MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥� In singer-songwriter Ivan Cornejo鈥檚 world, can have pop, ballads and also a bit of melancholic lyrics. His most recent and third studio album, 鈥淢irada,鈥� is a mixture of styles, without neglecting his interest in modern corridos and sad sierre帽o.
Cornejo, 20, is originally from California. His maternal grandfather played guitar, accordion and harmonica, among other instruments, so music was always a part of his life. But Cornejo started to play guitar and compose by watching tutorials on the internet.
The curiosity to make music began in childhood, when his family got together every weekend and listened to songs by artists like and romantic songs such as Emmanuel's 鈥淨uiero Dormir Cansado," which he covers on 鈥淢irada.鈥�
鈥淢y parents played that song, and when I heard it again for the first time a few years ago, I got nostalgic and fell in love with the song a lot,鈥� he said in a recent Zoom interview from his parents鈥� home in Riverside, California.
The conversation was conducted mostly in Spanish. Cornejo says he wants to practice more of the native language of his parents, who are originally from Michoac谩n, Mexico.
At age 15, Cornejo began uploading corridos on social networks. By 2021, when he was 17, he released his first album 鈥淎lma Vac铆a," which he made with the help of his cousin Edgar Alejandro Cornejo, a collaboration that continued on his second album, 鈥淒a帽ado."
Cornejo is the youngest of three brothers and says he is very close with his family. His sister is his manager, and his brother has also joined his team. His mother is a housewife 鈥� 鈥渟he likes to have a very clean house and cooks every day,鈥� he said 鈥� and his father worked as a truck driver, including garbage and cargo collection, but is now retired.
Cornejo as 鈥渢he elements of a modern corrido mixed with a bit of pop and ... very alternative mixtures,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fusion of many genres.鈥� Cornejo thinks of singing in Spanish as a particular form of expression 鈥� an extension of his vast musical loves, which also include rap, alternative music and reggae.
鈥淢y roots are Mexican, and I really like Mexican music,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 ventured to start recording songs because I felt that I had to be able to make something unique with all my inspirations.鈥�
Cornejo composes his own songs, although on 鈥淢irada,鈥� he co-wrote with the Mexican musician and the The album was mostly recorded in California.
The video for the title track 鈥淢irada,鈥� which shows Cornejo creating an orange painting, helps explain a bit the origin of the album cover. On it, he appears sitting on a couch dressed in black, one of his favorite colors, with a faded orange background.
鈥淚 wanted something that felt very vibrant, full of life and color. I wanted it to feel a little nostalgic,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 bit like a sunrise and like a sundown, a mixture of feelings, and also that it felt like summer.鈥�
The album, released in July, debuted at the top of Billboard鈥檚 Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums charts and entered the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. The first half of 鈥淢irada鈥� evokes a style close to regional Mexican music and, after an interlude, changes to more alternative tunes.
鈥淓verything was very intentional with the order (of the songs) and the names, even the lyrics and everything. Almost all my projects are very intentional and the order of the songs, we do plan a little,鈥� he said.
鈥淗erida Abierta," a heartbreak song, is one of those first songs on the album that has a more
鈥淚t has the tololoche, the charchetas and the trombone; I wanted to get my feet in that area for the first time,鈥� he said.
鈥淒onde Est谩s,鈥� which he says discusses the desperation of 鈥渘ot finding your love and losing it,鈥� was recorded together with his producer Frank R铆o. It is one of the songs composed exclusively by Cornejo.
Another of the outstanding songs is 鈥淎qu铆 Te Espero," which he released a year ago. Cornejo said it took months to prepare it in the studio, making sure that every instrument and every guitar chord was exactly as he had imagined it. It has since accumulated 22 million views on YouTube and more than 84 million plays on Spotify.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of my most emotional songs,鈥� he said.
Cornejo will tour starting on August 15, hitting Tampa, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; Boston; San Antonio; Tucson, Arizona and Palm Desert, California. In October, he will perform at the Tecate Peninsula Festival in
鈥淚鈥檓 super excited to see how my fans react and interact with the new songs on the record,鈥� he said.
Berenice Bautista, The Associated Press
