NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Latino artists are making their mark at this year’s CMA Fest, bringing their cultural heritage and unique sounds to the heart of country music.
Mexican American artist MŌRIAH kicked off the festival with a mariachi rendition of the national anthem, setting the tone for a week that celebrates diversity in country music.
“I always tell myself, and I tell my team, we’re not crazy, we’re just first. We’re not crazy, we’re just first,” MŌRIAH said.
For MŌRIAH, performing at CMA Fest represents more than just a career milestone.
“To start and launch the entire week like it felt like a real honor,” she said.
Her music is deeply influenced by her family’s immigrant experience.
“It took a lot of generations to get to this place where I get to sing for a living. I get to write songs. It’s like there’s not too many days that I don’t pinch myself because just one generation back, my mom was working in strawberry fields,” MŌRIAH said.
Supporting artists like MŌRIAH is the newly formed Country Latin Association, founded by artists Angie K and Andrea Vasquez, who proudly represent their Mexican and Salvadoran backgrounds.
“I feel like I owe a lot to my roots, like so much, and to me, it’s really important for me to be able to go back and give back,” Angie K said.
In just six months, the association has grown to include over 2,000 members.
“My hope is that it changes, it changes the landscape of what country looks like, and makes it more inclusive for everybody,” Angie K said.
For the first time, the association has partnered with CMA Fest to host special events showcasing Latino country artists.
One such event is Country con Corazón at Plaza Mariachi, featuring performances by MŌRIAH, Angie K, Andrea Vasquez, Frank Ray, and garzon.
The festival will also include a panel discussion titled “Latino Trailblazers in Country,” hosted by Rolling Stone’s Tomás Mier and featuring MŌRIAH, Carín León, Kat Luna, and Los Hermanos Mendoza.
“It’s all kind of playing out exactly how we imagined, which is so exciting. And we hope that it’s an event that’s here to stay every single year at CMA Fest,” Vasquez said.
The growing presence of Latino artists at CMA Fest represents a broader cultural shift in country music.
“There is this American dream, there is this possibility, this hope, that like we can all bring what makes us unique and different, and that we can add it into the fabric that makes this country so strong and so great and so interesting and so colorful,” MŌRIAH said.
Mexican artist Carín León will also take the stage with Cody Johnson at Nissan Stadium, further cementing the Latino presence in this year’s festival.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@Newschannel5.com
On 150-year anniversary, YMCA of Middle Tennessee looks at its past and future
Happy Birthday to the YMCA of Middle TN. They just celebrated their 150th anniversary! A lot has changed with the Y over the years. I have personally seen some of that firsthand when I was a long-time board member at the Northwest Family Y and part of their Black Achievers Program. Forrest Sanders has a look back.
– Lelan Statom