In recent years, Coachella has made a commitment to incorporating local Mexican music into its lineup, with past performers including Banda MS, Grupo Firme, Natanael Cano and Los Tucanes de Tijuana. This year, among the stars of mexicana music were Peso Pluma and Carin León, who both made their Coachella debuts this year — a nod to the genre's continued global and mainstream rise.
On Sunday (April 14), before León took the main stage around 5:30 p.m. to sing “Carin, Carin”, a video plays showing images of the singer face-to-face with a powerful lion running wild in a desert. . The wild animal is then immortalized on stage with a huge wooden lion wearing one tejana (cowboy hat) set in background.
The sun was beginning to set in Indio, California when León took the stage, and it was the perfect atmosphere for his sweet melodies and haunting vocals that roared through the desert and drew in audiences who might never have heard of the Sonora-born artist . . With his live band — comprised of more than 20 musicians playing tubas, accordions, guitars and drums, among other instruments — León didn't hold back in his performance, understanding the importance of this moment on center stage.
“Viva México chingada madre“, he said, very proud to be Mexican and represent a genre that has long been the backbone of Latin music. “Dónde están dolidos (Where are those who are hurting?'' he asked, setting the tone for a set that could mend broken hearts. He started singing hits early on, not wanting to miss a minute, from “Me La Aventé” to “Te Lo Agradezco,” “Corazón de Oro” and the bilingual country song with Kane Brown, “The One (Pero No Como Yo )»
It wasn't long before Leon was holding a Mexican flag, which he held onto tightly. He then broke out on the spinning 'Que Vuelvas', his collaboration with Grupo Frontera. Of course, it was a perfect opportunity for him to show off his mesmerizing dance moves that have now become a staple of his shows. This was followed by the irresistible huapango “La Boda del Huitlacoche”, which inspired a huge sing-along and the fans couldn't help but show off zapateado moves, literally dancing up a storm in the desert.
He switched to rock in Spanish with a spot-on cover of Hombres G's “Te Quiero.” And after that, he brought out Mau y Ricky for “Llorar y Llorar,” marking the duo's first time at Coachella. Near the end of his nearly 50-minute set, he closed with a fan favorite, “Si Una Vez,” honoring one of the greats, Selena Quintanilla, and then went on to perform “Primera Cita.”
“Thank you for the first time,” he said before exiting the stage. “Arriba la raza, arriba Coachella, but more than anything, arriba la música.” He closed with the hit song “Según Quién”, his 2023 collaboration with Maluma.
Other Latin artists playing at Coachella this year were Young Miko, Bizarrap, Santa Fe Klan, Ludmilla and J Balvin, who was the pre-headliner on night three (just before headliner Doja Cat).
Leon is also set to make his Stagecoach debut on Friday, April 26.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/latin/carin-leon-coachella-2024-performance-recap-1235656512/
