México Canta 2026 Focuses on Regional Music Amid New Restrictions: ‘Glorifying Violence Is a Trend’
Categoria: Musica
The Secretary of Culture explains to Billboard why the government-sponsored contest will focus on traditional Mexican music projects.
Por Billboard | 10/06/2026
The second edition of México Canta (Mexico Sings), a binational competition for artists in Mexico and the United States spearheaded by the Mexican government, aims to promote songs by young performers that are free of content glorifying violence and drugs. This year, the initiative will focus on regional Mexican music proposals. Related Junior H Goes from Corridos Tumbados to ‘México Canta’: ‘My Songs Didn’t Always Convey a Positive Message’ Sergio Maya Wins Binational Mexico Canta Competition With Patriotic Mariachi Song Here's What Jack Schlossberg Had to Say About Madonna's Recent Revelations on JFK Jr. as a Lover: 'All I Can Say Is…' The reason, explains Secretary of Culture Claudia Curiel de Icaza, is that “it is the genre most listened to by young people” in the country, she tells Billboard Español . “Regional music can fuse with any other genre. It is deeply connecting with young people, and that’s where we’re starting. Traditional Mexican music is already one of the most consumed in the world.” However, the government competition — which closes its registration for contestants on Wednesday (June 10) — comes at a time of profound change for regional Mexican music, following the prohibition of songs glorifying drug trafficking, particularly corridos tumbados, in at least 10 of Mexico’s 32 states. These restrictions on narcocorridos and public performances advocating crime will soon be supported by Mexico City, where a reform approved last month by the city’s Congress will come into effect. The reform was spearheaded by Laura Álvarez , a congresswoman from the opposition National Action Party (PAN). “I do believe this needs to be a matter of prohibition, of force, and of a tough stance against crime,” Álvarez tells Billboard Español . “We have to start there.” The ban on narcocorridos is not new, but it reached its peak in 2025 following an unprecedented move by the U.S. Department of State, which canceled the work and tourist visas of the Mexican corrido group Los Alegres del Barranco in April of that year after they showed images of the late leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes (“El Mencho”), during a concert at the University of Guadalajara auditorium. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly stated that her government does not ban musical genres, including narcocorridos, affirming that the restrictions have been decisions made by state and municipal governments, as she told Billboard in April 2025. Despite the bans and restrictions faced by corridos, this subgenre of traditional Mexican music has helped position the country — alongside other musical styles — as the tenth-largest recorded music market, according to the 2026 Global Music Report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). “Around 70% of Mexican