Los Angeles Azules

The timeless cumbia rhythms of Los Ángeles Azules will crisscross El Norte this year. Launched in the early '80s by a half-dozen siblings of the Mejía Avante family, Los Ángeles Azules (Blue Angels) have surfed wave after wave of Latin music. It's been a long road, but their romantic take on Mexico's cumbia sonidera sound remains as popular as ever. Los Ángeles reignited once again last year with Esto sí es cumbia ("This Is Cumbia"), whose twist on original hits by Ha*Ash, Miguel Bose, Gloria Trevi, Yuri and other Latin stars hit the Regional Mexican Albums Top 10. They kicked off 2019 with "Nunca es suficiente" ("It's Never Enough"), written and sung by Natalia Lafourcade, which became Los Ángeles' first Regional Mexican chart-topper in 19 years. Live performances with the Mexico City Symphony Orchestra in 2016 demonstrated that cumbia belongs to everyone. But whether accompanied by a symphony or in their usual baker's-dozen configuration, expect to hear hits like "Cómo te voy a olvidar" ("How Could I Forget You"), "Por el amor a mi madre" ("For the Love of My Mother") and "El nuevo sonido de la cumbia" ("The New Sound of Cumbia").