The first thing you notice when you talk to Majo Aguilar is that there’s no act. Her voice sounds like she sings: clear, heartfelt, with intention. There’s no persona. No filter. Just a Mexican artist determined to chart her own path within a genre full of tradition, family legacy, and expectations. And she’s doing it her way. Just days before the release of her new album Mariachi Mío, we spoke with the singer-songwriter about her creative evolution, love in all its forms, the power of interpretation, and why every charro outfit she wears says something about who she is.
1The short answer: freedom. “It was a very natural and very free process to create this album,” Majo tells us from Mexico City. “It’s the first time I took the lead in production—I didn’t produce it myself, but I did decide who I was going to work with, how we were going to do it, and how it would evolve.” The songwriting sessions took place in places as diverse as Puerto Escondido, Monterrey, and CDMX. From those encounters came a hybrid mariachi, unafraid to blend with other genres. “I went to a corridos tumbados concert at a festival and was really impressed by the sound,” she says. The album includes mariachi with tumbado, mariachi with son jarocho, mariachi with flamenco. “The lead is still mariachi, but other genres show up. That’s why it’s Mariachi Mío.”
At the center of it all, for Majo, is interpretation. A direct legacy from her grandmother, Flor Silvestre. “She told me to sing so that I feel, not to sound pretty. That singers are also kind of actors, and that our mission is to make others feel.” That advice became her compass. “She said it after some voice lessons where I was too focused on sounding in tune, and my grandma was like, no, no, no. Interpretation is what matters most.” She says it without drama, like someone who has known something true for a long time.
2Though the full tracklist hasn’t been revealed, Majo shared that the album has between 10 and 12 songs. The focus track, “Que te vaya bien,” is about heartbreak and resignation. “A lot of work was put into the relationship, but it didn’t work out. One part says: ‘Go with whoever you want, but just go already.’” There’s also “Mala, mala,” a fun and sharp track. “Women are often judged. In this song, the woman says: ‘Mala, mala, but you can’t forget me. Mala, mala, but I’m the love of your life.” It’s ironic, fierce, and a little vengeful. As she explains, she’s always wanted to write about love in all its forms. “There’s the very sweet, romantic kind of love, the passionate love, the love where there’s still affection, but you don’t want to be together anymore, the heartbreak. I’ve always liked exploring love beyond the cheesy side.”
3Her stage style has turned heads since the start of her career. She wears colorful custom charro suits that mix tradition with comfort and movement. “I told my designer, Javier Morales, that I needed to wear pants. The traditional female charro outfit includes a skirt, but I move around a lot. I need to be moving. It’s part of my personality on stage.” Morales, a third-generation charro suit tailor, agreed. “I tell him the colors, I choose the buttons, and he designs it for me.” For Majo, wearing those suits is an emotional experience. “I feel very powerful and very excited when I wear them. Thankfully, the public has received them really well, because it comes from a place of love.”
In February, Majo was awarded Best Female Mexican Music Artist at Premio Lo Nuestro. A happy surprise. “It was unexpected. But it felt really beautiful because it’s a fan-voted award.” That trophy has a special destination. “It just arrived at home. I’m going to take it to my grandmother, Flor, and my grandfather, Antonio, to the place where they rest in Zacatecas. I said I would do that in the press conference, and I will. It’s a way to say thank you for all the love for music they left us.”
4When we ask what else she thinks she inherited from her grandmother, Majo smiles. “If I had to name one trait… I really interpret my songs. She poured her heart into them, and I do the same.” Then she shares a bright, funny story. “I’ve realized—without meaning to—that I laugh exactly like she did. I recently saw a video, and it hit me. I remembered her laugh, but seeing it again made it clear. I don’t know if I inherited it or picked it up from seeing her laugh, but when I laugh out loud… It’s identical.”
