Advertisement

Edgar Alejandro wanted to sing música romántica blended with jazz. His mariachi parents had notes

Edgar Alejandro knows the challenges of the music industry thanks to his mariachi parents. He’s finding his way by blending mariachi, jazz and bossa nova.

Musician Edgar Alejandro fuses mariachi with jazz and bossa nova.
(Brian Camargo)
Share via

For more than a year, Edgar Alejandro left his song “A Tu Lado” in the drafts folder of his phone, unsure of what the public would make of the mariachi and jazz fusion.

At the time, corridos tumbados were dominating the música Mexicana airwares. But here, Alejandro had written and composed a romantic ballad with soft strings descending like falling leaves, with the piano dancing around his warm tone. His voice breaks the surface with a breathy, smoldering whisper.

“No creía en el destino, hasta que te conocí,” Alejandro softly sings a Juan Gabriel classic.

The song flutters with the levity of a bolero. Alejandro is adamant that it’s a blend of románticas con mariachi meets jazz.

Advertisement

In 2023, the Los Angeles musician released the ballad from his drafts and shared his music with the world. Now, Alejandro is heading out on tour next month to introduce a new generation to a genre of music that harkens to Mexican love songs from a bygone era.

Música Mexicana has been pushed into the mainstream over the last five years by Gen Z and millennial Latino audiences. Here’s a guide on the genre’s essential instruments, where to find the best música Mexicana-themed parties, where to shop for the perfect vaquero outfit and more.

Sept. 19, 2024

Alejandro, 23, knows he’s speaking to a niche audience with his music.

“When people think of mariachi, sometimes they think, ‘Ah, that’s just for old people,’ ” Alejandro said in a recent Zoom call from home.

But Alejandro is attempting to reinterpret mariachi con románticas for a new, younger crowd much like Luis Miguel, who reintroduced American audiences to bolero, Cristian Castro with his blend of Latin ballad, or Christian Nodal, who mixed mariachi and norte?o music.

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Alejandro arrived in Los Angeles when he was 3 years old. Both his parents are professional mariachis and filled their home in northeast Los Angeles with José Alfredo Jimenez, Vicente Fernández, Javier Solis and Pedro Infante.

Unsigned and self-produced, Alejandro wrote and released music of his own in 2021. He started gaining followers and fans online, but then things cooled off.

“I saw the little peek of what my music was going to give to me,” he said.

He poured more of himself into his artistry, hiring backup musicians and paying for studio recording sessions. But the mounting pressure of rising costs and no surefire hit left him stressed.

Advertisement

“I would cry,” Alejandro recalled. “I thought I made a bad decision because as much as I love music, there was no money coming in.”

At the time, his dad was trying to steer his career in other directions. Adrián Pérez plays trumpet full time and worried that his son would struggle to find success. He knew how tough it could be in the industry and did not want that for his son.

Still, Pérez tried his best to prepare his son for working in the industry.

“Le decimos que tenga cuidado con quien se rodea,” Pérez said. (Translation: We tell him to be careful about whom he surrounds himself with.)

What’s clear is that Alejandro has the ache in his voice that’s reminiscent of forlorn romantics like Pepe Aguilar and the timbre of Miguel. “?Porque Regresas?” features soaring strings and his voice. “Soy Yo” is a song that dips into bossa nova — the sound of a trumpet accompanies the percussion and lyrics. And music lovers are listening.

Alejandro drew sold-out crowds at his August shows in San Francisco and at the Paramount in Boyle Heights. He started to see his online views climb. While his violinist mother, Maria Alfaro, had the same worry as his father about her son entering the music industry, she wasn’t surprised that he was able to captivate an audience.

“Siempre lo miré que tenía el don,” Alfaro said. “Le gustaba mucho el cantar y lo que yo veía era que no le daba vergüenza cantar delante de la gente.” (Translation: I always saw that he had the gift. He loved singing a lot and what I saw was that he was not ashamed to sing in front of people.)

Advertisement

And others are starting to take note. Earlier this year, the Icelandic Chinese vocalist Laufey, responsible for nurturing a love of jazz standards among Gen Z, played “A Tu Lado” in a TikTok post where she posed in an elegant dress and stylish shoes. For Alejandro, it was a moment of pride.

Looking back, Alejandro is not sure why he held on to the song for so long. Call it a gut feeling.

“I’m very much a believer in God’s timing,” he said. “I think it happened when it had to happen.”

This interview was edited for length and clarity.

What type of music did your parents listen to when you were growing up?

I grew up on José José, Juan Gabriel and Los Panchos. You know, that classic Mexican stuff. But it was just rooted so deep into my family because we’re musicians. That’s where that influence comes from, and I think you can kind of hear it in my music. It’s that nostalgic feel from before, but in a modern way. We listened to Los Angeles Negros. They were also a big influence.

Advertisement

Were you trying to bring up this older music with your friends in school?

While my friends were listening to Freddy Wap, early years of Travis Scott and Drake, I was like, “Yeah, you know, there’s this song by Juan Gabriel that’s really good, you know?” I was like that one dude. I mean I’ve always loved modern music, but I would start putting all my friends onto older music.

How would you describe the type of kid you were, growing up?

Honestly, I’ve always been super-outgoing. In middle school and one year of high school, I was in mariachi. I’m not gonna lie, my English wasn’t that good. I think like two or three years ago my English started getting better. It was kind of broken at times. I would mispronounce a lot of words. I was the kid who would get his report card and it would say that he wouldn’t stop talking.

When was the first time that you felt comfortable singing in front of people who were not your family?

Well, my mom put me in two or three contests. So I guess the first contest was when I was like 10 or 11. Prior to that, I’ve always [sung at] family parties. I’ve always felt comfortable because at a super-young age I had the mindset that people are expecting you to not be shy or nervous when singing.

Advertisement

Do you remember what song it was?

Oh, yeah, it was “La ni?a de la mochila azul” and it’s a classic Pedro Fernandez song. It’s a song that little kids sing. I remember that ... my parents would just pay attention to one note. And even now, they’ll say after I perform, “Yeah, it was good, but you seem a little flat in this one part, right here, just right there.” Since they’re musicians they hear it. But to a regular person they’ll say, “Oh my God, he was perfect.”

What is your state of mind now with your career and what does success look like?

The ball started rolling with “A Tu Lado,” and then once “?Porque Regresas?” started making movement in my career, I was like, “Yeah, this is the route, I gotta keep going.” You just got to be truthful to your roots and just do the music that you want to create, the lyrics that you want to make. I’m not gonna say we’re in the best economical place I could be in terms of money, but I do not feel that pressure anymore. I feel like this thing is like a bomb and it’s only a matter of time where it’s just gonna explode and everything’s gonna fall into place. I get to interact with the crowds at shows. The L.A. show was super-organic. We could have done a second show, but we only wanted to do one show because we kind of wanted to create FOMO.

Alejandro will be on tour in November, with stops in Phoenix, San Diego, Houston, Dallas, Chicago and New York City.

Advertisement
seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
mfhoudan.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
jerusalemdispatch.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
worldhealthstory.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
techguroh.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com