Jimmy Humilde & Rancho Humilde Executives Discuss Latino Politics with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla

Jimmy Humilde goes to Washington…

Earlier this month, the Mexican American music executive, the CEO of Rancho Humilde and executives at the indie label traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).

Jimmy Humilde, Rancho HumildeJoined by the label’s co-founding partners José Becerra and Roque Venegas, the meeting, requested by Humilde, focused on discussing key issues that affect the Latino community in the U.S., like a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the country.

The last time the U.S. immigration system was meaningfully reformed was in 1986, when then President Ronald Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act.

Additionally, Humilde expressed his “desire for U.S. consulates and embassies to create panel discussions and educational programs that enable the discovery of hidden talents that can be developed in the U.S. market,” according to a press release. The label executives also met at the White House with President Joe Biden’s senior advisory team to “assess possible ways for the Latin community to participate more in important voting processes at the national level.”

While the discussions in Washington have yet to lead to any sort of reform or the introduction of any new policies, Humilde and his L.A.-based team have been active on a local level.

Most recently, Rancho Humilde and its artist Fuerza Regida made a joint donation of $20,000 to the organization Inclusive Action for the City, whose work is promoting the legalization of street vending.

“Street vending should be recognized in the city as an honest trade,” Humilde said in a statement. “It is not only a source of job creation, but it’s also a sector that boosts consumption in the city. I understand their hardships and concern, because at one point it was there where I found my living and that of my family.”

In February, Humilde hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Producers chart (dated Feb. 4) for the first time, thanks to nine production credits on the Hot Latin Songs survey.

Rancho Humilde, whose roster includes artists link Ivonne Galáz, Junior H and Fuerza Regida, finished at No. 4 on Billboard’s 2022 year-end Hot Latin Songs Labels recap.

Lupita Infante Signs First Major Label Record Deal with Sony Music Latin

Lupita Infante is officially a big deal 

Sony Music Latin has signed the Mexican American mariachi, norteño, and ranchera singer to her first record deal with a major label.

Lupita InfanteBefore signing with Sony, Infante had been releasing music as an indie artist, including her 2019 Grammy-nominated debut album La Serenata.

“I am thrilled to sign with Sony Music, a team that is undoubtedly one of the best in the world. To be on a label with such a deep legacy and to be a part of a roster with such remarkable talent is a dream come true,” Infante told Billboard. “Being an independent artist was very important for me, it gave me the opportunity to grow in so many ways. Now I want to take my work to the next level! The people at Sony Music understand me and my artistry, and together we want to make history in the Mexican music scene!”

Sony Music Latin president Alex Gallardo added, “Mexican-music fans are eager to hear more women’s voices. Lupita Infante has the preparation, the voice, the songwriting skill and the credibility to lead a revolution in the industry, which is long overdue.”

A graduate of UCLA, where she completed a degree in ethnomusicology, the mariachi and norteña singer is the granddaughter of renowned and iconic ranchera singer Pedro Infante.

Her 2019 Grammy nod was followed by a nomination at the 2020 Latin Grammys where her song “Dejaré” was up for best regional Mexican song.

Most recently, Infante was part of Billboard‘s 2021 Latin Music Week where she was joined by Ana Bárbara, Adriana Rios and Ivonne Galaz in BMI’s “How I Wrote That Song” panel.

There, she spoke about representing a new generation of female artists in the male-dominated genre that is regional Mexican, and she also spoke on inspiration and embracing the duality of her identity.

“I’m bicultural, Mexican-American, but I feel more Mexican and people criticize me saying, ‘You’re not Mexican.’ But when you grow up knowing that your grandfather is Pedro Infante, finding your identity isn’t easy,” she passionately said during the conversation in Miami. “I just remember wanting to have that ranchero style that represented our genre. And because I’m in mariachi, there are so many rules with our outfits.”

The announcement of her new deal coincides with the upcoming release of her first single under Sony titled “Hazme Tuya.” The track is out Friday, April 1.

Ivonne Galaz Releases Tribute Song to Murdered U.S. Army Soldier Vanessa Guillén

Ivonne Galaz is raising her voice to honor murdered U.S. army soldier Vanessa Guillén.

The Mexican singer, one of the young female singers leading the emerging corridos tumbados movement, revisits Guillén’s tragic fate in a tribute song she’s uploaded to her Instagram account. 

Ivonne Galaz


JusticeForVanessaGuillen with much respect to Vanessa’s family,” wrote Galaz, who titled the track “Vanessa Guillén.”

After Guillén’s disappearance made national headlines, the lawyer for her family confirmed on Sunday that the U.S. Armypositively identified the soldier’s remains near the Leon River in Texas last week. 

Guillén, 20, a soldier in Fort Hood, was declared missing by her family since April, but the search for her only intensified last month when the family went public with appeals to find her.

Galaz, the first female signee on corridos tumbados label Rancho Humilde, uploaded the song to Instagram on Sunday night. Corridos tumbados (sometimes referred to as trap corridos) are a new take on the traditional Mexican song from the perspective of the youth in the streets of the U.S.

Backed by an acoustic guitar, Galáz sympathizes with Guillén’s family in her heartbreaking corrido. “Her suffering family asking, ‘Where is the girl?'” she sings in Spanish. Galáz sadly notes Guillén’s “light has been put out” while highlighting her heritage in the haunting final line: “The Mexican people, we will be there so that her case is not forgotten.”

Many Latino artists, including Becky GChiquisSalma Hayek and Intocable, have posted about Guillen in social media, demanding answers from authorities at her base.

The main suspect in Guillén’s murder, Spc. Aaron David Robinson, who was stationed with the her at Fort Hood, killed himself last Wednesday as investigators were closing in. Robinson’s reported girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, says Robinson murdered Guillén and that she tried to help him dispose of her body. Aguilar was charged with one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence.

Galáz hails from Senora, Mexico, the same state as her labelmate Natanael Cano. She made her debut last year as a featured artist on Cano’s “Golpes de La Vida” from his Mi Nuevo Yo EP. On Rancho Humilde’s recent Corridos Tumbados Vol. 2 album, Galáz recorded with Cano again and also teamed up with Natalie Lopéz on the girl-powered “La Rueda.” A solo project from Galaz is due out soon.