Anatomy of a Hit: Breaking Down Óscar Maydon’s Fuerza Regida-Featuring New Smash ‘Tu Boda’
Óscar Maydon was setting the stage for his forthcoming single, originally planned as a solo venture, when a serendipitous moment at an L.A. traffic light altered everything. As he listened to the early version of “Tu Boda,” a Gothic sierreño romance written by Alexis “Chachito” Armando Fierro Roman, a sudden insight struck Maydon.
“And out of nowhere, the voice of Jesús, from Fuerza Regida, begins to sound in my head,” the Mexicali artist tells Billboard Español over Zoom. This flash of inspiration quickly led to a pivotal phone call, transforming “Tu Boda” into the No. 1 Hot Latin Songs-charting hit.
Despite initial hesitation from Jesús “JOP” Ortiz Paz about the song aligning with Fuerza Regida’s style, trust prevailed. “I’m going to trust you,” JOP conceded eventually, says Maydon. Days later, a collaboration that was almost never meant to be was born.
This release marked their second joint effort, following last year’s “Antídoto.” Although Maydon had reservations too — “I thought maybe people didn’t like our voices together,” he thought — the track ultimately overcame these doubts and soared to the top of multiple Billboard charts. “Tu Boda” also climbed to No. 1 on Latin Streaming Songs, where Maydon picked up his first No. 1 victory, while Regida earned its second. It also secured the top spot on the Latin Digital Song Sales and debuted at No. 23 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
On Saturday (Nov. 2), Maydon and Fuerza Regida performed their No. 1 hit for the first time live at the Don’t Fall In Love Festival at San Bernardino’s NOS Event Center for over 20,000 fans.
Below, Maydon helps us breakdown the journey to success for “Tu Boda.”
An Unlikely Journey & Brotherly Bonds
The foundation of “Tu Boda” was bolstered by the longstanding rapport between Maydon and JOP. “I knew Jesús before I started [my own] music,” Maydon explains. ”When he was starting out, I was a musician for another artist. I remember one day we came to his house and he invited us on a tour to San José. I was about 17 years old, I was one of the youngest of the bunch. That’s when Jesús started to talk to me and we went on tour together. When I started to make music, our friendship evolved. The relationship is stronger right now.”
He recalls that the day “Tu Boda” premiered, the two were in Miami during Billboard Latin Music Week. JOP had an after-party at LIV, where they celebrated the song’s release. “We’re going to perform it at the Don’t Fall In Love [Festival on Nov. 2],” he said at the time.
Its Inception & Serendipitous Composition
Chachito, a colleague and música Mexicana songwriter, sparked the initial melody and lyrics in a moment of exhaustion and camaraderie, following a grueling travel schedule. “I remember we arrived late at night on a flight to Hermosillo, the kind that leaves at midnight and you arrive at 6:00 a.m., so you can’t sleep. We had our check-in at 3:00 p.m., and they wouldn’t let us in because the hotel was full,” he recalls, so they crashed in Chachito and other colleagues’ room until theirs opened up.
“I remember we brought out the guitar, everybody was lying down, and they were like, ’Shut up already!,‘” he recalls. “Then [Chachito] starts humming, ’Tum-ta-rra-ta-tum. Sento un vacío muy frío por dentro, mi amor.‘ I knew that song had something special. He was inspired by the Tim Burton movie, Corpse Bride.”
A Creative Process Cloaked in Detail
Maydon’s meticulous involvement in the production laid the textures for “Tu Boda.” Spending days perfecting each instrument’s entry, his approach to ornamentation is uniquely vocal. “The arrangements, I toss them with vocal sounds, not with the guitar,” he says. “Then Joel [Núñez] has to catch the note with the guitar. I’m very minimalist in the embellishments. That song took me three days to record. I spent the whole day [working] on guitars, and I spent about 15 hours on it. The next day, I was working on the tololoche and charchetas. The third day, I threw in the vocals.”
Resonating With Fans Across Borders
With its gripping nylon-led melody and dark overtones, perfectly aligning with the Halloween and Day of the Dead seasons, “Tu Boda” has resonated widely. Maydon highlights the song’s grim theme, “marrying someone whose heart has ripped from you and whose life you want to take away.” He notes the contrast with other songs that focus on parties, romance or sadness. He also explains how, despite never having been married, the emotional intensity of the narrative has a universal appeal.
Isabela Raygoza
Billboard