Whether it’s Latin pop, reggaeton, or regional Mexican, it’s a male-dominated Latin music industry out there, but more and more women are stepping in and taking charge.
Billboard has compiled a list of women in the Regional Mexican genre that you should keep on your radar. From newcomer Lupita Infante to Latin Grammy winner Chiquis and beyond, check out the list below.
Adriana Ríos
Hailing from Tijuana, Mexico, Adriana Rios is one to watch in the regional Mexican realm. The singer-songwriter, who’s making the rounds with her two singles “Ya No Me Importa” and “Hoy Dame El Gusto,” is signed to AfinArte Music and has already shared the stage with Latin music titans such as Los Ángeles Azules, Julio Preciado, Aleks Syntek and Pancho Barraza. Last year, Rios’ “Esta En Ti” (It’s In You)” won best quarantine-inspired song in a Billboard fan poll.
Angela Aguilar
The daughter of Pepe Aguilar and granddaughter of regional Mexican legends Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre, Aguilar is making a name for herself thanks to her contemporary take on traditional mariachi and norteño sounds. The Mexican-American singer released her first album Primero Soy Mexicana in 2018, which received a Latin Grammy nomination for best ranchero/mariachi album at the 19th annual awards ceremony. Most recently, she released her highly anticipated collab with Christian Nodal “Dime Como Quieres,” which peaked at No. 8 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart (dated Dec. 4, 2020).
Ashley Acosta
After forming part of different talent search reality shows, trying to get her foot in showbusiness, Houston-based Ashley Acosta was crowned winner of Estrella TV’s Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento 24th season. Not only did Acosta win the show’s first-ever all-female competition but also split the first place $100,000 grand prize with Tallahassee singer Viririana “Viry” Sandoval. Acosta’s vocals are deep and powerful, all while staying truthful to Regional Mexican’s essence.
Carolina Ross
Ross stepped into the spotlight after winning third place on La Voz Mexico in 2013. She then began cultivating her fanbase with attractive ballads and ranchera covers. After being discovered by indie record label Cima Music Group and dropping her EP Buena Señal in 2018, Ross toured with Camila and Sin Banderas’ 4 Latidos tour. Ross dropped her debut studio album Nunca Me Sueltes in 2019.
Cheli Madrid
Signed to DEL Records, singer-songwriter Cheli Madrid stands out for her banda and mariacheño tracks such as “Que Poquito Me Conoces,” “Me Cae” and “Haré De Cuenta.” The Sinaloa-born artist got her start in the music industry at the young age of 10 singing Marisela and Joan Sebastian songs.
Chiquis
Chiquis swept her first-ever Latin Grammy win in 2020 for best banda album for Playlist, where she was the only woman and solo act against La Arrolladora Banda El Limón De René Camacho, Banda La Ejecutiva De Mazatlán Sinaloa, Banda Lirio, and La Séptima Banda. In 2015, the Mexican-American singer reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart with her debut set Ahora, becoming the first woman to top the chart since her late mother, Jenni Rivera, opened at No. 1 on Dec. 20, 2014, with the posthumous 1 Vida-3 Historias: Matamorfosis — Despedida de Culiacan. Chiquis officially kicked off her musical career in 2014 and has tapped into ranchera, banda, and cumbia, to name a few.
Ely Quintero
Ely Quintero got on most radars after she teamed up with Chiquis and Helen Ochoa for an all-female collab on “Las Destrampadas.” The Culiacan-born singer, who calls herself “Cantautora Culichi” on social media, signed off 2020 with her album Corridos Clasicos, Vol. 1, which she says was a miracle of God. “It’s the riskiest thing that I have done because of the confinement, the dates, the times,” she noted.
Erika Vidrio
Erika Vidrio is hardly a newcomer. Born and raised in Jalisco, Vidrio has penned more than 100 songs that have been recorded by artists such as Conjunto Primavera, Banda La Trakalosa, Voz de Mando and Christian Nodal. The singer-songwriter, who began her career in the industry as a radio host in Los Angeles, has also recorded multiple albums including her 2010 debut record “Te Vas a Seducir” and her latest “Alma Bohemia” released in 2020.
Erika Ortiz “La Morra De La Vihuela”
Born and raised in Baja California, Mexico, Erika Ortiz, who records under the moniker La Morra De La Vihuela (the girl with the vihuela), began her singing career at 4 years old singing in shows such as Siempre En Domingo. Ortiz has released a handful of guitar-led singles serenading fans with songs of heartbreak (“Siempre Te Quiero Ver”) and empowering anthems (“Triste Pero No Cobarde”).
Helen Ochoa
Inspired by artists such as José Alfredo Jimenez and José José, Helen Ochoa perfectly blends in both worlds: regional Mexican and Latin pop. The California-based artist signed to record label/artist management company Gerencia 360 after being discovered on Puerto Rican singing competition Objetivo Fama. In 2016, she launched her debut album Si Yo Fuera Un Chico and since, has collaborated with artists such as Lupillo Rivera, Chiquis, and Marco Antonio Solis. “You have to work very, very hard. Nothing will happen if you’re just sitting at home,” Ochoa previously told Billboard. “You personally have to go out and look for those opportunities and be demanding.”
