Just a few years ago, a budding mariachi singer set foot on a world-renowned stage with only hopes of soon recording her first major studio album and dreams of making it in music. This weekend Lupita Infante returns to Hollywood Bowl as a Grammy-nominated artist to once again join Mariachi USA, the music festival that helped launch her career.

“After that experience in the first performance at the Hollywood Bowl for Mariachi USA (in 2018), a lot of doors started opening for me,” says Infante. “It was just, you know, part of the building blocks to my career.”

Infante is the special guest of the 32nd annual edition of Mariachi USA, which is welcoming back concert goers to the famed venue after more than a year of a pandemic and a previous edition that took place in the virtual world. She joins a concert that screams women’s power in a music genre that for a long time was dominated by men. Headliners include the all-female Mariachi Divas and Mariachi Nuevo Mujer 2000 and this year’s fest will pay tribute to iconic ranchera singer and actress Lucha Villa.

Infante herself is part of recent generations of female singers and musicians who have kept transforming mariachi and normalizing women’s presence in the popular Mexican music genre. In Infante’s case, she’s been doing it from this side of the border. And while she’s the descendant of one of Mexico’s most beloved stars, before becoming a professional singer she held regular jobs to earn a living and even worked as a ridesharing driver to pay for her college education.

Lupita Infante was born and raised in Downey, California, the daughter of the late actor Pedro Infante Jr. and granddaughter of the legendary singer/actor Pedro Infante. But she had to fend for herself in her artistic pursuit. Her father died in 2009, her grandfather in 1957.

“Sometimes people ask me, ‘Did you meet your grandfather?’” says Infante. “And I (am) like, ‘No.’ You know…my father was only seven when (his father) passed away.” Just like her father, Lupita says, she had to build a career on her own. 

In fact, it was several years after her dad died that the singer made one of the most important choices in her life: pursue a career in music. She enrolled at UCLA to study ethnomusicology and worked at a senior citizen center to pay for school, sometimes singing for the elderly who knew of her famous progenitors. The future professional singer also worked as a Lyft driver while attending college, though she recalls rarely serenading passengers. At UCLA she joined a student mariachi band and; one year before graduating, in 2016, Infante also put out an independently-produced album proudly released at a restaurant in her hometown.

It would be until a few years later that her hard work would start to pay off. Infante met Rodri J. Rodriguez, the promoter and founder of Mariachi USA, who invited the relatively unknown singer to perform at the festival in 2018. “I was just beginning my professional career as a singer,” she recalls, adding that Rodriguez “truly was the first person who kind of opened the door for me and gave me an opportunity.”

The following year, Infante released her first major studio album La Serenata, which earned her a Grammy nomination and also a Latin Grammy nod.

“So, returning now to Mariachi USA, after all of these amazing things that have happened since the first time, is truly… an honor,” says Infante. “It’s very celebratory for me and I feel, you know, I’m in a different place in life and my career, and I’m just really happy to be able to share that with Mariachi USA fans who are going to be there.”

The singer will perform songs from her award-nominated album along with Mariachi Divas and a new song she wrote a few weeks ago. With another set of songs with a different band, Infante will join the tribute to Villa, this year’s honoree. The octogenarian artist, who won’t be attending the concert, is known for classic hits like “Media Vuelta,” “La Cruz del Cielo” and “Viva Quien Sabe Querer” and also starred in films El gallo de oro, Me cansé de rogarle and Mecanica Nacional, which won her an Ariel Award for Best Actress. “I think Lucha Villa is…one of the greats” of Mexican music, says Infante. “We are honoring her and everything she’s done for women in mariachi music.”

Mariachi USA will take place Sunday, Aug 22. Other performers include Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán, Mariachi Los Reyes, Mariachi Los Toros and the dance ensemble Mi Tierra Ballet Folklorico.

For more information and tickets, visit https://ticketmaster.com.

Featured Photo: Lupita Infante (Credit: Mariachi USA)

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After being interrupted by Covid last year, the Mariachi USA music festival is returning to the Hollywood Bowl on August 22, from 5 PM to 10 PM.

“Undoubtedly Volver Volver will never be louder than on Sunday, Aug. 22, so join us and get ready to fill it up,” quips Rodri J. Rodriguez, founder, producer and host of the yearly music festival. Rodriguez refers to the iconic song made famous by Mexican charro singer Vicente Fernández in the late 1970s that has become synonymous with mariachi music. 

The heartfelt ballad speaks of a desire to go back to a lover’s arms after a broken romance. It’s one of the most played mariachi songs on YouTube, with the original version raking in 138 million plays.  

“Volver” means to return in Spanish. And that’s what the annual music fest is doing this summer thanks to vaccinations and other pandemic protocols that have allowed huge venues and public events to resume. 

The 32 second edition of Mariachi USA will feature two-time Grammy-winning, all female Mariachi Divas, Mariachi Nuevo Mujer 2000, Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán, Mariachi Los Reyes, Mariachi Los Toros. Also performing will be special guest Lupita Infante, a Grammy-nominated singer, as well as the dance ensemble Mi Tierra Ballet Folklorico. The event will pay homage to Lucha Villa, one of Mexico’s greatest female mariachi singers.

Infante, a granddaughter of Mexican singing and acting legend Pedro Infante and daughter of the late actor Pedro Infante Jr. will make her second appearance at Mariachi USA, having last performed in 2018. “I was just beginning my professional career as a singer, you know, songwriter musician,” says the singer. Infante credits Mariachi USA’s Rodriguez with opening doors for her when the singer didn’t even have an album out yet. Her 2019 debut album La Serenata received a nomination for a Grammy for Best Regional Mexican Music Album. The following year, her song “Dejaré” was nominated for a Latin Grammy. “So, returning now to Mariachi USA, after all of these amazing things that have happened since the first time, is truly…an honor.”

