Photo Courtesy of Artist
música norteña
Los Angeles, California
Villa 5 brings youthful energy, flair, and style to música norteña, the music of their parents’ native northern Mexico. Their name is simple and direct—the band features five Villa siblings, Lizbeth, Joel, Vanessa, Iliana, and Jasmeen—but their story contains multitudes. Raised by working-class immigrant parents on a ranch in Southern California, the Villa siblings found inspiration in their cultural roots while embracing the possibility of creating their own legacy in a new home. Mostly in their early 30s, Villa 5 has built their name and reputation by imbuing deeply traditional music with the savvy visual and media sensibilities of their generation.
Música norteña means, quite literally, “music of the north.” Similar to, but distinct from, more well-known sounds like conjunto and tejano, it is the bestselling Latin music genre in the United States. Originating in earlier folk traditions, norteña solidified between the 1940s and ’60s during a time of more open movement between the U.S. and Mexico, as millions of Mexican workers were able to work legally in the U.S. Norteña is known for its fast tempo and the prominence of the bajo sexto (12-string bass guitar) and accordion. Its repertoire features corridos, ballads about the dispossessed and other socially relevant themes; polka and waltz-inspired rancheras from the Mexican countryside; and a norteña style of cumbias that have been adapted from Colombian cumbia traditions.
The Villa children were drawn to music from a young age. Lizbeth, the eldest, entertained her parents by singing into her hairbrush as if it was a microphone. Not long after, she asked for a guitar. Her brother, Joel, came next, with accordion, followed by Vanessa (electric bass and the Mexican upright double bass, or tololoche), Iliana (drums), and finally Jasmeen (bajo sexto). Money and resources were limited, but their parents encouraged their nascent musical talents. Their father, their inspiration and biggest fan, would also sing with them. “He has always loved music, and he grew up surrounded by musicians, and he believed that keeping us busy with the music would keep us out of trouble as children,” explains Lizbeth. Their first performance was at a talent show at an elementary school, playing instruments purchased at garage sales. Offers started coming in, including their first paid gig—at a veteran’s airport where they became regular performers—and the family went all in on music as a career.
With 20 years’ hindsight, including two albums and an EP, success seems like it was inevitable. Villa 5 has performed at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, Anaheim House of Blues, and Universal Studios Hollywood, and through shrewd use of social media has developed hundreds of thousands of followers as well as an identity that is colorful and playful yet thoroughly committed to tradition. As Lizbeth explains, música norteña is “the heart of who we are, and it’s what keeps our music real and meaningful to us and our fans.” With four female instrumentalists, most notably Lizbeth handling lead guitar and vocals, Villa 5 is breaking ground in a male-dominated genre. If pressed on what matters most, though, the answer returns to family and tradition. “We’re sharing our roots and our upbringing,” says Lizbeth. “We want our fans to feel that love, that connection, and to see how timeless norteña music can be.”