One of Latin music’s most influential producers and songwriters is making history at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Edgar Barrera, who is a driving force in globalizing the música Mexicana genre, is nominated for Songwriter Of The Year. He is the first person to be up for that award for all Spanish-language songs. The Mexican-American maestro scored massive música Mexicana hits last year with Grupo Frontera, Bad Bunny, Shakira, and Karol G.
“I feel like I’m representing the whole Latino community because I’m the only Latin nominee in the general categories,” Barrera says about his nomination. “I feel honored and so blessed to be there.”
Barrera has worked as a songwriter since 2012. He was born in McAllen, Texas, but also grew up in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Living life on both sides of the US-Mexico border inspired him to bridge the gap between both worlds in his music. Throughout his career, Barrera has crafted hits in the tropical, reggaeton, and pop genres, including writing for Madonna, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, and Jennifer Lopez. But it’s Barrera’s work in música Mexicana that earned him the Songwriter of the Year nomination.
Barrera was instrumental in turning norteña-cumbia act Grupo Frontera into global superstars. Then, Bad Bunny jumped on the band’s genre-bending smash “Un x100to” last year. Shakira and Karol G later turned to Barrera to explore Mexican genres like corridos and Tejano music. In fact, pretty much any música Mexicana hit most likely has Barrera’s name in the credits. Over Zoom, he talked with Uproxx about the stories behind his hits, the importance of his Grammy nomination, and how he’s supporting the next generation of songwriters.
How do you feel to be nominated for Songwriter Of The Year at the 2024 Grammy Awards?
For me, it’s a big surprise because I never expected this nomination at the American Grammy Awards because all my songs are in Spanish. That makes me feel that the culture and the movement that we have going with Mexican music and Latin music is becoming more global every day.
I know you write music for all genres, but what does it mean for you to have helped push música Mexicana into the mainstream?
I’ve always been around música Mexicana since the very beginning. It’s not something that I just started doing months ago when this blew up. It’s been constant work and a long journey. I’ve been working with developing artists in the música Mexicana space even before this became global. The first música Mexicana song that went into the global charts and the Billboard Hot 100 chart was “Botella Tras Botella” by Christian Nodal in 2021. The song that came after that one was “Ya Supérame” by Grupo Firme, which I was also a part of. It’s been a process with artists like Nodal, Grupo Firme, and now Grupo Frontera. Now we have Peso Pluma and that’s making [global música Mexicana hits] something that is happening more often. I’m happy to be part of this whole journey since the very beginning.
Speaking of Grupo Frontera, you’re having big success with them. Why did you decide that you wanted to work closely with them?
The guys are from my hometown. They’re actually from McAllen, Texas. I was working a lot with a lot of artists around the world. I was working a lot with Colombian, Puerto Rican, and Venezuelan artists. I wanted to go back to my community and help out a local band from my hometown, try to put them on the map, and write for an artist that’s just like me. I just wanted to give back to my community and that’s how I launched [my record label] Borderkid and started working with Grupo Frontera.
Growing up going between Mexico and the US, would you say that influenced the way you make music?
Yes! 100 percent! I grew up listening to Mexican music and being at the border is like being in the middle of both worlds. I look at it as being in the middle of the pop world and the Mexican world. I’ve been trying to make música Mexicana sound the way I translate it and the way I see it – to do it differently. My music represents a lot of who I am and where I’m from.
How would you describe the experience of working with Bad Bunny on Grupo Frontera’s song “Un x100to”?
Working with Bad Bunny is always an amazing experience. It’s something that we never thought was even going to be possible. It just shows you that anything can be possible through music. We have Bad Bunny, who is the biggest artist in the world, working with a band that was just barely getting their name out there. Having one of the biggest songs of the year was just a blessing.
How did the song “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” come together with Karol G?
Karol is a big fan of Mexican music. She’s also a big fan of Selena. I went into the studio with her, she showed me her love for Selena’s music, and told me, “I want to do a song that kind of reminds everybody [of Selena] and give that nostalgia to my audience – to make them feel what we felt when we listened to Selena.” It was a really good experience with her, trying to find that sound, and relieve that energy.
Shakira did her first corridos song “El Jefe” with you and Fuerza Regida. What was the story behind that collaboration?
That was a whole different experience because Shakira wanted to try something out with new sounds. Going in with Shakira, who is an artist that is not afraid of trying new stuff, that was special. Having Shakira looking into our [Mexican] culture and wanting to be a part of it just makes our culture bigger.
In your songs, you often bring together artists and genres from different worlds. Why are those fusions important for the future of Latin music and música Mexicana?
It’s been very important. That’s another thing I was talking to Peso Pluma about yesterday while we were working. The way that we are doing stuff nowadays is that we’re open to working with everyone and that’s something that new generations are embracing. We’re not afraid of working with people that maybe don’t relate to our music or that don’t speak the same language. You wouldn’t see that in the música Mexicana space before. You would never see a collaboration. Not even between música Mexicana artists. There were always solo songs. We came with a different mentality and with this mentality, I feel that it’s helped everybody out. It’s making everything bigger and bigger.
chachito y edgar barrera componiendo con peso pluma
bien dijo que génesis era solo el inicio pic.twitter.com/0jCDpgIK2G— magg (@mgsnrcs) January 19, 2024
Peso Pluma posted a photo of your writing session with him on Instagram. What can you tell us about what you’re working on with him?
The vibe was just amazing last night working with him and Chachito, who is an amazing writer from the corridos space. A lot of the comments were like, “Oh my God! Having Chachito, Peso, and Edgar in the same room is just going to be crazy.” People are excited. I’m excited and Peso is excited. He was very hyped and happy to have us there collaborating with each other.
What can we expect from you and your label Borderkid this year?
I’m expanding my label. I’m making new moves. I’m signing new artists and new writers. It’s also important for me to give opportunities to writers and producers to work with the artists that I’m surrounded with. I’m making the family bigger.
What do you want to achieve or accomplish next?
I just want to continue making music. I’ve never done music to try to win any awards. The awards come on their own. The awards are like the results of my hard work throughout the year. For me, it’s about making music that makes me feel good. Like yesterday, being there in the studio with Peso Pluma was great. Whatever else comes out of it is just extra.