Ingrid Contreras
Whether it’s Latin pop, cumbia or rancheras, Contreras’ fresh, crisp, powerhouse vocals shine in every way. The Regional Mexican newcomer, currently making the rounds with “Pobre Corazon,” has been inspired by some of Latin music’s biggest names, including Jenni Rivera, Rocio Durcal, Sin Bandera and Camilo Sesto, which is why at only 24 years she considers herself an “old soul.” Contreras recently released her albums En Vivo and En Vivo, Vol. 2 via Show Business.
Irene del Rosario
Hailing from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Irene del Rosario is a mariachi at heart, inspired by artists such as Lola Beltrán and Vicente Fernandez. Her biggest dream would have been to collaborate with the iconic José Alfredo Jiménez because of his heartfelt compositions. Signed to AfinArte Music, del Rosario will soon present her debut studio album.
Ivonne Galaz
After making her debut as a featured artist on Natanael Cano’s “Golpes de La Vida” in 2019, Ivonne Galaz, who became Rancho Humilde’s first female signee, released her first-ever album, Voy En Camino (On My Way). The set showcases Galaz’s songwriting chops and guitar-playing skills featuring ballad-like sierreño tracks with resounding themes of hustling, heartbreak and daily life struggles. In 2020, Galaz, who hails from Sonora, Mexico, released a tribute song in honor of U.S. Army solder Vanessa Guillen, on which she narrates Guillen’s tragic fate.
Janeth Valenzuela
Valenzuela is a 25-year-old artist and musician who got on the map thanks to her viral videos on social media, where she would cover norteño hits with her accordion. Currently making the rounds with her single “El Gato De Chihuaha,” Valenzuela describes herself as “crazy, sarcastic and un desmadre!”
Karina Catalán
Mexicali-born singer-songwriter Karina Catalán began her career singing with her local church choir when she was 7 years old. By age 12, she had penned her first-ever song. After participating in singing competition shows Latin American Idol and La Voz México, Catalán went on to release her debut banda album A Tu Salud in 2015 and most recently her Ama Tus Raíces album, which was recorded live during the pandemic and dropped this year.
Laraim
Placing all bets on the mariacheño sound for her 2019 album De Mujer a Mujer, Laraim is a rising regional Mexican artist who made her debut in 2017 singing a cover of Banda MS’ “El Color de Tus Ojos.” The singer-songwriter has also penned songs for other artists such as Grupo Firme. Most recently, she released a duet with Noel Torres titled “Fue Un Placer Conocerte.”
Lili Zetina
Born in Pueblo Viejo, Lili Zetina was first discovered by Don Pedro Rivera, father of the late Jenni Rivera, at a music event in 2015. Two years later, Rivera signed Zetina as an exclusive artist of his record label Cintas Acuario Música. Making the rounds with her 2021 album La Muerte de Heriberto Zetina, Zetina is coined as “la patrona de los corridos.”
Lupita Infante
Lupita Infante has deftly fused traditional mariachi sounds with contemporary pop making her a standout in the regional Mexican space. The granddaughter of the iconic Pedro Infante, the Mexican-American artist scored a 2021 Grammy nod in the best regional Mexican music album category thanks to her record La Serenata, a love letter to traditional mariachi and norteño sounds.
Majo Aguilar
Majo Aguilar made her debut with her single “No Voy A Llorar,” penned by Wilfran Castillo. The ranchera singer, granddaughter of Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre, will soon release her first-ever EP at the helm of producers Chucho Rincón and his talented son Fabián Rincón.
Marián Oviedo
Rising singer-songwriter Marián Oviedo released her covers album Mis Versiones 1 in 2018 injecting new life into regional Mexican tracks such as “Me Vas a Extrañar” and “Te Metiste” and “Se Va Muriendo Mi Alma.” Since then, she’s released eight additional cover albums and in 2021, released Considérame, featuring new tracks penned by her.
Marylin Odessa
The daughter of singer Marisela and musician Pedro Rey Jr., Marylin Odessa first stepped foot on a stage at the young age of four when she sang a duet with her mother. Now, in a full-circle moment, the 29-year-old singer – who is signed to Sergio Lizárraga’s Lizos Music – has released a tribute album in honor of Marisela titled Homenaje A Mi Madre singing some of her anthemic songs such as “Completamente Tuya,” “Sola Con Mi Soledad” and “No Puedo Olvidarlo.”
Victoria La Mala
Bilingual corridos and banda singer Victoria La Mala is known for her distinctive girl-power anthems such as “Vete Mucho” and “Ahora Soy Mala’” that put her on the map in 2013. Born and raised in Mexico, Victoria La Mala has collaborated with artists such as Flor de Toloache, Young Hollywood, and Kap G.
Viry Sandoval
Viririana Sandoval, also known as Viry, is an up-and-coming Regional Mexican artist from Tallahassee. The aspiring singer recently won Estrella TV’s Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento season 24, where she, alongside newcomer Ashley Acosta, became the big winners of the night, splitting the first place $100,000 grand prize.
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