A Mis 20

A Mis 20

“At 11 years old, I knew this was what I wanted to do. To sing.” That was the premonition come true from Mexican corridos-tumbados pioneer and 2020 Apple Music Up Next artist Natanael Cano, who kicked off a new golden age for música mexicana following his massive debut, Todo Es Diferente, the year prior. He would later release another record and help mastermind three wildly successful genre compilations via his parent label, Rancho Humilde, cementing his legacy as a prolific storyteller with a string of viral hits. But what most artists can only dream to achieve in a lifetime, Natanael Cano handily delivered before he could legally toast to his success. His 2021 solo studio LP, A Mis 20, delivered a wistful look back on his humble beginnings and the wild trajectory that led him to transform an entire genre and launch him to global ubiquity. A cinematic melancholy runs through A Mis 20, as Cano grapples with the eroding privacy that accompanies superstardom and the changes he recognizes within himself. Album opener “Diamantes” boasts about his new jewel-encrusted life while mourning the person of humble beginnings he once was, now preoccupied with the dizzying commitments of the man he's become. On “Sin Ti,” he takes time to reflect on his fairy-tale journey, still learning to accept that growth and upward mobility often mean leaving his comfort zone behind—as well as the people who aren't growing with him. Bittersweet life lessons abound in this coming-of-age opus, but Natanael Cano sticks to his guns with the outlaw tales that made him a star. The rags-to-riches intrigue of “Carlitos” follows a low-level employee of a criminal organization who rises to power with cunning, high-stakes deals. Meanwhile, the dueling bars of “Porte Exuberante,” alongside Óscar Maydon, unfold like silken poetry as they describe the imposing aura of a noted mob boss. Avoiding gratuitousness, these tales underscore contrasting realities of the Mexican underworld, while the mournful “En El Cielo o En El Infierno” pays homage to Cano's deceased brother and warns fans not to trifle with these characters. This is choice wisdom from a then 20-year-old star.

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