Regional Mexican Is Finally Having Its Moment After Being ‘Underrated For Years’— Here’s How It’s Uniting Latinos Everywhere

If you can’t stop jamming to Bad Bunny and Grupo Frontera’s melancholy perreo-Norteño track “Un x100to,” you’re not alone. The mash-up between the Vega Baja boricua and the Texas-founded regional band is everything we needed for summer — plus, who doesn’t love a bit of cumbia?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you may have already noticed that Mexican regional music is having a much-deserved global moment. Deemed “underrated” by longtime fans of the genre, acts like Fuerza Regida, Grupo Firme, and sierreño newcomer Dannylux are bringing new audiences into their corrido tumbado era. Even more, Mexicans who may have shied away from the genre throughout their adolescence are rediscovering música regional. The result? A rallying cry in embracing every bit of their cultural identity. 

Acts like Peso Pluma are partly responsible for the regional music boom — and other celebs can’t stop showing their love for it

With the most simultaneous charting songs on Spotify’s global chart. His corridos tumbados have become immediately-legendary, making fans say they’re leaving Bad Bunny behind — and entering their Peso Pluma era. In fact, his collab “Ella Baila Sola” alongside banda regional Eslabon Armado landed the artist another first. The TikTok-viral hit just became the first regional Mexican song to reach #1 on Spotify’s global chart, dethroning other stars like Miley Cyrus.

Other acts are just as responsible for the regional Mexican music boom. For one, Tijuana-based band Grupo Firme keeps making history, gathering the largest audience for a free concert at Mexico City’s Zócalo — totaling 280,000 people. The regional band is just as huge in the U.S., pushed by in-your-feels tracks like “Ya Superáme” that just… hit different. Karol G brought the band onstage during her Hidalgo, Texas concert to sing their most famous song and her hit “Tusa” together — which she said was an “honor” for her.

The “Bichota” singer later described her serious fandom for Eduin Caz and the rest of the band — as well as regional music in general. She wrote, “Another incredible night… singing regional Mexican music, which I love.”

Another celeb who recently showed his love for Mexican regional? Bad Bunny himself. While promoting new track “Un x100to,” he told Apple Music: “I’ve been in love with this whole movement, this new movement of Mexican music. I think it’s beautiful what is happening. It’s very necessary.”

He continued, “They have the authentic sound, the essence, but with a new color, with a new sound, it’s fresh, it’s a totally different breath.”

The new generation of Mexican regional acts are uniting old and new fans of the genre — and making many embrace their culture

Fuerza Regida, Sinaloan act Banda MS, and Hermosillo, MX-native Carin León are all musicians that continue to bring Mexican regional music straight-into the zeitgeist. And while their music is bringing new fans into the genre, it’s also become a “full-circle” moment for many Mexicans. For example, one self-described “fronteriza” wrote on Twitter that regional was always “ingrained” in her upbringing, so seeing it become global is huge:

Another Twitter user mentioned a very real fact — many can attest being “made fun of” for listening to regional. Some can even relate to being shamed for just being from a place where the genre is listened to. Of course, that makes the new movement that much more powerful. As they wrote, there’s no doubt regional Mexicano will continue to “dominate” — and many are happy to finally say, we told you so.

Plus, as one user put it, Banda music has been “underrated” for years. That’s exactly why so many love seeing others “embrace” the genre at last:

Still, not everyone is so convinced — many see this whole movement as just a “trend” with quite a few bandwagoners. One user expressed their disappointment at Bad Bunny “hopping” on the regional music trend, which they say feels “performative”:

However, another affirmed that while some are “hating” on Bad Bunny’s new collab, it did make them listen to “banda music for the very first time”:

What do you think about all the people hopping on Mexican regional music this year?

No matter your opinion on that Twitter debate, it’s clear people cannot stop listening to Banda-tinged songs on repeat. In fact, “Un x100to” just broke the record for most first-day streams for a Mexican Song in Apple Music’s history. And while some just can’t forget Bad Bunny is with “the 818 tequila girl” (sigh), the song is a banger.

Plus, more people appreciating the genre — and bringing more fame to its musicians — is definitely a good thing. Mexican Banda music is awesome, and while we already knew that… it’s cool everyone now knows it, too. As one new fan put it: “I discovered regional Mexican music this year… and it’s honestly becoming one of my favorite genres.”

And yes, we might be packing up our “Un Verano Sin Ti” days… and entering our Peso Pluma era: