Featherweight walked across the stage to thunderous applause. His set was coming to an end, but there was something he needed to get off his chest.
“Each one of us,” he told the crowd in Spanish, pointing to his band behind him, “continues to make music for all of you. And as long as I am alive, my team and I will continue to triumph at every stage, no matter what.”
The 3,000 attendees, many of whom had waited hours in line to see the Mexican singer on Wednesday, applauded in response at Austin City Limits at the Moody Theatre, which hosted Rolling Stone's South by Southwest Future of Music showcase.
“We will continue to represent our Mexican flag wherever we can. To social media and the press, keep talking,” she continued, adding in English: “Keep talking, you son of a bitch.”
The 24-year-old then used a Spanish insult to refer to his lack of attention to outside comments and opinions.
“Long live the corridos,” he said in Spanish: “Long live the corridos.”
The speech came after Pluma denounced “the entire controversy,” without referring to any particular incident. The musician capped off his performance with “Lady Gaga,” a song about living a luxurious lifestyle. He then hugged his band on stage and left as the crowd chanted for an encore.
Last year saw Pluma's star power grow exponentially since the release of the ballad “Ella Baila Sola,” featuring Eslabón Armado. She also released an album, “Genesis,” and has more new music in the works.
However, the last few months have also been plagued by controversy.
In September, the Guadalajara-born Mexican music artist canceled a concert in Tijuana after receiving death threats from a drug cartel. A January performance in Chile was criticized by Chilean government officials and public figures, who condemned Pluma's alleged glorification of narco culture.
The following month, Nicki Nicole, the Argentine singer whom Pluma had introduced as his girlfriend, shared a post alluding to their breakup over rumors of infidelity, according to People.
Nevertheless, Pluma, born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, has kept going, reaching milestone after milestone, like being the first Mexican music artist to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone.
“I'm grateful to my people and the fans who supported me because they're the ones who put us on the charts and everything else,” he told the magazine. “But I don't see this as a competition either about position or about the places we have reached. I think it's not just Featherweight that reached number one: it's Mexican music that made this happen.”
Regional Mexican music has grown in popularity and younger artists are bringing their own touches to the genre, which has also taken off on TikTok. Last year, the genre grew 60% in audio streaming, according to the Associated Press.
On Wednesday, Pluma took time to meet a fan who had been queuing since 4 a.m. to see him take the stage in Austin. Backstage, she autographed a photo and took photos, and the fan noted that she was headed to Chicago to see him perform next.
“From now on you will not pay any fine,” Pluma told him in images published on social networks. “Wherever you want to go, there you will have a ticket.”
Artists like Pluma, who performed that night along with Young Miko, Kevin Kaarl, J Noa and Pink Pablo, are emblematic of the cultural zeitgeist right now, according to Rolling Stone CEO Gus Wenner.
“Ultimately, that's the goal: to put people on stage who really resonate with our current generation,” he said.
