By BERENICE BAUTISTA Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Last year, Mexican American singer Becky G released her first album of regional Mexican music, “Esquinas.” Her newest album, “Encuentros,” makes it clear that this is not a temporary interest: She’s dedicated to exploring the folk music in depth, and by adding modern fusions.
“Obviously, a lot of people can say ‘You do it because it’s trendy,'” Becky G said in Spanish during a video interview from Los Angeles before the last Friday release of the album. “I think what I found in myself, when we were creating ‘Esquinas,’ was something so real to me, something so sincere, something so vulnerable as an artist, that I felt so obsessed with the process. And we didn’t want to stop.”
She says her fans have told her that when she sings regional Mexican music, they notice her voice takes on a different tone. She says they can hear Rebbeca — her real name — and her true essence beyond the Becky G pop persona.
The album starts with “XLAS NUBES,” which translates to “By the Clouds,” a song that stands out for its acoustic guitar arrangements. According to Becky G, it stemmed from the vision of a person falling through the clouds, as if in a dream.
“Every song has a thread that takes you on that adventure,” she said. “We decided to mix instruments from other genres and a production style in my vocals that makes it feel a little more modern. And that, for me, was a lot of fun.”
The album, produced by Adrián Pieragostino, features ranchera, mariachi and contemporary corridos fused with other genres such as bolero, cumbia and Colombian vallenato.
“When I was creating music in the other genres, if it was pop music, if it was reggaeton, we were always playing and mixing genres. So, I decided, ‘Why not do it with regional music?'” she said.
Still, there are traditional moments on the album, like the accordion-fueled ranchera “Desierto” (“Desert”), where she sings about wanting an ex to run out of water in the desert. Her siblings approved the song, she said, and told her she should include it in her concerts.
“It reminds me a lot of the music I listened to when I was a child. That’s the music that my grandmother listened to, that my mom listened to,” she said, describing the song as “cortavena” (“cutting veins”) music — spiteful songs that are a part of regional Mexican music’s cathartic appeal.
“Todo” (“All”) features Delilah, a rising artist. “We wanted it to sound like when you’re singing near someone,” Becky G said. “It’s a very big song, but very quiet. It’s a very difficult style to achieve, but I think we did it really well, because it feels so big, it feels like a Disney song. I’m obsessed with her voice, Delilah’s voice. I think our voices together is magic.”
The concept of the album started with “Mercedes,” featuring Oscar Maydon, where Becky G shines atop regional Mexican instrumentation. For her, it is a perfect song to listen to in the car, hence the Mercedes Benz-referencing title.
Visually, Becky G said she wanted to make her music videos and album artwork appear narrative, reflecting her city, community and culture in Los Angeles.
“Anyone who sees this, if they live in London, anywhere in the world, they’re going to see it, and they’re going to understand who Becky G is,” she said. That also translates to the album cover, in which she appears posing under the sun, with LA in the background.
She’s already thinking about the concept and title of the next album — and won’t rule out whether it will be called another word that begins with the letter “E.”
“I don’t want to stop, this is what I love, it’s everything to me,” she said. “And having these opportunities to continue learning from my art and representing our stories, expressing myself and finding myself as a woman is a very beautiful process.”
Becky G is currently on tour in the U.S., performing “Encuentros” songs live, as well as those from “Esquinas” and her pop and reggaeton eras.
“I always say that my shows are how I like my tacos,” she said, “with a little bit of everything.”