In the opening days of 2024, a pioneering new sound vibrated throughout the music industry, capturing the top spot on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart. The electrifying corridos track titled “La Diabla” (“She Devil”) was by newcomer Xavi, a relatively unknown 19-year-old Mexican American artist delivering an equally unknown sound.
The Tumbados románticos single tells the tale of a bad boy’s romance with a bad girl and is crafted with the crisp strains of a requinto guitar—a signature instrument in regional Mexican music. But it’s Xavi’s combination of the rebellious corridos tumbados spirit with the tenderness of romance that sets him apart.
However, “La Diabla” rarely came to be. Interscope executive VP Nir Seroussi discovered Xavi in early 2021 thanks to the label’s A&R executive, Emerson Redd, who shared the soul-stirring guitar ballad “Te Quiero” with him. Intrigued by the artist’s raw emotion, Seroussi was determined to meet the young star. After two months, Xavi arrived at the Interscope offices in Miami, guitar in hand, and performed for nearly an hour. “It was love at first sight,” says Seroussi, who saw in Xavi not just a musician but an “old soul,” with a profound ability to connect. “He has all those qualities that differentiate a hobbyist from someone who could be a real artist, a career artist. It wasn’t about numbers. I fell in love with Xavi, the artist.” Seroussi signed him to a record deal later that year.
Raised in Phoenix and Sonora, Mexico, the artist-born Joshua Xavier Gutiérrez says that his bicultural upbringing deeply influenced his music, which blends Mexican corridos traditions with modern rhythms. “We are the first generation to move here, to give [ourselves] a better life,” Xavi says in Spanish. He drew early inspiration from his grandfather’s church singing and the emotive voices of Mexican crooners in bands like Camila and Sin Bandera. Still, the first song he learned to play on guitar was “Baby” by Justin Bieber. At just 12 years old, Xavi wrote his first original song; by 16, he started releasing his music to streaming platforms under Baga Music.
Around the same time, the corridos tumbados movement, led by Natanael Cano, had taken the internet by storm, paving the way for hit-makers like Peso Pluma, Fuerza Regida, and Luis R Conriquez to break through. In parallel, the moving and melancholic melodies of sad sierreño emerged, led by a new cast of Mexican American Gen Z acts such as Ivan Cornejo, DannyLux, and Yahritza y Su Esencia.
Xavi’s journey is a testament to his unique voice, cultural heritage, and personal experiences, allowing him to create a sound that resonates globally. He stands as a key figure in global Spanish-language music, symbolizing the new wave of Mexican artists. Keep an eye on Xavi—he’s redefining genre boundaries and making waves in the Latin music scene.