Mexico May Elect Its First Female President: This Songwriter Prepared Her Song

As a child, Vivir Quintana thought she could aspire to be anything but the president of Mexico. “Back then he said it was a job for men, for gentlemen,” recalls the Mexican singer-songwriter, who now sings to the woman who could become on Sunday (June 2) the Latin American country's first female president, framed for years from this machista Civilization.

“Compañera Presidenta” is the song Quintana composed in honor of Mexico's potential first female president, a letter of respect to the two women leading the polls: candidate Claudia Sheinbaum, of the ruling Morena party, and Xóchitl Gálvez, the flag bearer of the opposition alliance formed by the PRI, PAN and PRD parties.

“Que no te duermas sin deberle la justicia a las madres que ahora buscan por ahí a sus hijas entre fosas clandestinas,” reads one part of her song, which translates to “Don't sleep without doing justice to the mothers who are now out there searching for their daughters among secret graves.” The song, released on Monday (May 27) night, honors the tireless work of Mexican mothers searching for their missing children among the nearly 100,000 missing since 1962, according to official figures.

“Struggle mothers are the ones who have touched my life and heart the most. I have been with them in public and private moments, I feel pain for everyone and I cry out for justice,” says Quintana. Billboard Español.

The song comes days after the artist, originally from Coahuila, in northern Mexico, posted a message to her Account X addressing both candidates where she asks them for empathy for causes such as gender-based violence. The response of the presidential candidates came a few hours later on the same social network.

“Dear Vivir, dear friend. Your music moves and inspires me. Your invitation to work with me gives me the confidence that Mexico can be a different country. A country where going out on the street is not a danger for women. A country where equality is not a claim, but a tangible reality.” Galvez tweeted.

Secondly, Sheimbaum replied: “Vivir, thank you for your letter. It is clear to me that I am not arriving alone, we are all arriving. with our ancestors, with our mothers, with our daughters and granddaughters. I will be a fellow traveler, with responsibility and sensitivity. I will be at the service of our generous and wonderful people.”

“I didn't expect the response so quickly,” says Quintana Billboard Español regarding the May 24 exchange. “The truth is that I was very optimistic about the response of both and I hope that whoever is elected I will accompany her with my music. Yes, I'm a supporter, but I also hope it's a commitment on their part.”

The social-justice corridos singer explains that “Compañera Presidenta” (roughly translated to “Dear Madam President”) is her own composition, which appears in the book President, by journalist Yuriria Sierra. In the book, Sierra brings together one hundred women from a variety of fields, including culture, politics, activism, and economics, to share their hopes for the nation's future with the next leader of the Federal Executive Committee.

“My way of communicating with people, with my parents, with my friends, is through music,” explains Quintana. “That's where the idea came from.”

With an album to her name, in 2023 Te Mereces Un Amor, Vivir Quintana has become a benchmark for social corridors, a fusion of traditional Mexican music with lyrics about social issues. Her song “Canción Sin Miedo” (2020), inspired by the femicide of a friend, became the feminist anthem accompanying all the marches and demonstrations against gender-based violence in Mexico and the struggle of mother researchers and defenders of human rights and the environment .

In addition, the song “Árboles Bajo el Mar”, which he performs as a duet with Mare Advertencia Lirika, was included in the soundtrack of the 2022 film. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. And her song “Te Mereces un Amor” has been part of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's playlist to tackle the corridos tumbados, which he believes glorify the rich and eccentric lifestyle of youth drug dealers.

Mexico will hold the largest general election in its history on Sunday, when more than 97 million Mexicans will go to the polls to vote to renew just over 20,000 elected officials, including the country's presidency.

Quintana says she will also count her vote as a Mexican citizen. In addition to Sheinbaum and Gálvez, Movimiento Ciudadano party flag bearer Jorge Álvarez Máynez also aspires to become president of Mexico.

“I feel that Xóchitl (Gálvez) and Claudia (Sheinbaum) serve as references, showing that there have been other female candidates before them and that we are not far from achieving that,” she says. “My 16-year-old niece can now dream of becoming a female president. Let it not be considered impossible.”