The 7 best Mexican music groups (the most successful)

We all know that Mexico has great folk music, but there is much more. Some of the best modern Mexican music groups have excelled and have a following beyond their borders. Whether playing rock, band music, or pop, these groups have made their way into the music industry.

The best successful Mexican music groups have distinguished themselves by their proposals that remain faithful to their roots and that they combine avant-garde, fresh rhythms, with influences from international groups and that have led them to recognition world.

The 7 best Mexican music groups

The best and most successful Mexican music groups have crossed borders. The language has not represented a problem to achieve international success, since they have played in places as diverse as Brazil, Romania or Japan.

Rock predominates on the list, but pop, cumbia and the group genre have a strong presence as well. Outside the Mexican borders, it is the music that is listened to more than regional or band music.

1. Manna

Maná is a rock band originally from Guadalajara that achieved worldwide success

. Its current members are Fher on vocals, Juan on bass, Alex on drums and Sergio on guitar. In 1987 they released their proposal that fuses pop and rock, becoming one of the best groups of successful Mexican musicians in the world.

They benefited from the support that Mexican record companies gave the genre at that time with the so-called "Rock in your language." This was a trend that was gaining strength in Argentina and Spain and that was intended to promote the creation of local rock bands in the Spanish language.

In 1992 they released the album that would give them international fame, "Where will children play?" From that moment began a career of success, accumulating 4 Grammy Awards, 8 Latin Grammys, 5 MTV Video Music Awards Latin America and 19 Billboard Music Awards latin. To date, they have sold more than 40 million records worldwide.

2. Cafe Tacvba

Café Tacvba is an internationally popular Mexican alternative rock band. They were formed in 1989, and the peculiarity of their music is due to the fact that they fuse rock with typical sounds of Mexican culture, as well as their lyrics and instruments such as the tololoche and the jarana.

They currently have 8 albums in their history, of which the second, "Re" was the one that led them to international fame. They have won the Grammy and 9 Latin Grammy Awards, and the MTV Legend Award.

They packed Madison Square Garden, and toured Japan with resounding success. This Mexican band is still in force and only in 2016 they released their latest album. However, his albums "Re" and "Continuing Being" are the most sung by fans around the world.

3. Molotov

Molotov is the irreverent band that achieved international success. In 1997 they jumped onto the music scene with their album “Where will girls play?”. They have a marked tendency to satire and social criticism, and their provocative lyrics were even initially censored on Mexican radio.

Their first album was quickly accepted in the United States and Latin American countries such as Argentina and Chile, and they had important presentations in Spain. Such was the success that this album was also released in Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Australia and Israel.

In 2011 they began an extensive tour of Europe including countries such as Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, France and England, where they were already expected and were as well known as they were admired.

4. RBD

RBD was the most successful Mexican pop band of all time. This group was formed in 2004 within the soap opera “Rebelde”. Made up of actors Anahí, Christian, Dulce María, Maite Perroni, Alfonso Herrera and Christopher Uckerman.

From their appearance until their separation in 2008, they performed in more than 116 cities around the world. His performances took place in such important stages as Madison Square Garden, the Maracana stadium in Brazil and the Coliseo de los Angeles stadium.

In total, they were awarded 89 awards, including 2 Latin Grammys and 1 Billboard Latin Music Award. Despite their short existence, they were a pop music phenomenon in Europe and Latin America, but especially in Brazil, where the RBD phenomenon is still alive today.

5. The North Tigers

Los Tigres del Norte are a group of regional Mexican music known as norteña music. This important group emerged in 1968, and they are the greatest exponents of the narcocorrido genre, for which they have been censored on several occasions in Mexico.

They have been 5 times Grammy winners for best northern and regional Mexican album, and 7 times they have taken home the Latin Grammy. Its main fame lies in Colombia and the United States due to the large number of Mexicans who live there.

In 2011 they recorded an MTV unplugged: Los Tigres del Norte and Friends. They did duets with Calle 13, Paulina Rubio, Juanes, Diego Torres, Andrés Calamaro and Zach de la Rocha. Without a doubt, Los Tigres del Norte is one of the best and most successful Mexican music groups.

6. The blue Angels

Los Ángeles Azules are the most successful cumbia group in Mexico. This band formed by the Mejía Avante family jumped onto the popular stages of Mexico in 1983. They are originally from Iztapalapa, one of the most popular areas of Mexico City.

His music is defined as Mexican cumbia or cumbia sonidera. And in the beginning they were a typical group of Mexican folklore that toured throughout the Mexican Republic. His music was heard at all the parties of Mexican families, but international fame came later.

In 2013, they were invited to participate in the Ibero-American Festival “Vive Latino”, the most important rock festival in Latin America. The success was resounding and from there the group catapulted itself by recording collaborations with the most influential rock artists on the Mexican music scene. In 2018 they arrived at the Coachella festival, thus achieving their internationalization.

7. MS band

La Banda MS is the most listened to Mexican group on Spotify worldwide. It is a group of music from a Sinaloan band that has 16 members. That is something typical in groups of this genre that use various wind instruments and drums.

He has received 7 Billboard Latin Music Awards for the best group of the year and Mexican regional album. This Mexican band has also won several Latin American Music Awards which is one of the most important awards in Latin America.

Its great international fame is mainly due to its popularity in the United States. In this country the genre is recognized much more the genre of music they play than in other countries.

Bibliographic references

• The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music (2000). London: Taylor & Francis.