| El Comienzo | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 3, 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2022–2023 | |||
| Length | 34:46 | |||
| Language | Spanish | |||
| Label | VHR Music | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Grupo Frontera chronology | ||||
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| Singles from El Comienzo | ||||
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El Comienzo (English: The Beginning) is the debut studio album by American regional Mexican music band Grupo Frontera. It was released on August 3, 2023 through VHR Music. [1] [2] [3]
Grupo Frontera was formed in 2019 and they created their YouTube channel in 2022, where they released their debut single "La Plata" in April. That same month, they released their second single "No Se Va"; a cover of Morat's original song, which eventually became a hit for the band, and their first hit single. [4] After their rise in popularity, they kept releasing other singles, usually with other artists.
At the end of July 2023, the Grupo Frontera announced that their debut album, along with the cover would be released on August 3, 2023. [5] [6] [7] On August 1, the track listing was revealed, with a total of 12 songs. [8]
On October 19, 2023, Grupo Frontera was announced to be the next artist featured in the Apple Music Up Next series. [9] This was accompanied by the release of the Apple Music Edition of the album, which features the additional single "Amor Propio". [10] The song would be released on other platforms as a standalone single.
An album of 12 songs, it has collaborations with Bad Bunny, Junior H, Yahritza y Su Esencia, Manuel Turizo, Grupo Firme, Carín León, and Ke Personajes. Although there are 12 songs in the album, the sixth track it had no song and it wasn't until three weeks after the album's release that the song was revealed. [11] [12] [5]
El Comienzo begins with its first track "No Se Va", the first major success that Grupo Frontera had achieved during 2022. The song itself is a norteño cumbia. [13] The norteño cumbia sound continues on the second track "Un x100to" with Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny, which was a major hit single in 2023. [14] The third track "En Altavoz", a collaboration with urban sierreño artist Junior H, is a ranchera with accordion, bajo quinto, tololoche, and alto horns; this last instrument giving the song a Sinaloa-style sound instead of Grupo Frontera's Nuevo León style. [15] On the fourth track "Cansado de Sufrir", Grupo Frontera returns to the sound of norteño cumbia. The fifth track "Las Flores" with the band Yahritza y su Esencia, is a grupero bolero, in which the band had stated that it is their favorite song on the album. [16] [17] The sixth track "De Lunes a Lunes" with the Colombian singer Manuel Turizo, is also a norteño cumbia and is about heartbreak. [18] [19]
On the seventh track "Me Gustas", Grupo Frontera once again performs a ranchera with accordion, bajo quinto, tololoche, and alto horns. The eighth track "El Amor de Su Vida" features the band Grupo Firme, where they also return to the norteño cumbia genre. [20] Grupo Frontera performs a country-style ballad with the ninth track on the album "Cuídala". They then return to a norteño cumbia on the tenth track "Que Vuelvas" with Carín León. Said song was released at the end of 2022 and achieved major success in 2023. The eleventh track "Le Va Doler" is another norteño cumbia and the twelfth and final track "Ojitos Rojos" featuring the Argentine ensemble Ke Personajes, is a villera cumbia. [21]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "No Se Va" |
| 3:14 | |
| 2. | "Un x100to" (with Bad Bunny) |
|
| 3:15 |
| 3. | "En Altavoz" (with Junior H) |
| Barrera | 2:47 |
| 4. | "Cansado de Sufrir" |
| Barrera | 2:30 |
| 5. | "Las Flores" (with Yahritza y Su Esencia) |
| Barrera | 2:47 |
| 6. | "De Lunes a Lunes" (with Manuel Turizo) |
| Barrera | 3:08 |
| 7. | "Me Gustas" |
| Barrera | 2:34 |
| 8. | "El Amor de Su Vida" (with Grupo Firme) |
| Barrera | 2:46 |
| 9. | "Cuídala" |
| Barrera | 2:44 |
| 10. | "Que Vuelvas" (with Carín León) | Barrera | Barrera | 2:49 |
| 11. | "Le Va Doler" |
| Barrera | 2:34 |
| 12. | "Ojitos Rojos" (with Ke Personajes) |
| Barrera | 3:42 |
| Total length: | 34:46 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Amor Propio" |
| Barrera | 3:14 |
| 14. | "Up Next: Grupo Frontera" | 5:57 | ||
| Total length: | 43:57 | |||
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [22] | 76 |
| US Billboard 200 [23] | 34 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) [24] | 7 |
| US Regional Mexican Albums (Billboard) [25] | 2 |
| US Top Latin Albums (Billboard) [26] | 4 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico (AMPROFON) [27] | 4× Platinum | 560,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Norteño or Norteña, also música norteña, is a subgenre of regional Mexican music. The music is most often based on duple and triple metre and its lyrics often deal with socially relevant topics, although there are also many norteño love songs. The accordion and the bajo sexto are traditional norteño's most characteristic instruments.
Regional Mexican music refers collectively to the regional subgenres of the country music of Mexico and its derivatives from the Southwestern United States. Each subgenre is representative of a certain region and its popularity also varies by regions. Subgenres include banda, country en Español, Duranguense, grupero, mariachi, New Mexico music, Norteño, Sierreño, Tejano, and Tierra Caliente. It is among the most popular radio formats targeting Mexican Americans in the United States.
Grupera is a subgenre of regional Mexican music. It reached the height of its popularity in the 1990s, especially in rural areas. Grupera music traces its roots to the rock groups of the 1960s yet has evolved significantly over time. Typically performed by ensembles of four or more musicians, the genre prominently features electric guitars, Musical keyboards, and drums. The popularity of grupera music surged notably during the 1980s, propelling it into commercial viability and establishing its place within the Latin music landscape. Today, the genre is widely acknowledged and celebrated in prestigious Latin music awards ceremonies such as Lo Nuestro Awards and the Latin Grammy Awards, reflecting its enduring influence and cultural significance across Latin America and beyond. Grupera music is a distinct Mexican musical genre that blends traditional ranchera melodies with influences from norteño and other regional styles like corridos, cumbias, charangas, ballads, boleros and huapangos.