As for the retuning Mariachi Divas, Cindy Shea, founder of the all-female group said, “Planning the Divas performance at Mariachi USA after surviving the pandemic made me realize how dependent I was on the energy of a live audience” and added. “Not until I was forced to produce and perform virtual concerts did I realize how vital a live audience is, and we’ve planned a very dynamic set to celebrate with mariachi fans.” Founded in 1999, Mariachi Divas was the first all-female mariachi to be nominated to the Grammy. They’ve won the award twice since then.

Another all-women ensemble is Los Angeles-based Mariachi Nuevo Mujer 2000 prides itself on continuing the legacy of the pioneering female mariachis that have gone through its ranks, including Laura Garciacano Sobrino and Marisa Orduno. The group is currently led by Patricia Fernández.

“Meeting high standards in musicianship, our goal involves surpassing previous stereotypes, as each member of this ensemble represents tradition, culture and education all in one,” states the band on its official website.

For its part, Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán is a 12-piece group that has performed regularly at Mariachi USA featuring what’s reportedly one of the top three horn sections in the mariachi universe. Founded in 1965 by brothers Pepe and Fernando Martínez Barajas, their family legacy continues with a third generation that included current leader Angel Martínez Arreguín.

Another L.A. talent, Mariachi Los Reyes is a popular group that has accompanied stars like Luis Miguel, Ramon Ayala, Lupillo Rivera, the late Jenny Rivera in their live performances.

Mariachi Los Toros could be defined as a mariachi of the third millennium as it was founded in the early 2000s, also in Southern California. Directed by Carlos Parra, the group has collaborated with Mexican rock band Mana and performed along with the American rock group Faith No More.

As usual, the festival will include live dance performances. Mi Tierra Ballet Folklórico, a group from Las Vegas. “Our folk group puts an artistic style to Mexico’s folk dancing, innovating and interpreting its various regions that are full of diversity,” says the band on its website. “Although we are far from our homeland, we keep our history alive through this form of dance, Mexican ballet folklórico.”

The tribute to Lucha Villa will be a highlight of the evening. She was one of Mexico’s best-known female mariachi singers as well as actress. Born in 1936, her music hits include “Media vuelta,” “La Cruz del Cielo” and “Viva Quien Sabe Querer.” Villa was featured in the 1996 album Disco del Siglo: Las Tres Señoras along with another two greats of Mexican music, Lola Beltrán and Amalia Mendoza. The album was produced by Juan Gabriel. 

The founder of Mariachi USA hopes the festival will contribute to a sense of normality after a year and a half of the pandemic. “Our celebration this year is bittersweet,” says Rodriguez. “We have all felt the devastating toll of the pandemic, the most tragic being the loss of loved ones.” She adds, “As we show up daily, doing our very best, reinventing, purging, shifting, we must remember to involve ourselves in art and music…All of us at Mariachi USA strongly believe that what we do nourishes the soul and motivates the spirit and simply… heals.”

For more information and tickets, visit https://mariachiusa.com.

Featured Photo: Mariachi USA (Photo: Mariachi USA)

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Los Angeles, CA — January is National Menudo Month and Juanita’s Foods, the #1 brand for ready-to-eat menudo, is celebrating big with Vive La Tradición.  The family event will feature live musical performances, folkloric dancers, games, activities for the kids and plenty of delicious Juanita’s Menudo for the entire family. The festivities will take place on Sunday, January 27^th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Plaza De La Raza located at 3540 N Mission Rd. in Lincoln Heights. Concurrently, there is a promotion which consists of a consumer sweepstakes (www.vivelatradicion.com)

Vive La Tradición is a celebration of Mexican culture, paying homage to the traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. From the music to the dances and the food, these traditions are so deeply rooted in the culture that they have not only transcended generations, but also borders.

Juanita’s Menudo has been promoting Mexican culture since in 1950 when the De La Torre family began canning and distributing their homemade menudo recipe in the U.S. They became the largest producer of menudo and the #1 menudo brand in the United States. Today, the company continues to be owned and operated by the De La Torre family with millions of loyal consumers.

“The De La Torre family believes in the importance of preserving Mexican culture and traditions which is why Juanita’s Foods is proud to host promotions like Vive La Tradición which honors those traditions,” said Gina De La Torre Harpur, Juanita’s Foods Third Generation Owner. “We invite everyone to join us in this special celebration and in keeping the tradition alive!”

Vive La Tradición will feature performances by Lupita Infante (granddaughter of the legendary Pedro Infante), Alvera De Leon, Mariachi Los Reyes, Mariachi Alma Angelino, Plaza de la Raza Mariachi Youth Ensemble and Pasión de Mi Tierra Dance Company. Kids will enjoy a variety of games and activities at the Sleepie Teepee station like playing their favorite Mexican Bingo game, loteria or taking a swing at the piñata. Other activities include face painting provided by Creative Face & Body and balloon art provided by Vivian’s Face Painting & Balloons. With so much activity going on, fiesta-goers are sure to work up an appetite and will be invited to sample a delicious bowl of Juanita’s Menudo or Juanita’s Pozole and quench their thirst with aguas frescas provided by Agua Lucha. Rain or shine, this fiesta is sure to delight the young and the young at heart alike.

Vive La Tradición is a free, family event and open to the public, hosted by Juanita’s Foods in celebration of National Menudo Month 2019.  Vive La Tradición will take place on Sunday, January 27^th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Plaza De La Raza located at 3540 N Mission Rd., Los Angeles 90031. For more information, please visit: www.juanitas.com or www.plazadelaraza.org

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