Los Tigres del Norte on meeting the political moment, playing at Folsom and paving the way for música Mexicana

Two weeks ago, I got an email from Los Tigres del Norte’s publicist informing me that the legendary band would be in Los Angeles to promote the release of “La Lotería”— a sociopolitical corrido that uses the imagery of the popular bingo-like Mexican game to comment on topics like immigration and the past criminality of our current president — and its upcoming tour across the United States (including a stop at Anaheim’s Honda Center on March 29), Mexico, Colombia, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic

He asked if I had any interest in an interview. I’ve never said yes faster.

After all, Los Tigres del Norte is one of the most consequential música Mexicana acts on either side of the border, popularizing the genre in the U.S. long before the current batch of stars was even born. Comprised of the Hernández brothers (Jorge, Hernán, Eduardo and Luis) and their cousin Óscar Lara, the band was founded in 1965 in the Sinaloan town of Rosa Morada and settled in San Jose a few years later. It has sold millions of records worldwide with its songs about the drug trade, unrequited love and immigrant life in this country. It’s responsible for “La Puerta Negra,” a track that drives the crowd at Dodger Stadium into a frenzy whenever it’s played over the PA system.

I spoke to the band members and Sergio Arau, who directed and illustrated the music video for “La Lotería,” at the Universal Music offices in Woodland Hills. The following interview has been translated from Spanish, and has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

(Jill Connelly/For De Los)

I want to start with “La Lotería,” a song with a message that talks about the current political climate. What inspired you to record this song?

Jorge Hernández: We were inspired by the fact that lotería has a very direct connection with the public, the characters it mentions and everything that happens throughout the song. But the most important thing is that we now see that this song comes out at a critical moment. We took on the task of recording and having this number and hopefully the public will analyze it and reflect on each of the themes that are touched upon in this song, because there are several and each lotería card has a different meaning for all of us. That is why we invite those who are reading this to listen to the song so that they can reflect.

Lotería is very much a Mexican staple. There are many people of Mexican descent living in the United States who do not speak Spanish, but they know the lotería game quite well. Why focus on this very cultural and well-known product?

Hernán Hernández: Lotería, besides being a game, in our Mexican culture, it’s like believing in something. If something bad happens to you, you think, “I hope I win the lottery so I can get out of this situation,” or if you don’t get along with someone, sometimes you think, “Why are you so stuck up? Did you win the lottery or what?”

Personally, I see lotería as the risks you have to take in life in order to obtain what you want. When you buy a lottery ticket, you don’t know that you’re going to win it. Those of us who come from Mexico or any Latin American country to the United States, you risk a lot crossing over, venturing here. We don’t know if we’re going to make it, but you tell yourself, “Yes, I am going to make it!” When we came to the United States in 1968, we were lucky. We won the lottery in a sense by coming legally. But once we were here, we had opportunities and we stayed here illegally for a while, until each one of us got our papers sorted out. I think that is part of the lottery. If you don’t take risks, you will never win. You have to take that leap of faith in life to improve things for yourself.

As you mentioned, immigration is something you all experienced. How has your personal story influenced your music?

Luis Hernández: It has influenced our music in a thousand ways. Each one of us at some point was illegal in this country, and so we know intimately the challenges that this community faces. In the decades that the band has been together, we have seen different administrations vilify migrant communities. We deeply understand the problems that have existed for this vulnerable group of people. We’ve seen immigrants, especially Latinos, be repeatedly used as scapegoats to advance people’s political aspirations. Living within a Latino community has made us perfectly aware of what happens to our countrymen here on a daily basis, and that makes us more attuned when it comes to recording songs. Throughout our career as Los Tigres del Norte, we have developed a relationship with our audience where they see something in us that makes them feel like they are like us and we are like them.

You guys are categorized as part of the música Mexicana genre, which you obviously are, but to me your music is also very American. Several of your songs touch on the theme of being from here and from there, de aquí y de allá, whether it be “Jaula de Oro,” or “Somos más Americanos,” which claims that Mexican immigrants living in the U.S. are more American than “all of the gringos” and points to how much of this country used to be Mexican territory. My favorite rendition of the latter is the “MTV Unplugged” version that features Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine. Talk to me a little about that song and collaborating with Zack on it.

Eduardo Hernández: “Somos más Americanos” is a song that we believe speaks the truth about our paisanos living on this side of the border. When my compadre Jorge does the spoken part of the track, people in the audience shout and raise their arms with joy, they raise their fist as if to say, “Yes, I am that person.” Even though it was recorded more than 20 years ago, fans always ask for it. It is a song that I do not think will ever go out of style, especially with what we are living right now.

Working with Zack was a wonderful experience. He learned to play the song the way we play it. When we invited him to perform with us, he asked to sing that song specifically. He learned how to play it on the bajo sexto in like an hour. Obviously, we felt very flattered because he is a great figure, a person who also defends our people. We will always be grateful to him for that.

Hernán: I remember Jorge pointed out once in an interview that in Mexico you’re not really taught the history of how so much land ended up becoming part of the United States. And Sergio here, who grew up and went to school in Mexico, can corroborate this. The history books in Mexico don’t really delve into how California and other Western states once belonged to Mexico, and even less so here in the U.S. We weren’t really taught that.

Sergio Arau: The Mexican-American War of 1848 wasn’t a war. It was an invasion. It’s not really common knowledge in Mexico that the U.S. flag was flown in [Mexico City’s central plaza] the Zocalo for nine months. Nobody really talks about it.

