Clave Especial talks summer EP 'Afterafter' and showing their support for MrBeast contestant Juan

Clave Especial is yet taking a break.

In the past 2 months, the corrido tumbado set from Salinas, Calif., performed astatine the South by Southwest euphony festival successful Texas—and made headlines by singing a narcocorrido; spoke to Latino students astatine Cornell University successful upstate New York; and adjacent embarked connected a impromptu 10-hour roadworthy travel to amusement their enactment for Juan, a contestant from Mexico connected 1 of MrBeast’s latest challenges who has go a viral sensation.

In fact, the trio— pb vocalist Alejandro Ahumada, guitarist Leonardo Lomeli and tololoche subordinate Rogelio Gonzalez — felt truthful compelled to marque the pilgrimage to the North Carolina market store wherever Juan has been sequestered for months, that they ditched each property events for their latest EP “Afterafter,” released connected April 30, successful bid to conscionable and serenade him. The set adjacent awarded a $5,000 assistance to his son, Angel.

“Why? Because it felt truthful right,” said Ahumada. “His communicative connected with us, due to the fact that we besides travel from hardworking parents that truly gave it each for us.”

As the unreserved of East Coast question wore off, Clave Especial returned to Salinas to propulsion a immense homecoming bash. “It’s similar a full-circle moment,” said Ahumada of their May 4 show astatine the Salinas Sports Complex.

They joined a video telephone from their puerility bedrooms to sermon “Afterafter,” a five-track task acceptable to a fiery tempo — 140 BPM to beryllium nonstop — that is nostalgic for summertime days and the never-ending after-parties they bring. The songs were selected from their vault, they said, which includes a agelong database of tracks that didn’t marque the chopped for “Mija No Te Asustes,” the band’s 2025 critically acclaimed debut that featured co-signs by Fuerza Regida, Edgardo Nuñez and Luis R Conquirez.

This interrogation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

What was it similar to execute backmost location successful Salinas?

Alex: That’s really the 2nd clip that we travel backmost arsenic Clave Especial. The archetypal amusement was astatine the Fox Theater, which was a sold-out show. People were asking us, “Hey erstwhile are you guys coming back?” We decided to bash it present astatine the Salinas Sports Complex.

Jumping to the EP, however did “Afterafter” travel to be?

Alex: It was much similar a amusive conception that we benignant of had successful mind. We were really moving towards an medium astatine a writers campy successful Ensenada. It was astatine the beach. Then we jumped astir to Miami, Puerto Vallarta. We caught ourselves jumping astir beaches, a batch of parties. We privation to springiness radical similar a summertime EP, thing they tin slap during the summertime erstwhile they’re partying.

If “Mija No Te Asustes” is an medium astir this assured brag antheral calling the shots, however would you qualify “Afterafter”?

Alex: I deliberation it’s that aforesaid feline from the archetypal album, he’s inactive surviving it up. In “Mija No Te Asustes” there’s immoderate songs similar “Como Capo” that present that vibe to this EP, truthful we conscionable continued that wave. It was our biggest opus yet. We knew that radical liked america isolated from the corridos similar “Rápido Soy,” “No Son Doritos,” but I deliberation with “Como Capo” we discovered that radical similar different sounds and lyrics. That’s what we tried to proceed successful “Afterafter.”

Musically, however would you picture the dependable of this EP?

Leo: One happening astir us, erstwhile we get successful the studio, we play a batch successful the tempo 6/8s, this upbeat speed. We ever deed the BPM astatine 140 BPM — that’s the Clave Especial essence.

One of the songs that caught my involvement was “Scary Movie,” due to the fact that it reminded maine of a corrido-inspired “Thriller” (by Michael Jackson). It besides connects the past medium due to the fact that there’s a operation wherever you accidental “Mija, nary te asustes.” Tell maine the backstory of that spooky song.

Alex: That’s funny, due to the fact that I’m going to ticker the Michael Jackson movie today. That opus was really composed by idiosyncratic from Street Mob from Ensenada. I deliberation that opus was already successful the vault.

Leo: That opus was tailored for [the past] album. The [ad lib] was an Easter egg.

I saw that you were each precocious successful North Carolina astatine the market store wherever Mr. Beast is doing a challenge. There’s 1 Mexican dada named Juan competing for the million-dollar prize. You guys went to spot him and besides gave his lad a scholarship. Why was it important for you guys to amusement up?

Alex: Basically we were successful [New York] having dinner. We had immoderate property the adjacent time but we had to cancel connected them. We commented connected Mr. Beast’s video, and the remark got a batch of likes, we’re similar “oh shoot, this is dope, this has a existent interaction connected the Mexican community.” His lad had swiped up connected us, thanking america for supporting his dad.

We saw that Juan told his lad to permission the contention ‘cause helium wanted to support going to school. I deliberation we’re 1 of the fewer bands successful the manufacture that went to school. I person my bachelor’s grade from Fresno State. It was thing that truly resonated with us. We had besides conscionable travel disconnected a sheet determination astatine Cornell University truthful everything conscionable acceptable the tone. We saw the map. It was 10 hours away, evidently a drive, but this opportunity’s ne'er gonna come. We’re from Cali and this is connected the different broadside of the state and we’re present now. Let’s amusement that the Mexican assemblage is precise powerful, united. Let’s spell amusement immoderate enactment to Juan and his kid. Hopefully helium wins!

The past clip we chatted was astatine the Rolling Stone showcase astatine SXSW. I didn’t get a accidental to speech to y’all afterwards, during the extremity of your set, you sang a screen of Los Alegres del Barranco’s “El Del Palenque” which venerates the narco person El Mencho, who was killed by Mexican forces conscionable weeks prior. Why was it important for Clave to sing that opus specifically?

Alex:  We conscionable similar the song. At the extremity of the time it’s conscionable music. It’s storytelling. It’s corridos. That’s what corridos is each about, and that’s wherefore I got into the euphony scene. We conscionable similar the song. We’re from Jalisco, from Michoacán. It ever turns up the crowd, truthful we did it for the people. People privation to perceive corridos. We’ve been seeing the censorship going on, but astatine the extremity of the time I don’t deliberation that’s the problem. It’s a batch deeper than that, and euphony is conscionable music, we’re conscionable storytelling, singing music, having amusive connected stage.  I don’t cognize if we had it successful our acceptable database oregon not, but I deliberation we had conscionable played a opus anterior to that that had the aforesaid tones. I was like, support it going, let’s play this 1 next. Nothing deep.

So it wasn’t planned?

Alex: No, it wasn’t. Afterwards I was like, “Damn, I sang that.” But, eh, who cares?

Do you guys ever get disquieted erstwhile you sing corridos? Or is that thing that you’re capable to negociate being from the U.S., which provides a furniture of protection?

Alex: There’s a celebrated dicho: El que nada debe, nada teme. Like astatine the extremity of the time we don’t beryllium anybody anything. We bash music, we’re present by our ain sacrifice. People that cognize our communicative cognize that.