''Primero Soy Mexicana'' ("First I Am Mexican") is the second studio album by Mexican singer

Ángela Aguilar Ángela Aguilar Álvarez Alcalá (born October 8, 2003) is a Mexican-American singer. She was born in Los Angeles while her mother was accompanying her father, Pepe Aguilar, on tour. Aguilar gained notable recognition after performing "La Llor ...

, released on March 2, 2018, by Machin Records. The album was produced by Aguilar's father,

Pepe Aguilar José Antonio Aguilar Jiménez (born August 7, 1968), better known as Pepe Aguilar, is an American singer. - Accessed on June 17, 2011. From a young age, Aguilar accompanied his parents, Mexican singer-actors Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestr ...

and features

ranchera Ranchera () or canción ranchera is a genre of traditional music of Mexico. It dates to before the years of the Mexican Revolution. Rancheras today are played in virtually all regional Mexican music styles. Drawing on rural traditional folk music ...

and

mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music that dates back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, t ...

music. Her grandmother

Flor Silvestre Guillermina Jiménez Chabolla (16 August 1930 – 25 November 2020), known professionally as Flor Silvestre, was a Mexican singer and actress. She was one of the most prominent and successful performers of Mexican and Latin American music, and wa ...

's first film, ''

Primero soy mexicano ''Primero soy mexicano'' ("First I am Mexican") is a 1950 Mexican drama-comedy film starring Joaquín Pardavé (who also wrote and directed it),Latin Grammy The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...

nomination for Best Ranchero Album at the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2018 and a Grammy nomination for

Best Regional Mexican Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums i ...

at the

61st Annual Grammy Awards The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and fo ...

in 2019.

Recordings

''Primero Soy Mexicana'' features eleven well known

songs previously performed by other artists who Aguilar considers strong female artists in the ranchera genre. The album was recorded at the Aguilar family ranch "Rancho El Soyate" in Villanueva, Zacatecas. The first track, “Ya No Me Interesas”, was previously recorded by Mexican singer

Lucha Villa Luz Elena Ruiz Bejarano (born November 30, 1936), more commonly known by her stage name Lucha Villa, is a Mexican singer and actress. Early life Born in Camargo, Chihuahua, Luz Elena Ruiz Bejarano was given her pseudonym "Lucha Villa" by telev ...

on her 1985 album, ''Interpreta a Juan Gabriel''. The second track, "Corazoncito Tirano", was written and performed by Mexican singer-songwriter

Cuco Sánchez José Refugio "Cuco" Sánchez Saldaña (3 May 1921 – 5 October 2000) was a Mexican singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. Sánchez was one of Mexico's most popular singers and recorded most of his singles and studio albums for Columbia R ...

on his 1990 album ''La Voz de Mexico''. The third song, "

Cielito Lindo "Cielito Lindo" is a popular Mexican song '' copla'', popularized in 1882 by Mexican author Quirino Mendoza y Cortés (c. 1862–1957). It is roughly translated as "Lovely Sweet One". Although the word ''cielo'' means "sky" or "heaven", it is a ...

", has been sung by a plethora of artists dating back to the early 1900s. The fourth track, "La Tequilera", was previously sung by Lucha Villa on her 1967 album that bears the same name. The album's fifth track, " Cielo Rojo", was first recorded by Aguilar's grandmother,

in 1957, and is credited as the breakthrough in her musical career. The sixth track, "Tu Sangre en Mi Cuerpo", was composed by

Río Roma Río Roma are a Mexican Latin pop duo. It consists of brothers José Luis Ortega Castro (born January 17, 1981) and Raúl Ortega Castro (born July 17, 1984). José Luis is also a prolific songwriter. Famous singers who had recorded songs writte ...

’s Jose Luis Ortega for his son’s 2016 album ''Como Tu Sangre en Mi Cuerpo''. The seventh track, "

La Llorona ''La Llorona'' (; "The Weeping Woman" or "The Wailer") is a Hispanic-American mythical vengeful ghost who is said to roam near bodies of water mourning her children whom she drowned. Origins Early colonial times provided evidence that the lore ...

