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Seven participants of Mexican descent from across the U.S. braved the stage with original songs, in what can only be described as a heartfelt singing contest, without the scorn of nitpicky judges or behind-the-scenes melodrama, but rather a zealous crowd made up of all age groups.<\/p>\n
Voting was handed over to the public, as the segment broadcast live on public television across the United States and Mexico. Over 300,000 individuals tuned in to cast a vote to advance the top three contestants: Tiffany Galaviz, Joshua Soto and Rosalba Valdez. They will go on to compete in the grand finale of M\u00e9xico Canta on Sept. 13 at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City for a chance at a record deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always that saying that if you\u2019re Mexican American, you\u2019re not Mexican enough, but I think that\u2019s wrong,\u201d said 18-year-old Soto<\/a>, a Bronx native whose musical theater background <\/a>and deep R&B groove gave depth to the bilingual country-corrido \u201cTerco Callejero.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEver since I was little, my parents always showed me my culture, my roots. It\u2019s in my blood. It\u2019s in the traditions that I follow and the music that I listen to every day,\u201d added Soto, who is enrolled in New York University\u2019s vocal performance program in music theater. <\/p>\n For 27-year-old semifinalist Valdez<\/a> \u2014 a Chicagoan whose signature red hair and bedazzled fringe fit distinguished her onstage, as she sang her merengue-infused tune \u201cPor Bonita\u201d \u2014 being Mexican American is both a huge privilege and responsibility. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was younger, I used to think the opposite, because of what our community went through,\u201d said Valdez. \u201cNow I see it as a superpower. [Being Mexican American is] something that I want more people to understand has power. We can create a lot of change when we realize the power that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n Over 300,000 individuals tuned in live to cast a vote for the top three contestants: Joshua Soto, Tiffany Galaviz and Rosalba Valdez<\/p>\n (Ronaldo Bolanos \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n Speaking to The Times, Mexico Secretary of Culture Claudia Curiel de Icaza, stressed the importance of binational programming \u2014 adding that she believed that the singing contest can unite young people across the U.S.-Mexico border.<\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot think that we are merely divided by territory. Culture transcends borders, music transcends borders,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are separated, but ultimately there is an extremely intimate and rich cultural development because culture has been the space of resistance, of resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n As host and singer, Majo Aguilar \u2014 granddaughter of Mexican film and music legends Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre \u2014 ushered vocalists on and off the stage. Large screens lit up with educational stories of the legacy of Mexican nationals, such as Pedro J. Gonz\u00e1lez, one of the first Spanish radio broadcasters in the U.S.<\/p>\n The show also paid homage to American-born individuals who have elevated Mexican music: including Texas-born Gloria R\u00edos, who helped pioneer rock \u2019n\u2019 roll in Mexico in 1956 and Arizona-born Linda Ronstadt, whose 1987 album \u201cCanciones de Mi Padre\u201d became the bestselling non-English language record in U.S. history.<\/p>\n This year, the contest placed an emphasis on m\u00fasica mexicana. According to Spotify, global streams of the genre have grown by 295% since 2021; in the U.S. alone, its popularity has grown by 162% since 2021. <\/p>\n In large part, its popularity has been driven by corrido tumbados, or songs which blend traditional Mexican folk with trap, often underscoring street life, \u201cthe hustle\u201d and the riches that can follow. <\/p>\n Its most prominent acts include Junior H, Fuerza Regida and Peso Pluma. These were the biggest streaming Latin musicians<\/a> in the U.S. in 2024, just below reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny \u2014 yet none of these popular m\u00fasica mexicana artists were recognized during the competition.<\/p>\n \u201cMexican music is among the most consumed worldwide and it\u2019s a matter of choosing a genre where young people feel identified and music that transcends borders,\u201d said Curiel de Icaza. \u201cAnd no, we are not censoring it.\u201d<\/p>\n M\u00e9xico Canta began in 2025 as state-sponsored programming to promote musical narratives beyond themes of violence and drug-trafficking. <\/p>\n Besides banning the use of artificial intelligence and other audio alterations, the contest did not permit \u201csongs that glorify violence or drug use.