Julión Álvarez Y Su Norteño Banda

Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda are a regional musica mexicana group. They experienced commercial success with their debut album, Corazón Mágico (2007). It was followed by two live albums in 2008: Desde Mazatlan: A Mover el Culito and Cumbia del Río; the latter was their Disa debut. Between 2011 and 2022, Alvarez's band released ten consecutive Top Ten albums on the Mexican Regional albums chart; four -- including Tu Amigo Nada Mas (2013), El Aferrado (2015), Mis Ídolos, Hoy Mis Amigos!!! (2016), and Ni Diablo Ni Santo (2017) topped it. Álvarez fought legal battles for years over touring restrictions and the group only issued two singles in the next six years. They returned to recording and the charts with 2022's De Hoy en Adelante, Que Te Vaya Bien -- and won a Latin Grammy. 2023's Presente charted, too. 2025's 42 18 combined previously issued single and EP tracks with new songs. Julión Álvarez was born on April 11, 1983, in La Concordia, Mexico. He formed Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda in 2007 and the band experienced commercial success right away with their debut full-length on the Machete Music label, Corazón Mágico (2007), which featured the hit "Las Mulas de Moreno." In the wake of this success, two live albums were released: Desde Mazatlan: A Mover el Culito (2008, Machete Music) and Cumbia del Río (2008, Disa), an odd album comprised of live recordings plus three versions of the title track. Beginning with 2011's Ni Lo Intentes, Álvarez & co. released ten consecutive Top Tens on the Mexican Regional Albums chart, including 2011's Márchate y Olvídame; 2013's Tu Amigo Nada Mas; 2014's Soy Lo Que Quiero: Indispensable, and 2015's El Aferrado. During this run, Álvarez became a leading figure in norteño music. He was nominated for several Latin Grammys and served as a judge for the talent show La Voz... Mexico. The band's 2016 single, "Y Fue Así," won the Lo Nuestro Award for Song of the Year. Their 2017 album, Ni Diablo Ni Santo, was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) and a pair of Lo Nuestro awards for Male Performer of the Year and Banda Artist of the Year. Ni Diablo Ni Santo would be their last album for five years. In 2017, while preparing to tour, Álvarez was informed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury that his assets were frozen and all of his business dealings with the U.S. were restricted -- including travel -- due to an alleged violation of the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. The baseless accusations were dropped in June 2022, allowing him to resume performing and doing business in the U.S. That year, Álvarez y Su Banda released the long-player De Hoy en Adelante, Que Te Vaya Bien. It returned the group to the Mexican Regional Top Ten and took home the Latin Grammy for Best Banda Album at the 2023 awards. In 2023, Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda released the bold, strident, proud Presente. They hit the road as the album charted. They sold out the vast majority of their many dates across Mexico and North America. The following year they issued Incomparable, which included the international hit and chart-topping single "Ya Te la Sabes." A week after Valentine's Day in 2025, the group released the romantic set 42 18. It collected some tracks from 2020s EPs and added a host of new songs including "Safo en el Amor" and "Noches Amargas" -- all are centered around the theme of heartbreak and existential romantic pain.
© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo