Across a large conference room table somewhere within the bowels of the Wynn Las Vegas, the members of the Frontera Group looked tired.
The Tex-Mex quintet had been roaming the Las Vegas Strip for eight hours straight giving media interviews in the run-up to the Latin Grammys, held Nov. 13 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. They were nominated twice in the regional Mexican song category for their cumbia norteña songs “Me Jalo,” a collaboration with the uproarious Mexican-American band. Ruled Forceand “Hecha Pa' Mí”, but would lose to “La Lotería” by Los Tigres del Norte.
Despite the fatigue, Grupo Frontera was happy to be back in Sin City once again, a testament to how far they have come in such a short period of time.
In 2022, shortly after forming, the South Texas band performed during the last week of the Latin Grammys held in Las Vegas, without being invited to any legitimate ceremony; It's a common move for rising artists to get their name out there and possibly rub shoulders with some of the biggest stars and producers in the Latin music world.
“We were just doing everything we could, but not the [Latin] Grammys,” says lead vocalist Adelaido “Payo” Solís III. “I always think about that moment when we arrived with nothing under our belts.”
Grupo Frontera had already generated a stir thanks to its version of “No Se Va,” a 2018 hit by Colombian pop band Morat. Their northern version reached the Billboard Hot 100 even though the group did not have a major record deal or a studio album of their own. Fame came quickly after joining forces with fellow frontiersman Edgar Barrera. The award-winning songwriter and producer (Madonna, Shakira, Karol G and The Weeknd) took the band under his wing after seeing them perform at the grand opening of a tire store in McAllen, Texas.
In early 2023, Barrera paired them with Bad Bunny for “Un x100to.” Backed by the accordion, a staple of border music for more than a century, the modern, lovelorn cumbia about stalking an ex on Instagram and using your phone's last remaining battery to apologize broke containment, propelling Grupo Frontera into the mainstream. A week after its release, Bad Bunny brought Solís on stage to perform the song at Coachella.
Co-signed by the biggest artist on the planet and under the tutelage of Barrera, Grupo Frontera quickly established itself as the Texas representative of the new wave of Mexican music, becoming one of the most important players in a genre that is poised to dominate global streaming charts.
“The first year was one hundred percent the songs, lyrics and what [Barrera] “He told us to do it,” Solis said. “We didn't really know anything about the music industry, so at first we just let him guide us and develop the sound he wanted for us.”
The band called Barrera their Rick Rubin, referring to the co-founder of Def Jam Records who produced albums for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer, Run-DMC, Lady Gaga and many other influential groups.
Since then, Grupo Frontera has released three full-length albums and four EPs, earning three Latin Grammys in the process: they won for regional Mexican song in 2023 (“Un x100to”) and 2024 (“El Amor de su Vida,” a collaboration with Grupo Firme), and for northern album in 2023 for their debut studio album, “El Comienzo,” which peaked at No. 34 on the Billboard 200.
Their most recent LP, “Lo Que Me Falta Por Llorar” (released Oct. 23), is a mix of classic norteño cumbias (the lively, heart-wrenching “Que Bueno Que Te Fueiste”), billowing Tejano songs (“Si me qué”) and hip-shaking huapango (“Quien la Manda”). He also leans into other popular Latin genres, with hints of reggaeton on “No Lo Ves” (with Ozuna) and trap on “Triste Pero Bien C—” (with rapper Myke Towers).
“It's like 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' fame,” Solis said. “The first [album] It was too small, the second one was too big and this one was perfect.”
In November, Grupo Frontera received its first two Grammy nominations for his joint EP “Mala Mia” with Fuerza Regida, and a solo EP titled “Y Lo Que Come”. The band was notified before performing at the Grand Ole Opry, marking another milestone by becoming the first regional Mexican group to play the iconic Nashville venue.
There is a constant bet within the group: if Grupo Frontera wins a American Grammy, Juan Javier Cantú, accordionist and secondary vocalist of the group, will tattoo a gramophone somewhere on his person. It's a big deal given his apprehension towards body art.
All of the other members of the band, which also include conga player Julián Peña Jr., basso quinta Alberto “Beto” Acosta and drummer Carlos Guerrero, already have a gramophone tattoo to represent their Latin Grammy wins to date. They are an expensive habit, Solis noted, pointing to Acosta, whose neck and arms are covered in ink, as evidence.
“I think Beto's body is worth more than his watches,” he said.
“It's worthless,” Cantú intervened. Confused, I asked him if he meant “priceless” instead.
“No, he meant useless,” Guerrero jokingly interjects, causing the group to roar with laughter. Teasing aside, there is an unmistakable feeling of mutual respect and appreciation. Throughout the interview, the band members criticized each other, occasionally throwing out “I love you, compadre!”
“We always want to be the five of us, no matter how long the group lasts,” said Cantú, who admits to being the most sentimental of the group. “We've had our differences but there's never been a time where anyone wanted to leave.” [the band].”
The latest album comes at a crucial time for the Texas band, which will embark on its “Triste Pero Bien C—” international tour next year. Not everything in his meteoric rise has been rosy.
Earlier this year, in a now-deleted TikTok video, Grupo Frontera appeared to be dancing to “YMCA” by Village People, a song associated with Donald Trump's rallies from at least 2020. Other videos of Solís' grandparents dancing. The song while holding voting stickers circulated online, leading many viewers to wonder if the members were Trump supporters.
“No way, I don't think people believe that! It didn't happen,” Solis first told himself when he saw rumors starting to spread online.
“It's like when you're a little kid and your mom asks you, 'Who made this?' “You know you didn’t do anything but they blame you for that, but your mom knows you didn’t do it,” Solís added. “That's how we felt right now.”
Shortly after the social media frenzy, Grupo Frontera was named the headliner of the Sueños music festival in Chicago, sparking negative reactions among many attendees. An online person created a petition for his removal from the list on Cambio.org.
The growing avalanche of criticism prompted the band to respond, posting a message on their social media platforms on February 7 and again on February 22 stating that Grupo Frontera “had no affiliation or alliance with any political party that is against immigrants and the Latino community.”
The statements came at a tense political time for many members of the Latino community. Trump, who has vehemently attacked immigrant groups, had just taken office for his second term and was promising to carry out “the largest mass deportation in American history.” Many political experts also noted the latin vote leaning towards Trump.
“Our music is about making love, connecting people on the border, not the opposite,” Cantú said. “Why should we get involved in something that is seriously harming families?”
Solís hoped to clarify the issue once and for all and get ahead of the rumors on social networks.
“Any person who is against our people and who is harming our people, not only our Mexican community but all Latinos, we do not support,” he said. “Not just the president, but anyone.”
The band members say they have learned several key lessons from this experience. On the one hand, they have continued to appear where they believe it is most important, in the communities they value most. In March, when flash flooding hit Reynosa, Mexico, the border city across the river from the Rio Grande Valley, the group delivered aid to support affected people. The band too donated a portion of all profits from their surprise EP “Y Lo Que Come” to frontline organizations in the wake of the ongoing immigration raids targeting Los Angeles since June.
“When it comes from the heart, people feel it and know it,” Cantú said.
“That's how this dream began between the five of us, we wanted to make music different from what people listened to, [music] That made sense and that everyone who is at home can unite around a song,” Cantú said. “[We want to hear ] A child says: 'I want to hear 'No Capea' and his grandfather does too!”
One might assume that such online rumors would affect each member's mental health, perhaps frustrating them to no avail, but the group has made peace with the idea that some individuals will continue to question the group's intentions.
“But we understand that people who are frustrated and want to vent their anger at someone, no one wants to see [their favorite artist] support someone who is against the community,” Cantú said. “But we are with you.”
Although he was mostly silent throughout the interview, Peña, who often utters the group's catchphrase at the end of each song (“And this is Grupo Frontera!”), lifted his sleepy gaze from the table to deliver a final statement of the afternoon: “There is a saying, that what is not owed is not feared.”
