Romantic ballads are very common in Mexican regional music but Ivan Cornejo is introducing the sierreño genre to the younger masses. As a Riverside native and a child of immigrants, Ivan’s successful career is a testament to how powerful love and passion can be when pursuing a music career.
Born in Riverside, California, the singer rose to fame because of his song “Esta Dañada,” which became a popular sound on TikTok. The lyrics “Su Sonrisa, su carita, sus manitas hay que delicia,” or “her smile, her face, her hands, oh what delight” were the ones that resonated the most with users of the app. “Esta Dañada” also became the second regional Mexican song to chart on the Billboard Top 100, cementing Cornejo’s legacy as a trailblazer of modern regional Mexican music.
Cornejo began his music career by playing guitar when he was seven years old. He then continued his passion for music by leaving school at 16 and pursuing his career full time. In 2021, he released his first album “Alma Vieja” which gained major traction for tracks such as “Esta Dananda” and “Esa Carita.” Since then he’s released two successful albums “Dañado” and “MIRADA” which both reached number one on the Billboard Latin Music Chart.
Cornejo’s music usually consists of lyrics about break-ups and infidelity, showcasing raw and vulnerable emotions in the process. In his most recent album “MIRADA,” Cornejo does not hold back when writing sad songs. The theme of the album is the emotions felt after a separation and the loss of the person in his life.
Although his music includes the typical regional instruments such as acoustic guitar and trumpets, Cornejo also includes electric guitar which can be seen on songs such as “Ya te Perdí” off of his deluxe sophomore album. This is his own introduction of alternative sound in his music.
Due to his success in the sad Mexican regional sound, Cornejo has had the opportunity to work with many big and notable spanish artists such as Becky G, Jhayco and Establon Armando. He has also been compared to Spanish artist Peso Pluma because of their similar sad ballad-like songs.
Cornejo is very open about artists that he looked up to as a child that have influenced his career. During his NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert, he mentions watching Alt-J, Coldplay, Mac Miller and Tame Impala and how they inspire him in pursuing his career. Similarly, in an interview with Billboard, Ivan stated that one of his first encounters with regional music was “Corridos Tumbados” by Nathaniel Cano and praises him for being a pioneer for the sierreño genre.
Cornejo works closely with his family and has them around for his big milestones. Alejandro Cornejo, Ivan’s cousin, is the bass player in his band and travels with Ivan. As he stated in a short documentary for the Coachella Arts and Music Festival YouTube channel, Alejandro, who is originally from Texas, works alongside his cousin to support his dream and passion for music.
Ivan also works closely with his sister and manager Pamela Cornejo and stated in the same short documentary that even before any performance, she too feels nervous for her little brother. Cornejo’s family dynamic is unique to his career and provides him with support from his family that allows him to pursue his passion.
As a young Mexican man, talking about heartbreak and emotions is not usually heard of because of the perpetuated “machismo” stereotype in the Latino community. Machismo in simple terms is having to suppress emotions and sad feelings because it is not seen as manly.
Cornejo with his music breaks this harmful stereotype and teaches the younger generation that it is okay to feel sad and vulnerable after a heartbreak. With his music, he influences his listeners to feel their emotions instead of suppressing them and involuntarily is breaking the stereotype that is imposed onto young Latino men.
Ivan’s musical career is not because of luck or fate, but because of hard work and passion. He stated in an interview with 103.5 KTU that he played his guitar when he was younger, sometimes only for a couple dollars. This fueled his own self determination to turn his career into what it is today.
His career is also unique because although he was born and raised in SoCal, he only makes music in Spanish. He explained in an interview for his Coachella documentary that by writing in Spanish, it invokes feelings and emotions that cannot be captured by the English language. Ivan brings pride to many Latinos but specifically, for Latinos from Riverside.