\u201d Failure to comply with the rules would result in disqualification for contestants<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cMore than banning, it\u2019s about educating, guiding, and getting young people to stop listening to that music,\u201d President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a news conference<\/a> last year when the program was first introduced.<\/p>\n President of Mexico Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during the daily morning briefing at Palacio Nacional on Aug. 6, 2025, in Mexico City.<\/p>\n (Manuel Velasquez \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n The singing competition comes at a time when 10 out of 32 Mexican states have implemented bans or limitations on corridos in public spaces; namely narcocorridos, or ballads that recount or glamorize elements of drug culture or organized crime. <\/p>\n Some lawmakers assert that the lyrics in these songs promote violence, including Mexico City lawmakers who, in May, passed a law<\/a> barring the songs from being played at public events. <\/p>\n \u201cThe bans, which come amid President Trump\u2019s hyper-focus on drug trafficking in Mexico, have sparked debates here about freedom of expression and state censorship and have raised provocative questions: Do narcocorridos merely reflect reality in a nation gripped by powerful drug gangs? Or do they somehow shape it?\u201d wrote Times correspondent Kate Linthicum in a May 2025<\/a> article.<\/p>\n In May, the second edition of M\u00e9xico Canta was announced during Sheinbaum\u2019s daily news conference<\/a>, generating online buzz when famed corrido tumbado singer Junior H vocalized support<\/a> for the contest \u2014 while also lamenting his past musical choices.<\/p>\n \u201cIn my initial [career], some of the stories that I shared in my music didn\u2019t add to the positive message that reflect my current compositions,\u201d said Junior H, whose real name is Antonio Herrera P\u00e9rez, in the news conference. \u201cI kept growing and I learned that music, besides being a form of expression, also implies a responsibility when millions of people hear you worldwide.\u201d <\/p>\n The 25-year-old rose to fame through popular narcocorridos such as 2023\u2019s \u201cEl Azul,\u201d which is believed to be about Sinaloan drug lord Juan Jose Esparragoza Moreno; as well as his 2022 banda-fused track, \u201cEl Hijo Mayor,\u201d which some speculate to be about the son of Joaqu\u00edn \u201cEl Chapo\u201d Guzm\u00e1n.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you grow up, you have a career path and you see that you have an impact on young people, you start to mature and evolve your career,\u201d Curiel de Icaza said of Junior H. \u201cAnd you realize you want to go in a different direction, that\u2019s when he understood and decided that it was better to focus on something else.\u201d<\/p>\n During the news conference, Sheinbaum denounced the idea that the music contest was a form of censorship. Curiel de Icaza also refuted those claims: \u201cWe\u2019re not prohibiting anything. Music will continue to exist, different voices exist and we\u2019re not prohibiting or censoring songs.\u201d <\/p>\n To help amplify the values of M\u00e9xico Canta, organizers enlisted the help of Los Tigres del Norte, one of the most successful regional Mexican acts in the U.S. The night before the semifinals in L.A., Los Tigres performed with Gustavo Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl.<\/p>\n The band closed Sunday\u2019s competition with a performance of \u201cM\u00e9xico Sigue De Pie,\u201d a new song that underscores the grit of the Mexican community. \u201cThey\u2019re legendary,\u201d Curiel de Icaza said of the band. <\/p>\n Coincidentally, the esteemed guests were early pioneers of narcocorridos: including their 1974 song \u201cContrabando y Traici\u00f3n,\u201d which details a fictional drug trade tale of Emilio Varela and Camelia la Texana, as well as their 1978 track \u201cLa Banda del Carro Rojo,\u201d which describes cocaine trafficking across the state lines. <\/p>\n But over the last decade, the band, too, has been advised by concert organizers in Mexico <\/a>to avoid playing these types of songs when performing in certain venues, leading them to voice concern over the criticism of corridos \u2014 which they argue provide listeners with details over real-life truths, in the same way journalists engage in storytelling.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re narrators of people\u2019s lives,\u201d bandleader Jorge Hern\u00e1ndez told El Pa\u00eds<\/a> last year. <\/p>\n ![\"Joshua](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1788186134_737_.jpeg\")
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