MEXICO CITY (AP) — After a life dedicated to regional Mexican music, Alejandro Fernández continues to surprise himself by finding new spaces to spread it, international collaborators and a new generation of fans.
On his most recent album “I carry you in the blood,” Fernández has Brazilian star Anitta as a guest for the song “La toxica,” whose video was filmed on the Fernández family ranch in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The video has already accumulated more than 1.4 million views on YouTube since its premiere at the end of May.
“We brought it to our world, we did it on the ranch, everything is cowboys, it is with horses and northern Mexican, ranchera music, with this fusion that is playing very loudly, he loved it,” said Fernández, from Los Angeles, in an interview by video call.
In general, “I carry you in the blood” is an album that tends towards northern music, which is added to mariachi, in which Fernández moves like a fish in water. It is not the first time that the son of the legend Vicente Fernández experiments with instrumentations and styles from the north, but for this album he did it more deliberately as in “Huye”, “La Última y nos Vamos” and “Qué bien te vino el adiós” ”.
“In many of my previous projects we suddenly added accordion, suddenly we added tuba, many elements,” he said. “Since my father, my father also made many songs with many instruments that are played in the north, we had always done it.”
Some songs from his album had been previously released as singles such as “Inexperienced in forgetting you”, “No es que me qué ir”, “Difícil tucaso” and “Cobijas ajenas”, the latter is a collaboration with Alfredo Olivas and was composed by Espinoza Paz, who is originally from the northern state of Sinaloa.
Fernández said he had recorded “Cobijas ajenas,” whose central theme is the idea of sending an unfaithful ex far away, more than a year ago. He waited for the right moment to launch it and his patience paid off.
“Evidently it has some very strong words, that’s how Espinoza handles himself, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be towards a woman, a woman can equally dedicate it to a man,” he said. “When I sing it at concerts they are shouting it at full capacity, it is spectacular how the public is reacting to the new songs in these last palenques that I have had it has been impressive, it has been many years since I have seen people like this. moved”.
On the other hand, “Qué bien te vino el adiós” is a song in which the narrative of regional Mexican music about the end of a love sounds evolved, opens the possibility of staying as friends and even feeling good about seeing an ex happy. with someone else. The song was composed by Edén Muñoz, another musician from Sinaloa.
“I loved it for the same reason… I think it speaks very well and it is about a goodbye that is shared and that they try to stay on very good terms,” said Fernández.
As part of this renewed air in regional Mexican music, Fernández has successfully performed at festivals such as La Onda de Napa Valley, in California, where he shared the bill with urban artists such as Farruko, Yng Lvcas; others, more pop like Danna Paola and Maná, as well as the new generation of Mexican corrido like Junior H and Gabito Ballesteros.
“It has given me very good results every time I go to these festivals, which I was not used to, but we are opening doors to young people who perhaps had not listened to me,” said Fernández.
“Thank God, Mexican music is in a very good moment, new talents are emerging, impressive, and how good, the more the portfolio and the panorama opens, that benefits us all. And it is not only being done in the countries that were normally done, such as Mexico, the United States, Colombia and Central America, but in Europe, everywhere, Mexican music is being heard all over the world,” he added.
For the Mexican Independence Day celebrations, Fernández has scheduled dates in Las Vegas with her children Camila and Alex for September 14 and 15. She will also have concerts in Tucson, Arizona, and the Mexican cities of Pachuca, Monterrey, San Luis Potosí, León, Guadalajara and in the capital’s Plaza de Toros México, the latter on October 26.
Recently, Fernández had problems with his throat and could not appear in Hermosillo, Sonora.
“We did not cancel it, we postponed it, and we put it for a little window there that we have for September 7, we are going to return to give the concert with the quality that the Hermosillo public deserves,” he said.
In her free moments, Fernández enjoys the company of her now three granddaughters. Cayetana, daughter of his daughter Camila; and Mía and Nirvana, children of his son Alex.
“They have driven me crazy,” he said. “The two little girls are beautiful, Cayetana is already starting to talk, she wants to talk to me all the time, she talks to me on Face-Time all the time. Mia is a little smaller, but she is also already trying to speak, according to her, she speaks everything, but she can’t understand anything. Nirvana is newborn, she is seven months or so. Every time I have them I enjoy them very much, to the fullest.”
