Meet DannyLux: The Chicano Teen Giving Corridos A Beatles-Esque Update
As corridos are making a comeback, Mexican-American singer DannyLux is reinventing them with a Beatles-influenced twist. Inspired by the classic rock group from the ’60s and ’70s, his atmospheric corridos are something to behold. Today, the teen released a new collection of songs in his Love</3 EP. In an interview with Latido Music, DannyLux talks about his breakthrough on TikTok, working with Chicano act Eslabón Armado, and the future of corridos.
DannyLux’s first guitar was picked up from the trash.
DannyLux plays the guitar in all his songs. The Palm Springs native was put on the path of music thanks to his dad’s job. When he was a kid, his dad drove garbage trucks and would often take some good finds home. One of those finds would be DannyLux’s first guitar.
“One day [my dad] got like an old guitar and he found it and brought it to me,” DannyLux tells mitú. “He showed me the guitar and I was just like star-struck with the guitar.”
DannyLux’s corridos are inspired by classic rock bands like The Eagles.
DannyLux learned to play guitar with a local church choir. When he was growing up, his dad would listen to classic rock bands like The Eagles. “I feel like that kind of inspired my own style mixed with what’s hitting right now: corridos,” DannyLux says. In the past few years, the Gen-Z generation has revived the corrido. Acts like Natanael Cano, Ivonne Galaz, T3R Elemento, and Eslabón Armado all have refreshed the genre.
“I always wanted to start something new, like a new wave,” DannyLux says. “I don’t want to keep doing what everyone’s already doing. I like it when there’s like uniqueness to somebody. I don’t want to sound like anybody else.”
DannyLux received his first big break through TikTok.
Like today’s teens, the 17-year-old singer started out by performing his music on TikTok.
“People have really been supportive of my music,” DannyLux says. “I haven’t gotten as much hate as I thought.” One of those people is Pedro Tovar, the singer from Eslabón Armado. DannyLux big breakthrough came last year when he featured on the group’s “Jugaste y Sufrí.” It turns out that was a DannyLux composition.
“Pedro found me through TikTok,” DannyLux says. “I covered one of his songs. Randomly he texted me one day if I wanted to be on his next album. I was so excited. I was so happy that day. We went on a Facetime call and I showed him some of the songs that I had written. I show him the one that we did and he liked it. Like I just finished it that night and we recorded it at a studio.”
DannyLux’s Love</3 EP has all the feels.
DannyLux released his debut album Falsos Sentimientos in January. He continues to flex his rock corrido sound with a bit more romance in the Love</3 EP. That’s best encompassed with the breezy lead single “Mi Otra Mitad.”
“On the cover art it says ‘Love,’ but in the reflection of water, there’s a broken heart,” DannyLux says. “That’s basically like two sides of love. There’s a good side and a heartbroken side.”
The Beatles influence is strong in “Tristeza y Traicion.”
A stunner on the EP is “Tristeza y Traicion.” This one definitely falls under the heartbroken category. The song opens with a Beatles-like intro before Danny riffs off into corridos with his guitar.
“When I was little, my favorite band actually was the Beatles,” DannyLux says. “The first song I would ever sing in front of people was ‘Let it Be.’ I think the Beatles really inspired my music too. Their style, I just like adapted some stuff.”
DannyLux’s corridos are a vibe and the future of the genre.
There are corridos verdes. There’s corridos tumbados. Now with DannyLux, there are alternative corridos. He’s hoping to change the face of his genre with his psychedelic spin. The reggae-influenced “Nuestro Pasado” is another beautiful example of the risks that he’s taking with corridos.
“When people think of corridos, people automatically think of people talking about drugs in their songs,” DannyLux says. “With my music, I feel like it’s just calmer. You can listen to it and just like be vibing to it. Even if it’s my sad songs, you can still be vibing to those.”
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