How Eslabon Armado’s ‘Ella Baila Sola’ Became the Official Song of Música Mexicana’s Chart-Busting Year

variety.com:

Thania Garcia Back in February, Pedro Tovar, frontman of Eslabon Armado, posted a short clip of himself grooving to the group’s song “Ella Baila Sola” (“She Dances Alone”) in his car.

The teaser included a verse from Peso Pluma — the 24-year-old singer and rapper who was just beginning his ascent into stardom as an ambassador of música Mexicana’s historic ascent on global music charts.

The reaction was immediate. Eslabon’s label, Angel del Villar’s storied Del Records, went into overdrive to prepare for the all-hands promotional campaign that would ultimately power the song to No.

4 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the first regional Mexican song to reach the Top 10 in the chart’s 65-year existence. Eslabon had been paving a lane of its own since its debut record in 2020, “Tu Veneno Mortal,” which included the streaming hit “Con Tus Besos.” At the time, Pedro and his brother and bass player Brian Tovar were both under 18, but were already widely considered pioneers in the evolution of regional Mexican music — or música Mexicana as its reffered to today. (Eslabon is managed by Pedro and Brian’s mother, Nelly.) Tovar had written the ballad — a mix of the age-old corrido (Mexican folk) style with new-age flair — in his bedroom one evening while writing songs for the foursome’s latest record, “Desvelado,” which wound up hitting No.