DannyLux is charming fans around the world with his sad sierreño songs, as the rising Chicano star is putting an alternative twist on the age-old Mexican genre. After scoring multiple hits and receiving a co-sign from Coldplay, DannyLux will have a full-circle moment at Coachella this weekend. The Desert Hot Springs native is one of the Latin performers on the line-up this year.
“When I was growing up, I would always hear people say, ‘Oh, there’s traffic because it’s Coachella weekend and all these artists are gathering,’” he recalls. “I remember I would always want to go. It’s such a sick feeling that my first time going is going to be for me performing.”
DannyLux is leading the new wave of Gen-Z musicians on both sides of the Mexican-US border who are redefining corridos and sierreño music for a younger generation. After gaining momentum on TikTok, he landed a big hit in 2021 with “Jugaste y Sufrí,” a collaboration with Eslabon Armado. As the sole songwriter of the emo breakup song, he reached No. 1 on Billboard‘s Latin Songwriters Chart, pushing Bad Bunny to the runner-up spot.
Last year, Coldplay handpicked DannyLux to open for the band’s Music Of Spheres World Tour in dates across Mexico. He also signed with Warner Music Latina and released his breakthrough album Perdido En Ti. In between rehearsals for Coachella, DannyLux talked with Uproxx over Zoom about Latin representation at the festival, his performance, and what’s coming next.
How do you feel to be performing at Coachella this year?
It just feels like such a big blessing, and honestly, I just feel so honored to be alongside so many other talented artists. It’s crazy because my dad, he used to work for a company that would pick up the trash. They would book him to pick up the trash at Coachella. It feels so sick to be able to take my dad back to Coachella, but this time he is going to be backstage with me.
What can we expect from your performance?
Honestly, these performances are probably going to be the most energetic ones we’re doing. We’re putting screens in the back. We have visual effects. We have surprise guests. It’s going to be sick.
What do you think about Bad Bunny making history as Coachella’s first Latin headliner?
I feel like it’s such a sick thing because it kind of represents the whole Latin community. It just goes to show how far we can actually get to. It’s so sick to even be playing at the same place as him. It’s an honor.
We’re also seeing more Mexican and Mexican-American acts like yourself, Becky G, Bratty, and Conexión Divina on the line-up this year.
I feel like it’s such a beautiful thing to see how much our community is slowly taking over. We’re slowly coming up and it’s such a sick feeling to be a part of that. I’m going to be looking out for them.
Where did the idea come from to create these sad sierreño songs that you’re known for?
A lot of people ask me, “Why Spanish music? Why regional Mexican music if you were born here in the United States?” I feel like regional Mexican music and Latin music in general, you can add so much emotions to it. Obviously in English music you can too, but Spanish to me is just such a romantic language. Maybe a phrase that you say in Spanish doesn’t really hit the same in English.
When you opened for Coldplay in Mexico, did you get to talk with the band?
That was such a sick conversation. They heard about me because one of the heads of Warner just told them about me and they really liked my story and that’s how they thought about me to open up their shows in Mexico. They were just telling me stories of how they started. It was sick! We literally loved it.
What inspired you to dabble with bachata music in your song “El Hombre Perfecto”?
I wanted to make a song that people could just dance to. I’ve been listening to a lot of bachata. Literally any song you listen to [in that genre] just makes you want to dance. The rhythms that they have and everything. I just wanted to do my own take on bachata.
What can you say about your upcoming single “Te Extraño y Lo Siento”?
I wrote this song a while ago. I feel like there’s so much emotion in this song. I really hope people enjoy it. There’s just so much that I put into that song.
What can we expect from the next album that you’re working on?
I’m putting so much emotion into it. There’s so much effort going into all these songs, so much production, and so much everything. It’s going to have 15 songs and each song has their own vibe. I feel like if you don’t like one song on the album, you’re going to for sure like another vibe that I added into the album. I just wanted to add a little bit of everything.
Who do you want to collaborate with next?
I really want to do a song with Maná. That’s still like my dream collaboration right there. I would love to collaborate also with Rawayana. They’re like all geniuses. I don’t know how they come up with all those songs. I literally listen to their songs like every day. Whenever I’m driving, I just put on their songs and it just fits the vibe.
What do you want to achieve with your music?
More than anything, I want to inspire people. I want to reach a certain level where everybody knows who I am. I want people to be like, “Your music really helped me,” or “It’s because of his music that I’m doing what I love to do as well.” I just want everybody to know that literally anything is possible. That you can do anything.
DannyLux and Coldplay are Warner Music acts. .
