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Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted before the onset of the wildfires in Los Angeles.
When Colombian star Jessi Uribe learned of his 2025 GRAMMYs nomination in the Best Música Mexicana Album (including Tejano) Category, he could hardly believe the news.
“The nomination was a wake-up call,” he shares with GRAMMY.com. “It made me understand that I need to keep doing what I know best — composing and singing romantic music, staying true to my essence.”
His nominated work, De Lejitos, is an utterly romantic album in which Uribe navigates stories of heartbreak, love, and personal growth. De Lejitos features a seamless blend of Colombian popular music with Mexico’s rancheras and banda through an ensemble of guitars, bajo sexto, trumpets, Colombian harp, and accordion, among other instruments.
Uribe is the first Colombian artist to compete in this category — traditionally a showcase for Mexican performers — and shares the nod with genre powerhouses like Peso Pluma, Carín León, and Chiquis.
A Colombian artist earning a GRAMMY nomination in a category celebrating música Mexicana might seem unexpected to some. Yet it is a testament to Mexico’s profound cultural influence across Latin America since the mid-20th century.
Read more: 2025 GRAMMYs: See The OFFICIAL Full Nominations List
Generations throughout Colombia and the broader region grew up with Mexican music as the soundtrack to their lives — at weddings, graduations, and birthday celebrations. Legendary figures like Pedro Infante, Vicente Fernández, and Juan Gabriel have been honorary guests through their music, their voices woven into the fabric of Latino life.
The influence of ranchera music and Mexican culture first reached Colombia in the early 1940s, during the golden age of Mexican cinema. This musical legacy inspired Colombian artists to create their own folk genre, infusing Mexican sonorities with Colombian instruments like the accordion. Thus, what we now know as Colombian popular music was born.
For Jessi Uribe, this influence began in childhood. He watched his father, a mariachi singer, narrate stories of love and heartbreak through music. By age 15, Uribe followed in his father’s footsteps, venturing into ranchera music — a pursuit that helped support his family financially.
Two decades later, that young boy who started singing rancheras has earned a GRAMMY nomination for an album that boldly fuses his country’s distinctive sounds with quintessentially Mexican genres like ranchera and banda.
Ahead of the awards ceremony, Uribe discussed his nomination with GRAMMY.com, the creative journey behind De Lejitos, his musical beginnings, and the evolution of his artistry.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
You’re the first Colombian nominated in a traditionally Mexican GRAMMY category. What does this milestone represent in your career?
This is the most significant achievement of my musical career. We’ve fought hard to be pioneers, and this nomination will open many doors for our Colombian heartbreak music and Colombian regional music. I had never imagined it, especially with [De Lejitos], which I made with so much love.
I’d never been able to make an album like this before. I consider myself a romantic man and love romantic and ranchera music. That’s why I created this album, which perhaps didn’t get attention, but God has His timing. It motivates me to keep making beautiful music, especially when it’s easy to get carried away by trends.
You share this category with genre titans like Peso Pluma, Carín León, and Chiquis, who carries a strong Mexican music legacy through her mother, Jenni Rivera. What went through your mind when you saw yourself among these names?
I’m just overjoyed to be part of it. It’s no secret that I’m Colombian, and it’s very rare for a Colombian to enter a purely Mexican category. It seems surreal, but I know it results from all our hard work.
They know me — I’ve had the opportunity to record with Carín, and we had a number-one radio hit for a long time. I’ve recorded with Espinoza Paz and Alejandro Hernández… they all know me and understand my love for music and performing.
When I found out [about the nomination], I thought it was a joke, but thank God it’s real, and we’re enjoying it.
De Lejitos was, in a way, a passion project. Why did you decide it had to be released?
I had it stored away and released it on Dec. 24, 2023. I was at a point in my career where I felt frustrated and wanted to do something different: release a romantic song. I was tired of hearing “no.”
I went to Cartagena with a friend to record the DVD. I told him I wanted to do everything [in one place], finish this album, and post it on social media because I knew people would like it. Those 12 tracks allowed us to present it to the major players in the industry.
The album is very nostalgic. What story did you want to tell with this record?
I spent almost a year and a half selecting the songs and writing three. I wanted to combine mariachi with Colombian regional music, so I worked extensively with the producers on that fusion.
I shared songs like “De Lejitos” by Gusi Lau on social media, and people connected with the lyrics. I decided to include this song [in the album] but make it super romantic. I focused on emotion and completely forgot about trends and commercial appeal. I thought someone had to like this. I was a bit rebellious about it.
You’re credited as co-producer on all tracks. The album blends Colombian popular music with música Mexicana, from ranchera to banda. How did you find that perfect balance where the genres coexist harmoniously?
When I hear certain songs, melodies naturally come to me. Based on these melodic ideas, I tell the producers how I want them to start. This album includes some very traditional ranchera songs. Beyond the romantic elements, I wanted to include rancheras because I grew up with them — I worked as a mariachi performer.
There’s a banda song about personal growth. When I received it, I knew it couldn’t be romantic because [given the theme] it needed strength, so I decided to make it a banda. I’ve tried to be involved in everything, and the album came together spontaneously, letting myself be guided by the feelings each song evoked.
How has your father’s advice influenced your connection to música Mexicana and your fusion of Colombian and ranchera genres as a singer?
I’ve been singing [rancheras] since I was very young, and I know I sing because of my father – first, because of God who gave me the gift. My father is a great ranchera singer.
I discovered Colombian popular music later in life, but I worked as a mariachi my whole life. I grew up with José Alfredo Jiménez, Javier Solís, Vicente Fernández, Juan Gabriel, Marco Antonio [Solís] and Joan Sebastian — they were my school.
