Peso Pluma Had a Monster Year in 2023. Here’s What He Hopes Is Next
Lately, Peso Pluma’s raspy twang seems to be everywhere. It’s there, creaking with grit and originality, on his Eslabón Armado hit “Ella Baila Sola,” which became the first regional Mexican song to reach the Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100. (Fans have been so enamored by the way he croaks out “Bella!” in his opening verse that they’ve started a viral TikTok challenge, imitating the singer.) His distinct delivery on “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 55,” his collaboration with famed Argentine producer Bizarrap, drove the track to Number One on Spotify’s Global charts. And his unique sound is all over Génesis, the debut studio LP he released in June that landed at the top of both Billboard’s Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums charts.
The 24-year-old Pluma, whose real name is Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija, was born just outside of Guadalajara, and he started writing songs and tinkering around on guitar as a teenager. He also lived in San Antonio, where he picked up hip-hop and rap influences that make up his unapologetic sound today. But it was the tough-talking corridos of artists like Ariel Camacho that got Pluma experimenting with his own style, alongside his cousin Tito Double P. The two got some attention, particularly for forays into narco-corrido traditions, and Peso eventually signed to Prajin Records. (The past content of his music was back in the news in September after the Jalisco New Generation Cartel threatened the singer’s life before a concert he’d planned in Tijuana. He eventually canceled the show, writing on Instagram that his goal was to “protect the fans and the team.” A rep for Pluma did not respond to requests for comment.)
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This year, he’s kept releasing songs that have found global audiences. “Ella Baila Sola” was a game-changer; it broke records and became the first regional Mexican song on the Billboard 100, making Peso one of the leading figures in an exciting new generation of música Mexicana artists. “I think we’ve been paving the way for a long time,” Peso Pluma tells Rolling Stone over the phone in August after selling out a massive concert in New York City.
All the while, he’s spun out hits with stars like Becky G, Karol G, Eladio Carrion, and El Alfa, showing his dexterity with genres. The fact that he’s had the buzziest come-up in the Latin industry this year could get him a lot of love at the Grammy and Latin Grammys — which would mark a major first for the fast-rising sensation. “When I imagine myself with a Grammy in hand, that’s like me saying, “Arriba, Mexico!” he says.
You’re in the middle of a massive tour, and just last night, you wrapped up a major show in New York. What’s that been like?
It’s been huge, filling arenas, filling stadiums. For each show to be sold out and for each city to have people showing up with their full heart and soul is what I’m enjoying most out of this. It feels good — when I have special guests, that’s when I really feel how far we’ve come. When I was a kid, I never imagined having these huge collaborations with people that I listened to. Now, being able to have people from different countries and cultures that I’ve recorded with makes me happy. My shows are regional Mexican music, but at the one in New York, I had my first guest, who was Jasiel Nunez, who’s one of my artists, and I also had stars from reggaeton: Ryan Castro and El Alfa. It was huge for me to be able to showcase two huge figures in urban genres at a sold-out arena.
We’ve seen you pull off some surprising collaborations with these artists — how do you decide who you want to team up with and who you bring onstage with you?
I pursued regional Mexican music because I knew my voice was right for it and I knew I had a gift for composing in that style, and I could launch a career doing corridos and other Mexican sounds. But I always listened to reggaeton, to hip-hop, rap. So, I started experimenting as a hobby, just to see what would come out, and people loved it. So that’s what I’ve been doing, collaborating with artists I’ve enjoyed and people I have chemistry with. With El Alfa, for example, I went to the Dominican Republic for a songwriting camp. I was there and he hit me up, and I asked if he wanted to come where I was. He brought his producer, and I brought mine, and what ended up happening was a great song.
One of your biggest hits, “Ella Baila Sola,” was just declared Spotify’s global song of the summer after hitting Number One on the platform’s charts. Tell me about the experience of making that song and seeing its success.
