Selena Quintanilla, Jenni Rivera, Paquita la del Barrio, and many more are trailblazers in música Mexicana; despite being a male-dominated genre, in 2023, Latinas rose and conquered the charts with their inspiring anthems and heart-filling songs.
The 66th Annual Grammy Awards, one of the most prestigious music awards ceremonies, will be held on February 4, 2024. One of the categories being celebrated is Best Música Mexicana Album, which includes Tejano music. Interestingly, this year’s nominations in this category are dominated by female artists, with four out of the five works being nominated belonging to them.
Peso Pluma is the only male act nominated in the Best Música Mexicana Album category. He will be competing against some of the biggest names in the industry. In a recent interview with GRAMMY.com, Lupita Infante, Lila Downs, Ana Bárbara, and Flor de Toloache, all of whom are nominated for the award, spoke about how they are making history in the música Mexicana industry.
When asked which woman in the música Mexicana has inspired her in her career, Lupita Infante said she “listened a lot to Lola Beltrán, Linda Ronstadt, all the classic women of the time, and Amalia Mendoza, who are more traditional. Selena, too, was like the ultimate. I think we have all had Selena’s karaoke albums; we learned a lot and practiced a lot. Also, Jenni Rivera, I remember going to her concert, and maybe I didn’t realize that she was breaking barriers as a woman. And I remember that concert opened by Sheila Dúrcal, a woman I admire greatly.”
Ana Barbara said María de Lourdes, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltrán, and Amalia Mendoza “La Tariácuri” were her go-to’s. “They opened up this panorama of Mexican music — ranchera music performed by women — to me. I loved them, and I still like them. Later on, a singer of Mexican music and Juan Gabriel’s music was Rocío Dúrcal, who also greatly impacted me with her way of interpreting Mexican music,” she added.
While Lila Downs said Lucha Reyes was “the first” singer to inspire her, Mireya Ramos from Flor de Toloache said that Lila Downs, in addition to Aida Cuevas and Toña La Negra, inspired and influenced her in her musical career. The chain continued as Shae Fiol (Flor de Toloache) said Mireya Ramos impacted her career.
The singers also revealed their go-to album or song by a female artist that brings them inspiration or comfort. Infante said she has been listening to Lila Downs lately. “I also like the song ‘Todo Todo’ by Camila Fernández. There are many songs and songwriters I have seen who are recording them and coming out with beautiful songs as well.”
Bárbara said Lola Beltrán’s “El Crucifijo de Piedra.” While Downs mentions Mercedes Sosa in her first recordings. Ramos chose Ella Fitzgerald, Patsy Cline, Jill Scott, Natalia La Fourcade, Mon Laferte, and Rosa Passos, and Fiol said: “If I want comfort, artists I may listen to are Erykah Badu, Sade, Amel Larrieux, Feist, Janelle Monáe, Sheryl Crow, Patsy Cline. For inspiration, I’ll listen to any of those artists, plus Jazmine Sullivan, Brandy, Concha Buika, Little Simz, and Cleo Sol.”