30 Años Y Contando: Intocable Continues To Elevate Música Mexicana

Even in a social media age where artists can promote themselves to be discovered or advance their careers, it’s no easy feat to burst into the spotlight. It’s especially difficult in a regional Mexican scene chock full of one-hit wonders, but Intocable is one of the fortunate ones who cracked the code. The band hailing from Zapata, Texas, is closing out 2024 celebrating its 30th anniversary with a tour celebrating the past and present, reminding fans of their major contributions to the Tejano and norteño subgenres.

“We just had one focus when we started and it’s still the same focus: we just wanted to make great music,” Ricardo Muñoz, Intocable’s lead singer and accordion player, told Pollstar. “It was never about being famous. It was about making great music and connecting with people.”

The two-time Grammy-winning band has built a strong fanbase over the past three decades by producing 20 hits that reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Airplay chart, including their most recent single, “Mi Castigo,” from Modus Operandi, a Latin Grammy-

nominated album produced by legend Don Was, who has worked with luminaries like The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Elton John and Brian Wilson.

Intocable performed sold-out shows this year in major markets such as Los Angeles, Houston and Atlanta, where they played in front of an at-capacity crowd of 2,216 at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and grossed $183,074, according to Pollstar Boxoffice reports.

“It’s just a testament to what we’ve been doing for 30 years,” Muñoz said. “We consider ourselves the lucky ones to still be relevant and to be able to play all these big venues and have the turnout and a supportive fanbase for 30 years. It’s incredible.”

While it’s true that luck is somewhat of a factor for any artist to continue working in the live music business for 30 years, that kind of success can also be attributed to authenticity. The band sings in Spanish but has worn their hearts and heritage on their sleeves and remained true to themselves, which isn’t always easy for Mexican Americans who struggle with their identity. As an only Latino child in Texas with hardworking parents, Muñoz spent much of his time alone and related to the popular saying among people like him, “Ni de aquí, ni de allá,” which translates to “not from here, not from there.”

For three decades, Muñoz and his bandmates found the acceptance they yearned for from their fans, and on Nov. 27, they received it from their home state. Before performing a sold-out concert at Freeman Coliseum, Intocable was honored with an official proclamation from the Texas Music Office of the Governor of Texas, an official state flag from the state House of Representatives and the Emissary of the Muses from the mayor of San Antonio.

“I feel so damn proud … because here we are, a band from Texas, that’s always been dealing that type of [identity] crisis all of our careers, and yet when I saw [the proclamation] from Gov. [Greg] Abbott and it said, ‘I’m proud to call you a fellow Texan,’ for the first time I felt like I belonged somewhere,” Muñoz says.

Intocable has found a similar acceptance from music fans in Mexico with anthems of love and heartbreak like “¿Y Todo Para Qué?” and “Fuerte No Soy” on playlists for la carne asada or any other hangout. The band played a series of shows in the country south of the border this year, including their most successful outing of 2024 in Mexico City. Intocable performed at Monumental Plaza de Toros México in the Mexican capital and grossed a whopping $2,058,403 off 29,041 tickets sold, according to reports submitted to Pollstar Boxoffice.

Their hits have stayed with Mexicans and Americans alike and Muñoz, more than ever, is starting to embrace the love from fans.

“I’ve been driven all of my life that it’s like I don’t even remember what show [stands out],” he says. “It was kind of like on to the next one and the next. … I wasn’t living the present, and now I’m taking a couple of steps back and learning to enjoy myself, be on stage, really look at the crowd and enjoy it. And just look at the band and say, ‘Man, we have a damn good thing going on.’”

Latin music in general has a damn good thing going on, and Intocable has been at the forefront of the música Mexicana movement that the industry has experienced the past few years. While he is glad to see the meteoric rise of the genre, Muñoz says there are more “influencers” than artists in the Mexican music scene but believes the latter can keep the momentum going as long as they put in the work and push the boundaries of their respective genres as he and his bandmates have done for decades.

When it comes to live entertainment, Muñoz expressed even more optimism, saying Latin music will continue to thrive in that part of the industry, especially if there is an “economic crisis,” because people find comfort in listening to their favorite tunes.

“Music is what adds colors to our life. It’s always present, at a concert or when you’re hanging out with your family,” he says. “Seeing your favorite band live, that’s just a great feeling.”

Muñoz is well aware of live music’s power, and not just as an artist. He’s an aficionado who makes an effort to watch the acts that impacted his life and career, like George Strait and Paul McCartney.

“Paul McCartney … when you check him out, it’s life-changing,” says Muñoz. “That’s another level of concert. … For some reason, I don’t know for what, I felt there is hope in the world.”

It’s the kind of hope Intocable wants to continue to instill in their fans for as long as they allow it.

“It’s been a great run, and I feel like I’m at the Vegas table right now and I’m winning,” Muñoz says. “There’s a lot at play for that happening, and at some point, you need to get up and leave the table. It’s been 30 years of really winning. I don’t know how much this is going to happen, but dude, it’s been a hell of a ride, and I’ve been loving it.”