My father instilled in me the ranchero style of singing. Later, I became a bit rebellious, no longer wanting to sing exactly as he taught me. I wanted to develop my style, and that’s where I found my essence, who I am, and my way of singing and interpreting.
How did you identify and stay true to your artistic identity with so many influences?
In Colombia, popular music is sung differently. That was the plus — a ranchero singer performing popular music sounded different. Many people identified with the vibratos in popular music, which made me distinctive.
My biggest idol was Joan Sebastian, and he wasn’t known for heavy vibrato. Coming from rancheras, I tried to bring that ranchero vibrato to romantic music, finishing phrases almost breathlessly; these are things that most identify me.
Along with Joan Sebastian, Marco Antonio Solís is another of your greatest idols. What aspects of their careers do you still consider influential?
What impresses me most about them? Their humanity. Joan faced many challenges — people called him a womanizer, but when people heard his songs, they’d say, “How cute.” He drew from his life, and that happens to me, too.
People say I’m flirtatious or a player; I’m all of that on stage, but when I sing romantic songs, people connect, and that’s the magic of interpretation. I admire that about Marco Antonio, too. He had so many problems and separations, but when he sang, people forgot. That’s what I love most about them.
Is the sentimental nature of rancheras the link between música Mexicana and Colombian popular music?
It’s no secret that Colombian popular music is a branch of ranchera. [The genre] was born when rancheras came to Colombia through Javier Solís, Pedro Infante, and all the movies. Everything influenced us, from television to music, and the sentiment always fits.
Mexicans also like our way of singing and our diction. We have different words. Vallenato is very romantic and strong here, and they love that poetry. It was a beautiful union, and that’s why [the mix of] regional with Colombian, urban with regional has worked.
What similarities between these two genres allow you to navigate them effortlessly?
In ranchera and popular music, we always navigate through melodies, shaping how we interpret and write. We navigate through feeling, through romance, through heartbreak.
Urban music sings about partying while we sing about feelings, [about] the cantina, [about how] every drink makes me remember her or every drink helps me forget, each drink erases her memory. We always try to navigate these themes.
Is there a shift in people’s listening patterns toward more vulnerable music, perhaps because they’re embracing their vulnerability?
I don’t know what happened during the pandemic, but it made us all mentally vulnerable. It happened to me, too. Sometimes, I feel sad for no reason and want to listen to certain songs. If I’m sad, I either want to escape the sadness or stay in it and listen to songs. Many people feel this way lately. There’s music for every moment, and in our genre, we have to sing about romance, which will always be alive.
Lately, everyone wants to dedicate songs with messages [about sex, alcohol, and drugs]. I’ve also performed such songs because I’m an interpreter, but there’s music for every moment.
You started in music at 15, singing mariachi. Why did you choose ranchera music as your home in your musical beginnings?
Because I grew up watching my dad. He’d come home, drink, and sing with such feeling. I’d watch him and think how beautifully he sang. This genre carries such a beautiful sentiment. Urban music doesn’t have that feeling; it’s party music; salsa is something else. [Ranchera] captured me because of its interpretive style. It led me to those lyrics, too — my father’s idol is Vicente Fernández, and that influenced us deeply.
You participated in “Latin American Idol” in 2008, “La Voz Colombia” in 2014, and “A Otro Nivel” in 2017. What did each reality show teach you that you apply today?
“Latin American Idol” taught me to leave my comfort zone. I’d only done rancheras, but [the show] was very pop-oriented, music I’d never heard. It taught me that as a professional singer, I needed to know all music, not just rancheras. I started listening to everything and joined groups where I sang salsa, merengue, and whatever they asked.
In “La Voz Colombia,” I discovered people liked my flirtatious singing style. When given romantic songs, I’d sing them playfully because people responded to them. That’s where I started maturing artistically.
The last reality show took me to the next level. It allowed me to be myself completely, and it was targeted at more professional singers. I could sing freely, use intense vibratos, and do melismas when given a romantic song. It taught me to find my potential as a singer and interpreter.
You thought about quitting after “La Voz Colombia.” What made you reconnect with artistry?
After “La Voz,” I thought I’d be famous in Colombia. I invested the money I’d saved for an apartment in videos, music, and promotion, but nothing happened. There were no shows or calls. I couldn’t sleep and didn’t want this life anymore. It was a hard blow. I considered quitting singing to focus on writing but couldn’t risk my capital on an uncertain dream.
That’s when Rafa, my manager, appeared. He worked at Discos Fuentes, a well-known label in Colombia, and they signed me. I let myself be guided, and that’s when hits like “Repítela,” “Matemos Las Ganas,” and “Dulce Pecado” were born — songs people now know.
In November, you clinched your first No. 1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart with “Si Ya Me Voy.” After 22 years in the industry, why is your music embraced this way?
It’s the fruit of all our work with my team and tireless manager. He found something I hadn’t done before; I’d never made a banda song like this one.
[For the song] I told [composer] Joss Favela I wanted something representing my life. I love being on stage, but sometimes I forget to thank God for what I’m experiencing. Having drinks with family or lunch with friends becomes routine, and we don’t know when it might be the last time.
That’s why we made this song: If I’m dying, I want to go as I lived, with my coffin surrounded by those who loved me most. If I’m leaving, I want people to toast with me one last time and sing heartbreak songs in my honor — I’ll pay for them. Many see it as about death, but I think this song celebrates life, reminding us to enjoy it since we don’t know when our last moment will be.
‘ Este Articulo puede contener información publicada por terceros, algunos detalles de este articulo fueron extraídos de la siguiente fuente: www.grammy.com ’
