From Hermosillo To The Sphere: Carín León On Making History In Vegas & Elevating Música Mexicana

If there were a venue built on the Moon, you can bet that Carín León would be one of the first artists to take that stage and bring Mexican culture into uncharted territory. It’s what the Hermosillo-born singer has been doing since he teamed up with his manager Jorge Juárez in 2023, serving as an ambassador for Mexico while bridging two cultures by dabbling in the country music scene.

Last year alone, León became the first regional Mexican act to perform at Stagecoach, a watershed moment for the country music festival and música Mexicana, as well as playing Coachella and opening for The Rolling Stones in Arizona.

He added another major milestone this year: León will be the first Latin star to headline a show at Sphere in Las Vegas, a testament not only to where he is in his career but to the influence of Mexican music in the industry and culture at large. He initially announced three nights, Sept. 11-13, at the iconic Vegas venue and later added three more, Sept. 4-6, due to unprecedented demand.

It’s quite the moment for León, who is one of the faces of the Mexican music revolution that has vaulted the country into lists and charts that recognize it as one of the biggest music markets in the world.

Pollstar: First and foremost, congratulations on making history with the Sphere shows. I know you and your team worked hard to make it happen, but you have performed in arenas and stadiums across the globe, so why Sphere?

Carín León: As soon as I found out that this venue was being built, I, as a passionate fan of music and the audiovisual component of it, was interested. When they told me that this took [the live experience] to another level, that you could bring smells, control the temperature and bring all of that into that experience, I thought, “Wow, I know, music was given to me to accompany all these other things.” To convert live music into such an immersive experience, it gives me an opportunity that I believe is what art is for: to express and crystalize what one has inside of them and sharing it with the audience. It gives me many tools, and apart from seeing the parade of people and icons who have passed through the venue and seeing the impressive shows, for me, it’s a major milestone in my career, one that was a lot of work, but we’re here.

Have you seen any shows at Sphere?

We were able to see a bit of the Eagles, a band I very much admire. I didn’t get the chance to see U2, but I do have my tickets to see the Backstreet Boys.

No way. Really?

Yeah. I’m a big fan.

What’s your favorite song?

Well, all of them, but I love “All I Have to Give.” That album before Millennium was really good. I really am a big fan.

That’s awesome. Las Vegas can draw just about any act, and it’s an important market for Mexican artists like yourself. What does this city mean to you, and why do you think it’s so essential for Latin singers?

Since we’ve been coming to Vegas, especially on the important dates for música Mexicana and our culture to come and celebrate here, we see all the major artists have a show here, and we create a reunion of sorts. For me, it’s about being able to express myself and bringing a little bit of Sonora and Hermosillo with a grand show. I think Sphere is the most important venue in the world today, and we have so much to express from our rich culture, and to express it in that way has been my main role. The ability to transcend and take our culture and bring a piece of our Mexico to all parts with this large tool is primordial.

You’ve always taken that responsibility of representing Mexico very seriously, and it’s especially important now with everything that is going on. How important is it for artists like you to give Latinos a safe space to celebrate their culture?

Music has helped me in the most difficult moments, in the moments when I sank deep. I think music is the one that has lifted me up and put me in another place. I think the best that we as artists can do, apart from helping, is to be a voice of encouragement, to inspire and motivate other Mexicans, especially in these hard times that our raza is going through. It’s important to bring some good news, a little bit of light, and give them a moment where they can forget all of that. And also, put Mexicans on the map and show that we’re chingones [awesome] and we’re present everywhere. I want my voice to inspire them and to bring them a message that says there is no harm that doesn’t come for good, and every hard blow only makes us stronger.

You’re one of the leaders of this awesome Mexican music revolution we’ve seen over the past five years. What do you attribute this growth to?

I think it’s because we want to be more Mexican than ever. We grab a hold of all these flavors, colors and sounds that make us unique and put us on a map where only we can do it the way we’re doing it. We lived a long time emulating music from other places, trying to emulate what was done in the global market or the Anglo market. And we had our version of this. What distinguishes us is our folklore, mariachi, norteño, sierreño, and bringing them to modernity –taking these sounds and mixing [them] with urban, reggaeton and pop. It gave a very unique flavor that tastes more like Mexico than it ever has and made us a world power, which we have been all our lives. But it was up to us as artists, and we are taking full advantage of the fact that people are turning to see Mexico.

We’re seeing Mexican artists have success in territories like Central and South America, which wasn’t always easy for them. What do you think makes the culture so attractive?

It’s like making Mexican food. No one knows better how to make the best tacos than we Mexicans. Nobody is going to be better at requinto music or norteño than us. And we can still approach other genres by way of entry to reach other countries like South America with salsa, as happens with reggaeton and bachata, and of course, whatI’m doing – getting into country in the United States, into American folklore. We have sounds and flavors that we know and have a lot to contribute to the world. We have to believe in ourselves and believe again in our Mexico. Our identity is what has gotten us to where we are. And in the process, you have elevated your country and made it one of the biggest music markets in the world. Mexico is having quite the moment right now. A lot of it happened after the pandemic. Artists weren’t able to tour, so my contemporaries and me had to reinvent ourselves and our music, and we had to captivate the Mexican public with this unique flavor that we have.

I also think we gave audiences a strong sense of belonging, reaching other countries and allowing people to express their Mexican heritage and say they are from the same country where Carín or any of my contemporaries are from. This renaissance of our Mexican music and of our concerts has broken barriers, and we as artists have been able to elevate our shows to another level. Our productions are different, and we’ve been able to bring more quality to them to markets farther outside Mexico.

You’ve accomplished so much, and now you have Sphere next year. What else do you want to do?

We have many plans, including one that is very interesting, which we will be announcing in October, something that is for my city. My city has been one of the tougher stages for me, but one that is so fulfilling because we’re coming with all of our triumphs with a different kind of event and one that is very big. We have important festivals in Europe next year, and … there’s so much more to conquer.