Where is Grupo Frontera from? From a cover on YouTube to globalizing regional Mexican music

Leer en español

Grupo Frontera is topping music charts in Mexico and the U.S., has taken their music across borders and, with 15 nominations under its belt, could be one of the most celebrated groups on Thursday night during the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards.

At a time when regional Mexican music is reaching global audiences, Grupo Frontera joins the list of artists of the likes of Peso Pluma, Yahritza y Su Esencia and Fuerza Regida, who in addition to making Mexican fans in the U.S. fall in love with them, are also drawing admirers from people who do not speak or understand Spanish.

Born out of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, right at the southern border with Mexico, this group catapulted to fame thanks to a cover song they uploaded to YouTube in 2022.

Its members — Adelaido Solís III “Payo” (vocalist and bassoquinto), Julián Peña Jr. (percussionist), Carlos Frontera (drummer), Alberto Acosta (guitarist) Carlos Zamora (bass) and Juan Javier Cantú (accordionist and second voice) — started the group years ago and mainly played at local and family events.

But it was in April 2022 that they captured the attention of the music industry. They made a habit of uploading their covers to YouTube, but their rendition of “No se va" by Colombian pop band Morat was the one that gained momentum and in a couple of months allowed the six-member group to rack up plays across music streaming platforms.

After that, the song “Bebé Dame” gave the group its first #1 hit on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart. The song “Que Vuelvas” reached #1 on Billboard's Regional Mexican Airplay chart, #6 on Billboard's Latin Airplay chart and reached #1 on the radio.

Since then, the group has graced many a stage and received numerous accolades.

For Mexico's Independence Day celebration, the group performed in the Zócalo of Mexico City before more than 200,000 people.

And just last week the group appeared on Good Morning America, singing their hit "Un x100to."

They currently rack up more than 35 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and with successful collaborations with greats like Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma, the group is positioned to reach new milestones.

Collaborations

The group recorded the song “Bebé Dame” with Fuerza Regida. It reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Then came the collaboration with Carín León, with the song “Que Vuelvas”.

In April, Grupo Frontera released the song “Un x100to” with Bad Bunny.

A collaboration with sierreño sensation Yahritza y Su Esencia produced the hit "Frágil".

Their “TULUM” collaboration with Peso Pluma reached Billboard's Hot 100.

15 nominations at 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards

The band will perform at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards, taking place on Oct. 5 in Miami, Florida.

While Peso Pluma leads the list of nominations, Grupo Frontera is nominated for 15 awards. There are:

• Artist of the Year

• Artist of the Year, Debut

• Global 200 Latin Artist of the Year

• “Hot Latin Song” Song of the Year - “Bebe Dame” with Fuerza Regida

• “Hot Latin Song” Song of the Year - “Un x100to” with Bad Bunny

• “Hot Latin Song”, Vocal Collaboration of the Year - “Bebe Dame” with Fuerza Regida

• “Hot Latin Song”, Vocal Collaboration of the Year - “Un x100to” with Bad Bunny

• “Hot Latin Songs” Artist of the Year, Duo or Group

• Song of the Year, Sales - “Bebe Dame” with Fuerza Regida

• Song of the Year, Streaming - “Bebe Dame” with Fuerza Regida

• Song of the Year, Streaming - “Un x100to” with Bad Bunny

• Regional Mexican Artist of the Year, Duo or Group

• Regional Mexican Song of the Year - “Que Vuelvas” with Carin Leon

• Regional Mexican Song of the Year - “Bebe Dame” with Fuerza Regida

• Regional Mexican Song of the Year - “Un x100to” with Bad Bunny

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Where is Grupo Frontera from? This is their origin story