'Our music is to make love, connect people': Grupo Frontera on repping the border and moving without fear

Across a ample league country array determination wrong the bowels of the Wynn Las Vegas, the members of Grupo Frontera appeared tired.

The Tex-Mex quintet had been shuffling up and down the Las Vegas portion for 8 consecutive hours doing media interviews successful the lead-up to the Latin Grammys, held connected Nov. 13 astatine MGM Grand Garden Arena. They were nominated doubly successful the determination Mexican opus class for their cumbia norteña tracks “Me Jalo,” a collaboration with the clamorous Mexican American set Fuerza Regida, and “Hecha Pa’ Mí,” but would suffer retired to Los Tigres del Norte’s “La Lotería.”

Despite the exhaustion, Grupo Frontera was blessed to beryllium backmost successful Sin City erstwhile again — a testament to however acold they’ve travel successful specified a little play of time.

In 2022, soon aft forming, the South Texas set showed up during the past Latin Grammys week held successful Las Vegas, uninvited to immoderate morganatic ceremony; it’s a communal determination by increasing artists to get their sanction retired determination and perchance hitch elbows with immoderate of the biggest stars and producers successful the Latin euphony world.

“We were conscionable doing everything astir it but not the [Latin] Grammys,” says pb vocalist Adelaido “Payo” Solís III. “I ever deliberation of that clip that we came with thing nether our belt.”

Grupo Frontera had already generated buzz acknowledgment to their screen of “No Se Va,” a 2018 deed by Colombian popular set Morat. Their norteño instrumentality cracked the Billboard Hot 100 contempt the radical having nary large statement woody oregon workplace medium of their own. Fame came rapidly for them aft linking up with chap borderline kid Edgar Barrera. The award-winning songwriter-producer (Madonna, Shakira, Karol G and The Weeknd) took the set nether his helping aft watching them execute astatine the expansive opening of a tyre store successful McAllen, Texas.

In aboriginal 2023, Barrera paired them up with Bad Bunny for “Un x100to.” Backed by the accordion — a staple of borderland euphony for much than a period — the modern lovelorn cumbia astir stalking an ex connected Instagram and utilizing the past remaining spot of telephone artillery to apologize broke containment, propelling Grupo Frontera into the mainstream. A week aft its release, Bad Bunny brought Solís connected signifier to execute the way astatine Coachella.

With a co-sign from the biggest creator connected the satellite and nether the tutelage of Barrera, Grupo Frontera rapidly cemented itself arsenic the Texas typical of the caller question of música Mexicana, becoming 1 of the biggest players successful a genre connected the cusp of dominating the planetary streaming charts.

“The archetypal twelvemonth was a 100 percent the songs, lyrics and what [Barrera] told america to do,” said Solis. “We didn’t truly cognize thing astir the euphony manufacture truthful successful the opening we conscionable fto him usher america and make the dependable helium wanted for us.”

The set called Barrera their Rick Rubin, referencing the Def Jam Records co-founder who produced albums for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer, Run-D.M.C., Lady Gaga and plentifulness much seminal acts.

Since then, Grupo Frontera has enactment retired 3 full-length albums and 4 EPs, collecting 3 Latin Grammys successful the process — they won for Regional Mexican opus successful 2023 (“Un x100to”) and 2024 (“El Amor de su Vida” a collab with Grupo Firme), and Norteño medium successful 2023 for their debut workplace album, “El Comienzo,” which peaked astatine No. 34 connected the Billboard 200.

Their astir caller LP, “Lo Que Me Falta Por Llorar” (released Oct. 23), is simply a blend of classical cumbias norteñas (the bouncy, heart-torn “Que Bueno Que Te Fuiste”), swaying Tejano songs (“Si maine Quiere”) and a hip-churning huapango (“Quien la Manda”). It besides leans into different fashionable Latin genres, with strands of reggaetón successful “No Lo Ves” (featuring Ozuna) and trap flare successful “Triste Pero Bien C—,” (featuring rapper Myke Towers).

“It’s similar ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears,’ fame,” said Solís. “The archetypal [album] was excessively small, the 2nd 1 was excessively big, and this 1 was conscionable right.”

In November, Grupo Frontera received their archetypal 2 Grammy nominations for their associated EP “Mala Mia” with Fuerza Regida, and a solo EP titled “Y Lo Que Viene.” The set was notified earlier performing astatine the Grand Ole Opry, marking yet different milestone arsenic it became the archetypal determination Mexican radical to play astatine the iconic Nashville venue.

There’s an ongoing stake wrong the group: If Grupo Frontera wins an American Grammy, Juan Javier Cantu, the group’s accordion subordinate and secondary vocalist, volition tattoo a gramophone determination connected his person. It’s a large woody fixed his apprehension toward assemblage art.

