Grupo Firme pulls out of Mazatlán Carnival after receiving death threats

The Mazatlán Carnival — particularly important this twelvemonth arsenic the metropolis attempts to revive its tourism economy — has been rocked by 2 salient determination Mexican euphony acts cancelling performances owed to narco threats.

One of Mexico’s biggest celebrations of its kind, Carnival 2025 opened Thursday and runs done Tuesday successful Mazatlán, the authorities of Sinaloa’s largest metropolis down the oft-narco-ravaged superior of Culiacán.

Every year, Mazatlán hosts 1 of the world’s largest Carnival celebrations. (Esto Es Sinaloa)

Grupo Firme, scheduled to execute connected Saturday, canceled their amusement aft a narcomanta (narco banner) threatening the set was recovered successful Tijuana alongside a severed head. The connection warned, “Grupo Firme, if you play astatine the Mazatlán Carnival, we volition termination you each … adjacent the 1 who puts connected the lights … retrieve that you unrecorded successful Tijuana.”

Hours later, singers Jorge Medina (who was calved successful Mazatlán) and Josi Cuen besides canceled their performance, which was scheduled for Thursday night, citing “issues beyond our control.”

While they didn’t explicitly notation threats, the timing raised suspicions of a transportation — and highlighted the increasing power of cause cartels connected the euphony industry.

In January, Mexican corridos tumbados vocalist Natanael Cano received threats connected a narco banner hung extracurricular a precocious schoolhouse successful Hermosillo, Sonora. Allegedly placed by the Los Mata Salas transgression group, the banners accused Cano and 2 different euphony stars of supporting a rival gang.

Peso Pluma, different immense prima of corridos tumbados and narcocorridos — music that often glorifies the exploits of cartels, outlaws and transgression kingpins and forgives unit against women — canceled respective concerts successful 2023 aft receiving decease threats, including 1 written connected a narco banner successful Tijuana that utilized the signature “CJNG” for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

To regenerate the seven-member Grupo Firme — a Latin Grammy victor successful 2021 for champion banda album — successful Mazatlán connected Saturday night, the celebrated Aguilar household has stepped up.

Their performance of determination Mexican euphony — mariachi, ranchera and norteño — volition beryllium headlined by nine-time Grammy and Latin Grammy grant victor Pepe Aguilar on with his girl Ángela and lad Leonardo, themselves signaling stars with respective Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations betwixt them.

(Perhaps this amusement volition marque up for their scheduled “Grito de Independencia” show past September successful Culiacán, which was canceled owed to a convulsive cartel turf war successful the metropolis astatine that time.)

Grammy-winning Mexican determination prima Pepe Aguilar, on with children Ángela and Leonardo, volition measurement successful arsenic the pb enactment for the Mazatlán Carnival. (Gobierno de Sinaloa)

Scheduled to capable successful for Medina and Cuen connected Thursday nighttime was an enactment of erstwhile Mexican stars billed arsenic ’90s Pop Tour.

Medina and Cuen, who person teamed up connected a circuit titled Juntos (Together), are some erstwhile pb singers of the palmy grupera set La Arrolladora Banda El Limón, which started successful the Sinaloa municipality of El Limón de los Peraza.

Other scheduled performers astatine this year’s Mazatlán Carnival — iconic opera vocalist Plácido Domingo, 22-time Latin Grammy Award victor Alejandro Sanz and three-decade norteño favorites La Adictiva from Sinaloa — remained successful the lineup.

As for the narco threats against the musicians, the Mazatlán threats are portion of a increasing inclination of cartel intimidation targeting determination Mexican musicians.

“Personally, I deliberation the authorities is losing power of this situation,” vocalist Julio Preciado said successful the online paper Infobae. “I don’t cognize wherever we are going with this. The concern is precise complicated.”

Some accidental the threats person efficaciously fixed cartels powerfulness to curate festival and performance lineups, with the states of Baja California, Sinaloa and Jalisco being hotspots for this phenomenon. Some cities, similar Tijuana, person attempted to code the contented by banning narcocorridos in nationalist shows.

While Peso Pluma, Natanael Cano and Fuerza Régida person agelong sung astir the narco lifestyle, Grupo Firme was erstwhile praised by former Mexico president Andrés Manuel López Obrador for not doing so. He adjacent played the band’s opus “Ya Supérame” during a property conference.

With reports from Infobae and Rolling Stone