Junior H is set to take the stage at Coachella, just a year after debuting at the event as a guest of his friend Peso Pluma. One of the most important exponents of new regional Mexican music today, Junior, known for global hits such as “Lady Gaga,” ‘Ella,” and “Tres Botellas,” will debut his own set on April 13 and 20.
“It’s a pride, it’s very nice to represent Mexico, represent the genre and share with people who like my music — although the goal is to go and win new fans,” Junior H tells Billboard Español ahead of the festival’s first weekend. “Coachella is a stage where artists from many countries perform. So, I’m very excited and of course it’s a challenge and a great opportunity.”
Although he said that he will not have guests and that his show will be shorter than what he normally presents in his concerts, the artist behind Hot 100 hits such as “Y Lloro”, “Fin de Semana” and “Bipolar” promises to give “the best of my repertoire.”
Over the past five years, Junior H (whose real name is Antonio Herrera) has been carving a steady path since the days when he was discovered by the Los Angeles-based independent record label Rancho Humilde. Today, he has his own label, Sad Boyz Entertainment.
“La Letra Muda”, as he is also known, knows what it is like to be in front of large crowds. In May 2023, he twice packed the Plaza Mexico in Mexico City, with its 50,000 capacity — a long way from his early days of having a mostly social media-based following.
“That moment was really the beginning, where we realized we have real fans — not followers. It was awesome,” he says. “Then we jumped to the Foro Sol and it was beautiful. Later we came to the United States to very big places, so I’m infinitely grateful.”
With the concept of his 2023 album Sad Boyz 4 Life II, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums and Top Regional Mexican Albums charts, Junior H had a quick connection with young people — who had known him as a performer of corridos tumbados, but found his new style to have deeper, more sentimental themes. The 23-year-old singer was born in Guanajuato, also the land of singer-songwriter José Alfredo Jiménez, so ranchera music was part of his childhood. And as a teenager, thanks to his sisters, he listened to Edén Muñoz — with whom he collaborated on “Abcdario” a couple of years ago, fulfilling a longtime dream in the process.
More recently, the group Máximo Grado, considered a standard-bearer in corridos, released his Somos Leyenda album, on which Junior H made an appearance. “Since I was a kid I’ve been a fan of theirs. The song I participated with, ‘El Hombre del Equipo,’ I used to sing it when I was doing lives during the pandemic,” he recalls. “[The group’s leader] Christian Felix used to see them, and that’s why he invited me. I’m fortunate to have accomplished things I never imagined. That’s why now I want to help other artists who are starting out with my record label.”
Junior H will now add CEO of Sad Boyz Entertainment to his career resumé. His first signed talent is the artist Gael Valenzuela, on whose new song (“El Chore,” released Apr. 10) he also appeared. Find that below.
