“Ay yi yi yi yi! Las Chorizeras
Do you know Las Chorizeras? Not the sausage, the band. If not, you should, because the four women who make up this unique Mexican-American “alt mariachi” fusion band are not only fun and entertaining, but moving the boundaries of music and culture.
Las Chorizeras is an all-female mariachi fusion ensemble founded by singer-songwriter Nancy Sanchez, whose many musical endeavors include a bilingual Mexican rock band (The Mexican Standoff), blues, pure mariachi, a bit of rock, and ballads and love songs in Spanish and English. In the ten years I have known her and watched her evolve, she has consistently broken barriers, seen musical futures that others missed, and injected human themes into her music and that of others.
In many ways, I would say she is transformative. If you want evidence of this, listen to “Gran Civilization” her border/boundary smashing collaboration with the rapper Olmeca or watch her with Las Colibri in The Quinceanera Reimagined on YouTube.
Into this whirling energy of creativity, she drew Eunice Aparicio (guitarrón/vocals), Anisette Noperi (violin/vocals), and Darlene Perez (güiro/vocals) to blend traditional mariachi music with contemporary styles into something that can only be described as “mariachi fusion” (although you can also call it “regional alternative”).
Sanchez’s inspiration to create the all-female mariachi fusion Las Chorizeras,, came from a trip to her hometown of Toluca, Mexico. There, she was inspired – or reinspired -by the city’s beautiful sites and traditions and its renowned gastronomy, particularly its famous chorizo sausages, known throughout Mexico for flavor from corn fed pork, ancho or jaral peppers, and the famous “green” variety made with fresh vegetables and herb. She gave the band the name “Las Chorizeras” as a tribute to the women of Toluca who are affectionately called “Chorizeras”.
The group’s musical style incorporates traditional mariachi instruments like the guitarrón, vihuela, and violin, while fusing elements of Mexican folkloric music, Latin alternative, pop, jazz, and even American country. Their repertoire consists of both original compositions and covers, with about 80% being original material written by Sanchez. Songs like 2024 release “Pecadora” and the earlier “Dispuesto A Amar” showcase their ability to blend mariachi with ballads and other genres, creating a sound that is both authentic and innovative.
Las Chorizeras has been gaining recognition since their debut at the 2022 Los Angeles County Fair. They were featured in the Netflix series “The Lincoln Lawyer” Season 2 finale, performing their song “Dispuesto A Amar,” which they later released as a single due to popular demand.
The “due to popular demand” reflects their rising stars in the growing mariachi and Latin firmament, both in the US and around the world. Bands like the Grammy nominated and Latin Grammy winning Flor de Toloache from New York began setting the stage for what is a growing tsunami of mariachi and Mexican fusion music. Consider:
- Mexican music is up 400% in Spotify worldwide over the last five years.
- Regional Mexican music grew 60% in the U.S. last year, accounting for 21.9 billion on-demand audio streams, according to the Luminate 2023 year-end music report.
- As of 2024, there are over 500 schools offering mariachi classes across the United States
- All-female mariachi groups have exploded ,with an estimated 25 in the U.S. alone.
- Female mariachis have performed at the White House and the Beijing Olympics
- All-female mariachi bands have won Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards
Las Chorizeras are both riding this wave and pushing at its creative edge. By bringing together so many music forms, so well within the framework of mariachi, Las Chorizeras is expanding the reach of mariachi, bringing in new audiences, helping to rebrand it from a group of traditional guys in sombreros with violins and trumpets to a cutting edge contemporary music. To this I say Ay yi yi yi yi! Las Chorizeras – you rock.
