Regional Goes Global, Part 2: A band finds its voice amid a storm of controversy

Alt.Latino

NPR

Music

4.5 • 673 Ratings

🗓️ 29 November 2023

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For the second episode of Alt.Latino's regional Mexican music series, hosts Anamaria Sayre and Felix Contreras interview the rising family band Yahritza y Su Esencia in its hometown of Yakima, Wash. The two discover that the U.S.-Mexico border looms large in this regional Mexican moment, especially for Yahritza y Su Esencia — not strictly because of the music's obvious Mexican roots, but also the ways in which the border can create an "us" and "them" dynamic. The band's struggles with musical and personal identity also reflect the real struggles that millions of U.S.-born folks with Mexican heritage face. And what started as a musical journey for Ana and Felix has now become a personal journey.

Audio for this episode of Alt.Latino was edited and mixed by Joaquin Cotler, with production support from Janice Llamoca, Shelby Hawkins, Suraya Mohamed and Natalia Fidelholtz. The editor for this episode is Jacob Ganz and, our project manager is Grace Chung. Hazel Cills is the podcast editor and digital editor for Alt.Latino. Our VP of Music and Visuals is Keith Jenkins.

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0:00.0	Does the idea of listening to political news freak you out?
0:03.6	Well, don't sweat it.
0:04.6	The NPR Politics Podcast makes politics a breeze.
0:08.2	Every episode will break down the day's headlines into totally normal language
0:12.5	and make sure that you walk away understanding what the day's news might mean for you.
0:17.0	Take a deep breath and give politics another chance with the NPR Politics Podcast,
0:22.3	available wherever you get your podcasts. Yerica Martinez wrote her first song about heartbreak at 14.
0:41.3	And like many people her age, she uploaded that song to TikTok.
0:45.2	But unlike most people her age, her song, flew up.
0:51.1	And it was old school.
0:52.5	Musica Mexican.
0:54.1	Jariza and her essence
0:56.0	per-in-mast-mere 5 million of
0:58.0	nominations. That's why Yadiza's like.
1:00.0	Millions of young Latinos streamed her music and sang along.
1:05.0	Soon, she and two of her older brothers formed a band. We're on stage together.
1:13.6	We're making a connection with the crowd.
1:15.6	And after that, Yadiza and Su Esencia were recording their own version of a style called Sierreño,
1:21.6	perfect for wearing your heart on your sleeve.
1:23.6	It's never going to be out of style, being heartbroken.
1:35.0	Their music really found an audience, one that grew fast, and the band was offered a record deal.
1:41.5	They performed with bands that a few years before they had looked up to as heroes.
	...

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