Junior H's Coachella set proved he can be a 'sad boy' and a trap corrido pioneer

An hr earlier his archetypal show astatine the Coachella Music and Arts Festival’s main stage, a horde of managers, bandmembers and statement execs crowded the entranceway of Junior H’s creator trailer.

Among the galore faces was Jimmy Humilde, the main enforcement of Rancho Humilde Records, who signed the vocalist aft his way “No Eh Cambiado,” a requinto-backed hustle anthem, went viral connected YouTube.

Junior H, whose existent sanction is Antonio Herrera Pérez, was a precocious schooler successful Utah astatine the time. Now, astir 7 years later, the 23-year-old artist, who was raised successful Guanajuato, Mexico, is 1 of the biggest names successful the progressively fashionable satellite of música Mexicana.

“It feels truly bully for america to beryllium present close now, representing Mexico and representing each this euphony we’re doing,” said Junior H, switching betwixt Spanish and English. “Being the benignant of creator that I am, I’m trying to get the astir ears I can. That’s wherefore I’m present to get people’s attention.”

Junior H’s past full-length medium “$ad Boyz 4 Life II” was released successful 2023 and it remains 1 of the “most important” projects of his career.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Junior H and labelmate Natanel Cano are credited for pioneering corridos tumbados, a hybrid dependable that blends accepted corrido instrumentation with elements of hip-hop and trap beats — Cano’s 2019 album, “Corridos Tumbados,” heavy featured Junior H.

In the realm of música Mexicana, determination are the trap corrido makerswho sing astir partying and drugs, and past determination are “the bittersweet boys,” hopeless romantics who croon astir being successful emotion oregon astir being brokenhearted. Junior H conveniently straddles the enactment betwixt both.

“I don’t truly person a occupation looking astatine who I am. I deliberation the radical gave maine [the ‘sad boy’ title] a fewer years ago. They started categorizing maine with bittersweet and sentimental music. So I accepted and we kept it going,” said Junior H. “Especially with men, I deliberation it’s important to amusement radical that feelings are not atrocious and we tin explicit them arsenic we want.”

After his U.S. tour, Sad Boyz Mania, which took spot past summertime and included 2 sold-out nights astatine L.A.’s BMO Stadium, Junior H received a second-line billing connected this year’s Coachella’s Day 3 lineup. His sanction appeared betwixt physics DJ Zedd and K-pop idol Jennie, and was 1 of 3 música Mexicana performers playing the full fest — he’s joined by chap bittersweet lad Ivan Cornejo and reggaetón Mexa up-and-comer El Malilla.

Festival organizers archetypal began booking música Mexicana actst successful 2018 — bequest cumbia radical Los Angeles Azules was the archetypal to play the three-day event.
As planetary involvement successful the genre has grown, Goldenvoice, the institution down Coachella, has booked acts similar Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Grupo Firme, Banda MS and Cano. Last year, Peso Pluma, Carin León and Santa Fe Klan were connected the lineup.

It was during Peso Pluma’s acceptable that Junior H made his godforsaken debut, making a impermanent quality to sing “El Azul,” a narcocorrido believed to beryllium astir a Sinaloan cause lord. Now with his ain 50-minute set, Junior H says helium was excited to beryllium successful a presumption wherever helium could instrumentality the motion to Pluma and bring his ain “sad boy” flair to halfway stage.

Junior H volition instrumentality to the godforsaken signifier for Coachella Weekend Two, performing connected Sunday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

“You know, it’s not an accidental for him, due to the fact that helium was the archetypal 1 who opened each this mode for us,” said Junior H. “It’s a truly beauteous happening betwixt artists, and particularly betwixt friends similar america erstwhile we enactment truly hard for this genre, and past get the privilege to execute connected stages similar this one.”

As the Sunday evening set’s commencement clip lingered implicit his head, Junior H traded his casual, pinkish jersey for an all-white outfit that would opposition his band’s all-black attire. In the dimmed trailer, journalists, friends and VIP fans each shared a fewer moments of his sought-after attention. The softspoken vocalist remained quiescent and seems to beryllium successful a relaxed authorities of mind. Outside, the tololoche subordinate tuned his instruments arsenic the guitarists gathered successful a country to tally done a fewer chords and the horn players blew a fewer proceedings notes — each portion intermittently taking shots of Clase Azul Tequila. When it was clip for them to each caput implicit to the stage, they moved successful a dense battalion wherever Junior H was hardly visible.

On stage, Junior H took the relation of a conductor overseing the 25 musicians backing him. The sheer magnitude of radical created a showstopping spectacle, with each radical of instrumentalists connected antithetic raised levels. The ensemble adjacent included idiosyncratic whose sole intent was to present tequila shots to the musicians and clasp Junior H’s reddish solo cup, generating a enactment ambiance some onstage and successful the audience. As the música Mexicana sensation crooned the heartbroken lyrics of “Y Lloro” and a symphony of “Rockstar’s” horns rang out, helium commanded the stage’s catwalk and deed each enactment from the pits of his diaphragm.

Throughout the show, helium continually shouted retired Mexico and encouraged the assemblage to outcry retired the lyrics. Toward the extremity of his set, helium brought retired Peso Pluma to sing “Luna,” and followed it up by inviting Tito Double P connected signifier to articulation him for “5-7.”

Many expected a antithetic setlist from the corridos tumbados originator, arsenic helium neglected galore of his astir fashionable corridos specified arsenic the recently released “El Chore” and 1 of his aboriginal hits, “El Hijo Mayor.” There was online speculation surrounding the exclusion of these tracks, particularly aft Los Alegres del Barranco’s U.S. visas were revoked for showing an representation of cause lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes during a caller concert. But Junior H shared that helium wanted to enactment much of a spotlight connected his “Sad Boy” sound.

“[Sad Boyz 4 Life II] is 1 of the most, astir important albums successful my career. We’ve been forcing ourselves to beryllium and amusement the radical what we tin bash and that we tin alteration our music. It doesn’t person to beryllium typical. We tin besides bash bully and beauteous music, not conscionable euphony for the streets oregon the narcos and each that s—,” helium says, apologizing for cursing. “We privation radical to spot that we don’t lone bash that benignant of music. We besides bash beauteous euphony and poetry. That’s our goal: to amusement them that we bash much than that.”

Before heading disconnected the stage, a monolithic representation of the Mexican emblem appeared connected the main stage’s biggest screen. The explosive guitar riffs of “Disfruto Lo Malo,” a collaboration with Cano, prompted a ground-shaking roar from the crowd. Junior H made 1 last thigh astir the mega stage, making oculus interaction with each screaming idiosyncratic and paying homage to his philharmonic roots.