MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥� Last year, Mexican American released her first album of regional Mexican music, Her newest album, 鈥淓ncuentros,鈥� 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.
鈥淥bviously, a lot of people can say 鈥榊ou do it because it鈥檚 trendy,鈥欌�� Becky G said in Spanish during a video interview from Los Angeles before the last Friday release of the album. 鈥淚 think what I found in myself, when we were creating 鈥楨squinas,鈥� 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鈥檛 want to stop.鈥�
She says her fans have told her that when she they notice her voice takes on a different tone. She says they can hear Rebbeca 鈥� her real name 鈥� and her true essence beyond the Becky G pop persona.
The album starts with 鈥淴LAS NUBES,鈥� which translates to 鈥淏y the Clouds,鈥� 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.
鈥淓very song has a thread that takes you on that adventure,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e 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.鈥�
The album, produced by Adri谩n Pieragostino, features ranchera, mariachi and fused with other genres such as bolero, cumbia and Colombian vallenato.
鈥淲hen 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, 鈥榃hy not do it with regional music?鈥欌�� she said.
Still, there are traditional moments on the album, like the accordion-fueled ranchera 鈥淒esierto鈥� (鈥淒esert鈥�), 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.
鈥淚t reminds me a lot of the music I listened to when I was a child. That鈥檚 the music that my grandmother listened to, that my mom listened to,鈥� she said, describing the song as 鈥渃ortavena鈥� (鈥渃utting veins鈥�) music 鈥� spiteful songs that are a part of regional Mexican music's cathartic appeal.
鈥淭odo鈥� (鈥淎ll鈥�) features Delilah, a rising artist. 鈥淲e wanted it to sound like when you鈥檙e singing near someone,鈥� Becky G said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very big song, but very quiet. It鈥檚 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鈥檓 obsessed with her voice, Delilah鈥檚 voice. I think our voices together is magic.鈥�
The concept of the album started with 鈥淢ercedes,鈥� 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.
鈥淎nyone who sees this, if they live in London, anywhere in the world, they鈥檙e going to see it, and they鈥檙e going to understand who Becky G is,鈥� 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 鈥� and won't rule out whether it will be called another word that begins with the letter 鈥淓."
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to stop, this is what I love, it鈥檚 everything to me," she said. 鈥淎nd 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.鈥�
Becky G is currently on tour in the U.S., performing 鈥淓ncuentros鈥� songs live, as well as those from 鈥淓squinas鈥� and her pop and reggaeton eras.
鈥淚 always say that my shows are how I like my tacos,鈥� she said, 鈥渨ith a little bit of everything.鈥�
Berenice Bautista, The Associated Press
