At the beginning of 2022, Jafrica y Sue Esencia has emerged as the Mexican regional music artist that every label wanted to sign. The Washington state-based trio of Martinez brothers has grown from a local band singing at family parties to a sad and catchy rural Mexican future in the space of a few months. Sielegno Jafrica’s emotional vocals and Mando’s singing need And Gyro’s they are in trouble.

Jafrica y su Esencia has until March 2022 to release its official debut single “Soy el Unico” after signing a deal with independent label Lumbre Music. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 20, making Jafrica the youngest Latino performer to debut on the chart at just 15 years old. The artist then scored her first number 1 with her Mexican regional album. obsession The EP won a Latin Grammy Award for Best New Artist, and by November was signed to Columbia Records in partnership with Lumbre Music and Sony Music Latin. A worldwide contract with SESAC Latina soon followed.

All the while, Yafrica’s 25-year-old brother, Mando (who lived in the mainland as an illegal immigrant) and his team worked behind the scenes to sort out his immigration status in the United States. Mando, who needs an O-1 visa, had to go to Mexico City and follow a process to prove his eligibility. After spending most of his life living with his parents (from Michoacán, Mexico) and four siblings in the Yakima Valley, a farming region of Washington, he suddenly finds himself alone in a strange city, waiting for approval.

“It was a sacrifice, especially when I was one of the key members of the band,” says Mando. Mando returned to the United States in April shortly after being approved for a special visa given to individuals of extraordinary ability and achievement. field. “We had to learn to record separately, which we had never done before. We were all in the studio together all the time.”

“I wrote my own music and didn’t know who to share it with,” says Jafrica, now 16. “He was just a phone call away and it wasn’t the same,” Jairo, 18, added. “We couldn’t do what we used to practice every day. That changed everything for us.”

The band, managed by her eldest sister, Adriana Martinez, was influenced by her father’s and uncle’s own musical endeavors, with Mando joining them as a child. Jafrica and Jairo later learned to play the instrument and began uploading cover songs to TikTok, including a viral arrangement of Ivan Cornejo’s “Esta d’Añada.” After that, Jafrica started writing her own songs. The first was the emotional heartbreak song “Soy el Unico”, which eventually led to the formation of Jafrica y su Esencia.

Lumbre Music CEO Ramon Ruiz signed the trio shortly after discovering the group on TikTok last year. He said the team’s top priority was to ensure Mando’s visa application did not affect the band. “We were always working on what was going to happen next,” he says. “It was hard because Mando is such a big part of the production and Jafrica and Jairo rely heavily on Mando. I tried to help as much as I could but they needed a brother. He said He’s a role model for them, and they look up to him a lot.”

Mr. Mando’s situation remained uncertain for nearly seven months. “I’ll remind you [my siblings] I knew I had to take things one day at a time,” says Adriana. “We have always believed that God’s timing was perfect, so it was important to never lose faith and remember that we can never break our bond as a family, even if we are apart. Also.”

With O-1 secured, Mando can now record and promote music in the United States. Jafrica and Jairo frequently traveled to Mexico to record, and Jafrica and Su Esencia have always maintained that stance. In the last few months alone, the band has released ‘Inseparables’ (with Cornejo), ‘Cambiaste’, ‘Nuestra Canción’, ‘No Se Puede Decir Adiós’ and ‘Frágil’. North, cumbiaCollaboration color with Grupo Frontera produced by hit maker Edgar Barrera.

“We had to release music for our fans, regardless of the circumstances,” says Mando. “I used to jump on FaceTime and arrange songs that way.” But when it came to recording her harmonies, she had to call him directly. “I still don’t know how to do it, so I had to ask him to teach me,” she says. “He helped me when he was at home.”

“Having them together is what makes this special,” says Julian Swirsky, senior vice president of A&R at Columbia Records. “It was always important to get Mando home first and foremost, but the group was in high spirits. bottom.”

The first thing Mando did after his visa was approved at the end of April was to fly back to Washington, where he surprised his parents by popping up behind them as they were taking pictures at a family gathering. “When my mother saw me she screamed and started touching my face to make sure I was real,” Mando said. “That’s when I was shocked.”

With a new album in the works and a long-awaited US tour scheduled for the second half of this year, Jafrica y Su Esencia is finally ready to reach its full potential. At a time when Mexican music continues to grow exponentially, this act is leading the way. To the new era of the legacy genre. In May, “Frágil” entered the Hot 100. And on the Billboard Global 200, the genre makes up nearly 10% of the chart, making it one of the few Mexican regional songs to soar.

“What happened to us was meant to happen, and it changed us,” says Jairo. Jafrica added: “Before, we used to fight and disagree over little things. We don’t even have to care about it. It’s just that.”

This article originally appeared in the June 3, 2023 issue of the magazine. signboard.