Eslabon Armado is an American regional Mexican group from Patterson, California, formed in 2017. the group's lineup was originally consisted of Pedro Tovar (lead vocals), Brian Tovar (bass), & Jesse Vargas (backing vocals and acoustic guitar) until 2020, when Vargas departed to form his own group[1]. Ulises González (acoustic guitar) and Damián Pacheco (twelve-string guitar) later joined in 2022, with González departing in March 2025.
For most of their career, the group had a three-piece lineup, consisting of brothers Pedro and Brian Tovar, and their friend Gabriel Hidalgo–all natives of Bay Area, California–while they attended Patterson High School. They graduated to concentrate on the group. They have released seven studio albums and have received several awards and nominations including two Billboard Music Awards, two Billboard Latin Music Awards and two Latin American Music Awards. The Tovar Brothers have been the only two constant members. Hidalgo remained until 2021, when he was replaced by González after deciding to leave after moving to Los Angeles and pursuing other musical projects, with Pacheco joining in 2022.
Career
The group started as a trio in 2017 in Patterson, California,[2] composed of brothers Pedro Tovar and Brian Tovar, alongside their friend Jesse Vargas Until 2020, when Vargas departed to form his own group. Shortly after Vargas Departure Gabriel Hidalgo joined to fill his place . All three still being teenagers, the three began to study and play sierreño music, as well as other regional Mexican genres like norteño. Being influenced by the music listened to by their parents, the trio released several videos of live performances to social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok, gaining attention from record labels.[3][4] The trio was later discovered by Ángel del Villar and signed to DEL Records,[5] where they released their debut EP Navegando y Flotando in 2019.[6]
In 2020 they released their first singles "Con Tus Besos" and "La Trokita". Both songs entered the Hot Latin Songs chart, peaking at numbers 15 and 37, respectively.[7] Their debut album Tu Veneno Mortal was released on April 6, 2020.[5] During 2020, the trio released two more albums, Vibras de Noche on July 17 and Corta Venas on December 18.[8][9] All three albums topped the Regional Mexican Albums chart while the first two were certified platinum in United States.[10] Following the release of the albums, Gabriel Hidalgo left the group.[4]
Their fourth album Tu Veneno Mortal, Vol. 2 was released on June 25, 2021.[11] In September 2021, Ulises González joined the group, making them a trio again.[12] In the same year, "Jugaste y Sufrí", a song with DannyLux, had peaked at number 69 at the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making this both artists' first appearance on the chart.[13] At the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards, the band won Duo/Group Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year and Regional Mexican Album of the Year; the latter for Tu Veneno Mortal, while at the Latin American Music Awards of 2021, they won Favorite Duo or Group and Favorite Regional Mexican Duo or Group.[14][15]
In early 2022 Damián Pacheco joined the group.[16] On May 5, 2022, the group released Nostalgia, with the addition of Ulises González and Damián Pacheco, both former touring members, to the official lineup. The album was their fifth consecutive number one on the Regional Mexican Albums chart. Additionally, the album peaked at number 9 at the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first regional Mexican album to achieve a top 10 position on the chart.[17]
In March 2023, they released the song "Ella Baila Sola" featuring singer and rapper Peso Pluma. The song went viral on TikTok and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, being their highest appearance on the chart, as well as the first regional Mexican song to enter the top ten on the chart.[18] In addition, the song also topped the Hot Latin Songs chart, being the group's first number-one song on the chart. In the following month, the group released their album Desvelado, which was supported by "Ella Baila Sola". The album debuted at number 6 in the Billboard 200, which marked the second album by the group and in the regional Mexican music genre to debut on the top 10 of the chart, following Nostalgia.[19] In October 2023, they released the song "La Fresa" featuring Gabito Ballesteros.[20] In October 25, the group, along with Ballesteros, performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, making them the second regional Mexican artist(s) to perform on the show, after Peso Pluma's performance on "Ella Baila Sola."[21]
Members
Current members
Pedro Tovar – lead vocals, twelve-string guitar (2017–present)
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