Los Tigres del Norte sitting with video director Sergio Arau, first row, center, at the Universal Music offices in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles.

(Jill Connelly/For De Los)

You worked with Sergio, whom we recently interviewed for the 20th anniversary of his film “A Day Without a Mexican,” on the music video for “La Lotería.” How did this partnership come about?

Jorge: We had the opportunity to work with Sergio when we made the music video for “La Bala.” We were looking for a director who could put on the screen what the song was all about. A woman from our record label, Martita, said that Sergio was the right fit for the job, so we looked him up. Sergio’s video immediately connected with the public. When it came time to make a video for “La Lotería,” we needed someone who could be quick and very effective with the messaging. We knew we wanted to work with Sergio again because lotería is such a Mexican thing and we needed someone who had that deep cultural understanding of what the game and the characters in the game mean.

Hernán: Sergio is so well-versed in culture and he does everything. He drew all of the images in the video. He directs, he sings and plays music.

Sergio: I’m what you call a multi-undisciplined artist. [laughs]

Hernán: Sergio and his band [Botellita de Jerez] were also part of the rock tribute to Los Tigres del Norte [2001’s “El Mas Grande Homenaje A Los Tigres Del Norte”].

Speaking of rock, Los Tigres del Norte went viral recently thanks to the Swedish band the Hives. Can you talk to me about that?

Jorge: That was a very nice moment. We were playing in London last April and the Hives were playing at the same venue the night before. They posted a photo online that showed us wearing outfits similar to the ones they wear and they encouraged their fans to come to our show. They sent us a nice message. Two of the band members were supposed to come say hello but one of them got very sick so they couldn’t make it. We messaged them back to see if we could link up one day and play some concerts together.

Los Tigres del Norte played at Folsom State Prison in 2018. This performance was captured in a 2019 documentary that streamed on Netflix. What struck me about the show and the film was how you always extend dignity and respect to people who don’t always get it from the rest of society. Was this the reason why you wanted to play at Folsom?

Jorge: We were approached about performing there because it was going to be the 50th anniversary of Johnny Cash playing at Folsom, and they wanted to commemorate that with another performance. They asked if we were interested and we said that of course we wanted to do it. Johnny Cash’s son [John Carter Cash] was heavily involved in the decision and he picked us to honor his father and continue that legacy. I think part of the reason we were picked was that when Johnny Cash performed, the majority of the inmates were white, and now the majority are Latino. We also wanted to do something a little bit different. In addition to performing for the men, we also wanted to play for the women incarcerated there. They gave us permission for both.

Óscar Lara: Adding a little bit to that, it was eye-opening to be subjected to the level of security when we first entered. It was incredible. Our production for the event was very low-key because we couldn’t bring in many things. It was just a camera, two speakers, a small console and our instruments. When we went in, they even took out all of the strings. They gave us a little tour of some of the cells, and you got a real firsthand look at how inmates live there. They’re in a cell where there’s a toilet right next to the bed. You notice the darkness. As they walked us around, an inmate shouted at us through a little hole on his cell door, “Los Tigres del Norte!” He was surprised to see us there. “Are you making a movie here? I met you guys at an event in Bakersfield. What are you doing here?” I answered that we’re going to play there and asked if he knew about that. He said he had no idea. “I behaved badly and I haven’t really seen the sun in six months.” It was an experience that stayed with me.

You guys have a trajectory that spans several decades, and I’m sure you’ve seen the explosion of the Mexican and Latino population in the U.S. during that period. Right now, we find ourselves in a cultural moment where música Mexicana is a massive genre for the streamers here and globally. What do you guys think of the new generation of young artists carrying the banner of música Mexicana?

Jorge: This group of new artists have really resonated with a whole new generation of fans, and they’ve been really good at leveraging the internet to grow their audiences. I think these young people have every right to express themselves however they want. Some are more successful than others. I think that we are all part of the same movement. Música Mexicana is a tree and these new songs are the leaves of the tree that come from all those who were here before us and those of us who have been doing it for a while. These new branches of songs from the new generation, they play their music a certain way, and we are grateful for that, for that new opening, right? I hope that it continues to grow and that all of them continue to mature and that they do it the best they can so that this music continues to exist for a long time.

Final question, and I want to end like how I started, by talking about politics and what we’re living through. Los Tigres del Norte have never been afraid to express opinions about the society we live in, and something I’ve noticed when talking to the new generation is that the political messaging is noticeably absent from their music. It’s almost as if they’re afraid to talk about what’s going on, which is surprising and disappointing. Do you have a message for this new generation in terms of speaking the truth about what’s happening?

Luis: I don’t think it’s fear that they have. I think it’s a lack of commitment and responsibility to give that message. I think that at the end of the day when a trend comes along, the others follow that line and the easiest thing is to do what has already been done, or talk about very superficial things. It’s very difficult. If you notice, there are very few artists left who talk about social problems, who talk about immigration issues. Those who do, address it once or twice. Who among them can talk to you about the topic of immigration because they have experienced it firsthand?

I think that they also sing corridos that are more fictitious and that don’t speak of reality as it is. Many things are said, many of them crude. So then if those songs that they perform don’t have a root in reality, then how are they going to talk about a subject that is so pertinent to society? It’s very difficult to be able to project something that you don’t know thoroughly. That’s why I say that those who want to be spokespeople for a society must have that commitment.

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