of-the-year album. “We want to dance and dance to all those who love partying, but above all music,” said the artist in the promotional statement.

It is a compilation of some unreleased songs and covers of hits that are already part of music history, and that are part of his life. The novelty is that it was recorded in Colombia, where it has been received with fanfare and open doors. The 18-song production features powerful collaborations such as “Nos extrañó” with Banda MS, “Una noche tumba” with Mariano Barba, and “Fuerza” with El Fantasma, as well as several songs with Hijos de Barrón and Remmy Valenzuela.