Alejandro Fernández

Alejandro Fernández’s ranchera-singing superpower runs deep in his blood. He possesses a powerful, arresting vibrato that could just as easily repair or break any heart. As the son of “The King of Ranchera Music”, Vicente Fernández, Alejandro has managed to further propel the Mexican rural style to global acclaim by marrying it with contemporary pop—adding melodrama and a deeply romantic style for good measure. Born in 1971 in Guadalajara, the Mexican capital of mariachi music and charrería, Alejandro enjoyed a home environment entrenched in ranchera culture. At the age of five, he joined his father on stage to sing "Alejandra" in front of 10,000 concertgoers. The experience left a lasting impression on the young boy, who went on to pursue a degree in architecture. But his gift was undeniable, so the elder Fernández convinced his talented son to rejoin him for another duet, “Amor de los Dos”, in the early ‘90s. The track became an instant hit, landing Alejandro his first recording deal. When his eponymous full-length debut album arrived in 1992, Alejandro demonstrated his profound love and respect for the rural, vintage art form and was soon nicknamed “El Potrillo”, or The Colt—in reference to his father’s ranch, Los 3 Potrillos. By the end of the decade, Alejandro had expanded his musical palette as a pop balladeer with 1997’s Me Estoy Enamorando, a fiercely amorous album replete with poetic sensuality and a sweeping string section, proving that he can conquer both traditional and modern pop styles. With 2020’s mariachi-steeped Hecho en México, El Potrillo pays homage to the art form that races through his veins while continuing to represent his country proudly.