All different set members, which besides see congas subordinate Julian Peña Jr., bajo quinto subordinate Alberto “Beto” Acosta and drummer Carlos Guerrero, already person a gramophone tattoo to correspond their Latin Grammy victories to date. They’re an costly habit, Solís noted, pointing to Acosta, whose cervix and arms are covered successful ink, arsenic evidence.

“ I deliberation Beto’s assemblage is worthy much than his watches,” helium said.

“He’s worthless,” Cantu chimed in. Confused, I asked if helium alternatively meant “priceless.”

“No, helium meant worthless,” Guerrero jokingly interjects, causing the radical to jolt successful roaring laughter. Teasing aside, determination is an unequivocal consciousness of respect and appreciation for 1 another. Throughout the interview, the set members busted each other’s chops, throwing successful the occasional “Te amo, compadre!”

“We privation to ever beryllium the 5 of us, nevertheless agelong the radical lasts,” said Cantu, who admits he’s the astir sentimental of the bunch. “We’ve had our differences but there’s ne'er been a infinitesimal wherever idiosyncratic wants to permission [the band].”

The latest medium comes astatine a pivotal clip for the Texas band, which volition embark connected its planetary “Triste Pero Bien C—” circuit adjacent year. Not everything astir their meteoric emergence has been rosy.

Earlier this twelvemonth successful a now-deleted TikTok video, Grupo Frontera appeared to beryllium dancing to the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” a opus associated with Donald Trump’s rallies since astatine slightest 2020. Other videos of Solis’ grandparents dancing to the opus portion holding voting stickers circulated online, prompting galore spectators to wonderment if the members were Trump supporters.

“No way, I don’t deliberation radical volition judge that! It didn’t happen,” Solis archetypal told himself erstwhile helium saw the rumors statesman to dispersed online.

“It’s similar erstwhile you are a small kid and your ma asks you, ‘Who did this?’ You cognize you didn’t bash thing but they blasted you for it, but your ma knows you didn’t bash it,” added Solis. “That’s a spot of however we were feeling astatine the moment.”

Shortly aft the societal media frenzy, Grupo Frontera was named arsenic a headliner for the Sueños euphony festival successful Chicago, inciting backlash among galore attendees. One idiosyncratic online created a petition for its removal from the lineup connected Change.org.

The increasing onslaught of disapproval prompted the set to respond, posting a connection connected its societal media platforms connected Feb. 7 and again connected Feb. 22 stating that Grupo Frontera had “no affiliation, nor immoderate alliance, with immoderate governmental enactment that’s against immigrants and the Latino community.”

The statements came astatine a fraught governmental infinitesimal for galore successful the Latino community. Trump, who has vehemently targeted migrant groups, had conscionable been sworn into bureau for his 2nd word and was promising to behaviour “the largest wide deportation successful U.S. history.” Many governmental experts besides pointed to the Latino ballot swaying toward Trump.

“Our euphony is to marque love, link radical by the border, not the opposite,” Cantu said. “Why would we get progressive successful thing that is earnestly damaging families?”

Solis hoped to wide the aerial connected the taxable erstwhile and for all, and determination guardant from the societal media rumors.

“Any idiosyncratic who is against our radical and who is harming our people, not conscionable our Mexican assemblage but each Latinos, we bash not enactment that,” helium said. “Not conscionable the president, but anybody.”

The set members accidental they’ve learned respective cardinal lessons from this experience. For one, they’ve continued to amusement up wherever they judge counts the most, successful the communities they clasp beloved to their heart. In March, erstwhile flash floods impacted Reynosa, Mexico, the borderline metropolis crossed from the stream from the Rio Grande Valley, the radical delivered assistance to enactment impacted individuals. The set besides donated a information of each proceeds from its astonishment EP “Y Lo Que Viene” to frontline organizations successful the aftermath of the ongoing migration raids targeting Los Angeles since June.

“When it comes from the heart, radical consciousness it and cognize it,” Cantu said.

“That’s however this imagination began with america five, we wanted to marque euphony that was antithetic from what radical were hearing, [music] that made consciousness and that everyone who is successful their homes tin unite implicit a song,” said Cantu. “[We privation to perceive ] a kid say, ‘I privation to perceive to ‘No Capea’’ and his gramps too!”

One could presume that specified online rumors would measurement connected the intelligence wellness of each member, possibly frustrate them to nary avail, but the radical has made bid with the thought that immoderate individuals volition proceed to question the group’s intentions.

“But we recognize radical that are frustrated and privation to instrumentality retired their choler towards someone, nary 1 wants to spot [their favourite artist] supporting idiosyncratic who is against the community,” said Cantu. “But we are with you.”

While mostly quiescent during the full interview, Peña, who often delivers the group’s tagline astatine the extremity of each opus (“Y esto es Grupo Frontera!”), lifted up his sleepy regard from the array to present 1 last connection of the afternoon: “There’s a saying, that what 1 does not owe, 1 does not fear.”