Three singers reach the Mexico Canta final and a shot at a record deal

Seven singers of Mexican descent took the stage at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on August 23 for the United States semifinal of Mexico Canta, and three of them are going to Mexico City. Tiffany Galaviz, Joshua Soto and Rosalba Valdez advanced to the grand final at the Auditorio Nacional on September 13, with a record deal waiting for whoever wins.

The result was decided by the public rather than a panel. The segment was broadcast live on public television in both countries, and more than 300,000 people cast votes. Majo Aguilar, granddaughter of Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre, hosted, and Los Tigres del Norte closed the night with a new song called Mexico Sigue De Pie.

Soto, who is 18 and from the Bronx, sang a bilingual country corrido called Terco Callejero and studies vocal performance in a music theatre programme at New York University. Valdez, 27 and from Chicago, performed a merengue leaning song called Por Bonita. "Ever since I was little, my parents always showed me my culture, my roots," Soto said of growing up Mexican American.

The contest is state sponsored programming, launched in 2025 by Mexico's Ministry of Culture to push musical stories away from violence and drug trafficking. Rules bar artificial intelligence and audio alteration, and bar songs that glorify violence or drug use, with disqualification as the penalty. Ten of Mexico's 32 states have introduced bans or limits on corridos in public spaces, and Mexico City lawmakers passed a measure in May keeping narcocorridos out of public events.

Culture secretary Claudia Curiel de Icaza rejected the idea that any of this amounts to censorship, arguing that the contest is about choosing a genre young people identify with rather than silencing another. "Culture transcends borders, music transcends borders," she told the Los Angeles Times.

The emphasis this year fell on musica mexicana, a category Spotify says has grown 295 percent in global streams since 2021 and 162 percent inside the United States. None of its biggest current names appeared in the competition, which puts a fair amount of daylight between the contest's version of the genre and the one topping the streaming charts.

Corrido tumbado singer Junior H backed the contest at a press conference in May while reflecting on his own earlier material, saying music carries responsibility when millions of people are listening. The latin field has plenty of company on our own pages, from Tito Double P's second solo album to Paulina Goto's recent single. The September final and other upcoming ceremonies are tracked on award watch.