Puros Trankazos is a compilation album released by Fonovisa Records on July 16, 2011. The album includes tracks recorded by several artist from the regional Mexican genre, such as Julión Álvarez y su Norteño Banda, Voz de Mando, Vagón Chicano, Enigma Norteño, Larry Hernández, Los Horóscopos de Durango, Chuy Lizárraga y su Banda Tierra Sinaloense, Grupo Violento, Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizárraga, El Chapo de Sinaloa, Fidel Rueda and Alfredo Olivas.
Calibre 50 is a regional Mexican band. Formed in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, in 2010 by Edén Muñoz, the band has had several lineup changes, with the current roster consisting of lead vocalist Beto Gastélum, backing vocalist & twelve-string guitarist Tony Elizondo, diatonic accordionist Martín "Trompudo" López, sousaphonist Alejandro Gaxiola, and drummer Erick García.
Grupo Firme is a regional Mexican band based in Tijuana, Baja California, that specializes in Sinaloan music. Formed in 2014, they have received nominations for a variety of awards that include Premios Juventud and Premio Lo Nuestro, being the winner in 2021 of the latter in five categories.
Yahritza y su Esencia is an American trio from Washington state's Yakima Valley who specialize in regional Mexican music; specifically the urban sierreño subgenre. The band are three siblings: Yahritza Martínez, Armando (Mando) Martínez, and Jairo Martínez.
Grupo Frontera is a Mexican American regional Mexican band from Edinburg, Texas. The band consists of Adelaido "Payo" Solís III, Juan Javier Cantú, Julian Peña Jr. (congas), Alberto "Beto" Acosta, Carlos Guerrero (drums), and Brian Ortega.
"No Se Va" is a song by Colombian band Morat. It was released on 7 March 2019 as the sixth single from their album Balas perdidas (2018). Its official music video was released on the same day. Though it did not chart by its release, it would eventually go viral after a cover of the song published by regional Mexican band Grupo Frontera went viral on TikTok. It reached chart positions in Bolivia and Peru in 2022, as well as later certifications in Mexico, Spain, and the United States.
"Un x100to" is a song by the American band Grupo Frontera and Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny. It was released on April 17, 2023, through Rimas.
Obsessed is the debut extended play by American regional Mexican trio Yahritza y su Esencia, released on April 22, 2022, through Lumbre Music. It was produced by Ramón Ruiz plus members of the trio: Armando Martínez and Jairo Martínez. A deluxe edition of the EP was released on July 13, 2022.
Génesis is the third studio album by Mexican singer Peso Pluma, released through Double P Records on 22 June 2023. It contains collaborations with Jasiel Nuñez, Junior H, Eladio Carrión, Natanael Cano, Blessd, Tito Double P, Edgardo Nuñez, Los Dareyes de la Sierra, Luis R. Conriquez, Gabito Ballesteros, and Grupo Frontera.
The 20th Premios Juventud was held on July 20, 2023, to recognize the best in pop culture of young Hispanic and Latino Americans in 2023. The ceremony took place at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for the second year in a row. It was broadcast live on Univision. The ceremoy was hosted by Mexican singer Ángela Aguilar, Mexican TV host Alejandra Espinoza, Puerto Rican actress Dayanara Torres, and Brazilian actor Marcus Ornellas.
"Tulum" is a song recorded and performed by the Mexican singer Peso Pluma and the American band Grupo Frontera. It was written by the singer, by Andrés Correa Ríos and Edgar Barrera, the latter also produced it. It was released on 29 June 2023, as the fifth official single for Peso Pluma's third studio album, Génesis, in the deluxe version. The song was surprise posted alongside its music video on Peso Pluma's official YouTube channel.
"El Amor de Su Vida" is a song by regional Mexican bands Grupo Frontera and Grupo Firme. It was released on August 3, 2023, as the sixth single from Grupo Frontera's debut studio album El Comienzo (2023).
"Frágil" is a regional Mexican song by the American bands Yahritza y su Esencia and Grupo Frontera. It was written by Kevyn Cruz, Luis Ángel O'Neill Laureano, Yahritza Martínez and Edgar Barrera, who also produced it. It was released as a single on April 7, 2023 through Lumbre Music, Columbia Records and distributed by Sony Music Latin.
Obsessed Pt. 2 is the second EP by the American band of regional Mexican music Yahritza y su Esencia, which continues their previous debut EP, Obsessed. It was released on September 8, 2023, through the Lumbre Music, Columbia Records and Sony Music Latin record labels.
"(Entre Paréntesis)" is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira and Tejano regional Mexican band Grupo Frontera. The song was initially released on 22 March 2024 as a part of Shakira's twelfth studio album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, before being released as the album's seventh single on 25 March.
Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada is the second studio album by American regional Mexican band Grupo Frontera, self-released on May 10, 2024. Production for the album was handled Edgar Barrera and Casta. A 12-track album with fusions of country, electronic music, among other genres, it features guest appearances by Maluma, Nicki Nicole, Christian Nodal and Morat.
The 21st Premios Juventud were held on July 25, 2024, recognizing the best in pop culture of young Hispanic and Latino Americans in 2024. The ceremony took place at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was broadcast on Univision, with Venezuelan-American content creator Lele Pons, Dominican actress and television presenter Clarissa Molina, and Puerto Rican rapper Wisin, serving as co-hosts.