I’m so grateful for everyone who played a role in that song, especially Pedro Tovar, who wrote the song and, as part of Eslabón Armado, performed it. I was able to add to it so that the song could cross barriers and so people could get to know the regional Mexican genre. We got to raise our flag up with Eslabón Armado, who are American but also Mexican. And it was a huge source of pride to be able to represent. I make every song without the specific intention of having it become number one or whatever. It was simply that I loved this song. I knew it had a potential to go global, but independently of what ended up happening, I just adored that track. I recorded it because I liked it, not because of what it was going to become, because I didn’t know.
We met up in a studio in Los Angeles, Pedro from Eslabón Armado and me. There are these videos on TikTok where he’s kind of guiding me. What he kept saying to me was that he wanted to bring out the particular sound of my voice, which is unique and what makes it special for people. I knew if I did these vocals, that’s what would identify me and what people like — that raspiness. Because my voice is hoarse, they like that it’s natural and I’m not trying to oversing; it’s just my voice. It happened quickly. He sent me the song when I was in New York, and I said to him, “We’re going to go global.”
Right after “Ella Baila Sola” went to Number One, you did it again, when your Bizarrap collaboration “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 55” achieved the same thing. How did that moment happen?
That was thanks to a lot of sacrifices we’ve made and because we never stopped working. And I’m so grateful to Biza, because he invited me to that session and I’m thankful to be one of the few Mexicans who’s ever done a Bizarrap session. I’ll always be thankful for that invite and that we vibed so well because we had a great time in the studio. Collaborating with a producer that great, especially from another country, really felt like we were connecting two cultures and creating this perfect mix. Biza had told me it was going to be a hit, and I knew what he was talking about. With Biza, I met him in Miami in a studio. We saw each other, and we immediately started talking about what we wanted to do. The idea of the corrido came up. He wanted to do it. We had begun this debate about how we should approach things, and he was the one who said to me, “We should go into your lane, which is regional Mexican music.” And I’m glad that he added that touch.
Which rising Mexican artists are you listening to right now?
Apart from him being my friend, I think Jasiel is great. His lyrics are so different and special. He always conveys what he’s feeling. And he doesn’t like copying what anyone else is doing; he’s always looking for his own lane. I also really like what this kid from Guadalajara is doing with Sucesión M. His name is Tony, and he actually wrote the song “Nueva Vida” [on my album], which is my favorite corrido. It’s these kids who have been growing up in Guadalajara kind of alongside us.
There’s a chance the genre might get some recognition at the Grammys. How does that feel to you, given that you’ve been shining a light on regional Mexican music both through your career and with your label?
It’s a dream I’ve been thinking about since I was a kid, to be able to win a Grammy as an artist. To be recognized as a Mexican artist across the globe is something big — that alone makes me proud, and it’s not just me here doing this. There’s a huge team and a family behind me, and we’ve scaled these heights to achieve what we’re doing. And there’s other artists, too, which is what feels special to me, even beyond an award.
Becky G brought you onstage at Coachella, and Bad Bunny chose you as one of Rolling Stone’s Future 25 artists. What’s this like, and where do you see it taking the genre?
When I was growing up, I’d watch these people on television and I’d dream about meeting them, but I never imagined it would be this way. For them to be supporting everything I’m doing artistically, it’s a really big deal. For figures that are important in the world, like Bad Bunny, to have my back, it motivates me and makes me want to go farther.
A lot of artists did their part for this to happen globally. Natanael Cano, El Camacho, so many artists worked for this to get to the level where it is, and now we’re each lending each other a hand to make things happen. Being in Coachella, for example, that was two artists singing a Mexican song for thousands of people at one of the biggest festivals, with the best artists. It’s incredible. I’m happy I get to say there’s a community within regional music and that we all want to be there for each other and represent Mexico. We do this for the culture and for nothing else.
This story is part of Rolling Stone’s fourth annual Grammy Preview issue, released ahead of the start of first-round voting on Oct. 13th. We featured SZA on the cover, spoke to some of the year’s biggest artists about the albums and singles that could earn them a statue come February, made our best predictions for the nominees in the top categories, and more, providing a full guide to what to watch for in the lead-up to the 2024 awards.
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