", has been performed by many artists, most notably,

Chavela Vargas Isabel Vargas Lizano (17 April 1919 – 5 August 2012), better known as Chavela Vargas (), was a Mexican singer. She was especially known for her rendition of Mexican rancheras, but she is also recognized for her contribution to other genres o ...

and

Eugenia León Eugenia León (born June 7, 1956) is a Mexican singer. In 1985, she won first place at the prestigious OTI Festival in Seville, Spain with the theme "El Fandango Aquí" by . A winner of the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, she has had a c ...

. The eighth recording, "La Basurita", was previously performed by Flor Silvestre on her 1958 self titled album. The ninth song, "

Cucurrucucú Paloma "Cucurrucucú paloma" (Spanish for ''Coo-coo dove'') is a Mexican huapango-style song written by Tomás Méndez in 1954. The title is an onomatopeic reference to the characteristic call of the mourning dove, which is evoked in the refrain. The l ...

", was written and recorded by

Tomás Méndez Tomás Méndez (born Tomás Méndez Sosa; July 25, 1927 – June 19, 1995) was a Mexican composer and singer of Mexican music and ranchera music. He was born in Fresnillo, Zacatecas, Mexico. He obtained his first success in 1954 with the Mexican ...

in 1954. The tenth track, " Paloma Negra", was also written by Méndez and released by

Lola Beltrán María Lucila Beltrán Ruiz (7 March 1932 – 24 March 1996), known professionally as Lola Beltrán, was a Mexican actress and singer. Beltrán is and was one of Mexico's most acclaimed singers of Ranchera and Huapango music. She made the ...

on her 1988 album ''La Grande''. The final song, "Me Gustas Mucho", was composed by Mexican singer-songwriter

Juan Gabriel Alberto Aguilera Valadez (; January 7, 1950 – August 28, 2016), known professionally as Juan Gabriel (), was a Mexican singer, songwriter and actor. Colloquially nicknamed as Juanga () and El Divo de Juárez, Juan Gabriel was known for his f ...

for Spanish singer

Rocío Dúrcal María de los Ángeles de las Heras Ortiz (4 October 1944 – 25 March 2006), better known professionally as Rocío Dúrcal (), was a Spanish singer and actress. Widely successful in Mexico, she earned the sobriquet of ''Reina de las Rancheras'' ...

in 1984.

Reception

''Primero Soy Mexicana'' was included in '' Billboard’s'' 20 Best Latin Albums of 2018 list, coming in at number thirteen. ''Billboard'' proclaimed Aguilar “... san artist you’ll want to keep on your radar.” The album was nominated for a

Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...

for Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album at the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2018, which went to

Luis Miguel Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri (born 19 April 1970) is a Puerto Rican-born Mexican singer, often referred to as ''El Sol de México'' (The Sun of Mexico), which is the nickname his mother gave him as a child—"mi sol". Luis Miguel has sung in mu ...

’s '' ¡México Por Siempre!'' Aguilar was also nominated for

Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...

, but lost to Colombian reggaetón singer

Karol G Carolina Giraldo Navarro (born 14 February 1991), known professionally as Karol G (stylized in all caps), is a Colombians, Colombian singer and songwriter. She is predominantly described as a reggaeton and Latin trap artist, but has experimente ...

. At the ceremony, Aguilar performed a rendition of “

”, and received a standing ovation. The recording has also garnered a nomination for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for

at the

in 2019, which also went to Luis Miguel's ''¡México Por Siempre!''. Aguilar performed "La Llorona" at the pre-telecast ceremony with fellow Mexican singers,

Aida Cuevas Aída Cuevas (; born Aída Gabriela Cuevas Castillo; September 24, 1963) is a Mexican singer and actress. Life Aída Cuevas began singing in amateur contests at the age of 11 and was quickly discovered because of her exceptional talent. Her f ...

and

Natalia Lafourcade María Natalia Lafourcade Silva (; born 26 February 1984) is a Mexican pop-rock and folk singer and songwriter who, since her debut in 2002, has been one of the most successful singers in Latin America. Lafourcade's voice has been categorized a ...

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

References