Natanael Cano Is Just Warming Up
Sonora, Mexico, native makes waves in the U.S. with a modern twist on an old sound
natanael cano is one of the most exciting acts in a Latin-music movement that took hold in the U.S. in 2020: corridos tumbados, which bring what Cano calls a “new style” to the traditional genre of Mexican corridos, telling stories of struggle and triumph with a more modern, hip-hop-leaning edge. The 19-year-old Sonora native has had a big year on streaming services — big enough to take Number Four on our list of the biggest breakthrough artists of 2020.
His streams started to pick up in mid-2019 with the release of his album Corridos Tumbados, and by the end of last year, Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny wanted in on the movement, recording a remix of Cano’s fiery “Soy el Diablo.” “That’s something I never imagined,” Cano says, “that an artist from another genre could sing corridos and that there could be this fusion.”
This year, Cano’s career caught fire even more. From January through October, he saw more than 600 million on-demand audio streams in the U.S., marking a 322 percent increase compared with 2019. (If you include video streams, Cano’s music has surpassed 1 billion.)
“A lot of people connect with our music because they can relate,” Cano says. He often sings about his self-made success story: “I started with a guitar. I exchanged my guitar for a PlayStation. Then I sold my PlayStation for a better guitar.”
His hustle is another factor. From January through October, Cano released three albums and an EP. “Right now, the people are fired up,” he says. “They love our music, and we’re going to keep giving them more.”
Cano’s songs are most streamed in Texas, Arizona, and California, states that border Mexico, but he’s made gains in East Coast cities like New York and Raleigh, North Carolina. In October, he became the first regional Mexican artist to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live! “I’m very proud to be giving this genre to the world,” he says. “We’re not going to stop.”
LUCAS VILLA