How Edgar Barrera Challenged Urbano-Pop Supremacy With Borderland Authenticity

By keeping it real to his roots, Edgar Barrera played a pivotal role in ushering a rustic, revitalizing sound that, for the first time in a decade, disrupted the dominant rhythms of reggaetón. At the very least, it gave the urbano scene a substantial shake, challenging the established dembow-driven paradigm from its comfortable throne.

In fact, Barrera’s formidable work in the global Latin pop and música mexicana spaces secured him the coveted top spot on Billboard’s year-end chart for Hot Latin Songs Producer. This achievement marks the first time in a decade that a producer from the regional Mexican music scene has claimed this position, with the last instance being Fernando Camacho Tirado from Mazatlán in 2013.

“At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about — being true to the roots of who you are and showing it with the songs you’re doing,” Barrera tells Billboard Español. 

The Mexican-American producer and songwriter is a self proclaimed “border kid” (also the name of his label), born in McAllen, Texas and raised between Tamaulipas, Mexico and the Lone Star State. To date, he has accumulated an impressive roster of artists he’s worked with, from all corners of the pop map: Madonna, Adriana Grande, Becky G, Grupo Firme, Manuel Turizo and more. 

With Grupo Frontera, fellow borderland troupe, they not only solidified their distinctive musical niche but also crafted one of the standout hits of 2023: the Tejano-cumbia of “un x100to,” featuring powerhouse Bad Bunny — his second foray into the genre. The song earned Barrera (and songwriters Andrés Jael Correa Rios and Mag) a Latin Grammy for best regional song. 

As the accolades continue to accumulate, Barrera now finds himself in the running for Songwriter of the Year at the upcoming 2024 Grammy Awards. Our interview below: 

Congratulations on reaching No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs Producers chart. Did you expect this feat given the success of many of the hits you have created this year?

It’s been a good year for me in every way. It was the year where I had the opportunity to make my label [BorderKid Records]. As a songwriter and producer, I feel like I had a lot of versatility as well. I always try to include Latin sounds in my productions, whether it’s a bachata, a merengue, a cumbia or a vallenato — something different, and regional Mexican music all the time; putting a little bit of that into urbano and pop. This year I had the opportunity to do a lot of that, and to appear now as Billboard‘s No. 1 — well imagine, for me, it’s an honor.

Let’s talk about some songs, like “un x100to” with Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny, which also had tremendous success in the charts. How was the creative process for that?

When we wrote it, it was in another genre. It sat for a year and a half. We showed it to a lot of artists and nobody saw it as R&B. It had the same lyrics, the same melody, the same everything, but the arrangement was R&B. I feel that the industry was very focused on a more urbano vibe, and the song didn’t fit the rhythm it had. I had just sent it to another artist who had told me he didn’t see himself singing the song, and then Grupo Frontera arrived. I said to them, “I’m going to show it to you without the arrangement … with just the guitar and vocals.” I grabbed the guitar and sang it for them. They immediately told me, “We’re going to record it.” [Frontman] Payito learned it and we recorded it that same day in the studio.

From that moment, we knew there was something special. We were trying to experiment with Frontera singing a song that wasn’t the typical cumbia. That’s part of what I get to do as a producer. On Benito’s part, when he came in with those dark pads — which was his idea — he wanted there to be a switch up when he came in, and that the cumbia would be added little by little. At that point, Mag, Bad Bunny’s producer, and I sat down to work, and we came up with what is now “un x100to.”

Let’s talk about other genres, “El Merengue” and “La Bachata.” Tell me about how you approached a totally different style of music.

When we did “La Bachata,” I wanted to do something that sounded different. I was a little tired of everything sounding the same. During that time, there was a pattern in Latin music that began to repeat itself a lot. It was also intended for another artist and in the end it turned out that Manuel Turizo called me to work with him. He asked if I had any songs out there to show him. I told him, “I have a song, but it’s a bachata — I don’t know how much you see yourself singing a bachata.” I played it for him and he said, “Bro, I’d like to record something different too.” And Manuel bet on the song.

“El Merengue” started as a joke with Manuel. We said, “We did ‘La Bachata’, now let’s do ‘La Cumbia’ or ‘El Merengue.'” He answered, “Bro, you know what? Doing a merengue might be interesting!” We were with Marshmello in the studio, and I asked him, “How would you make a merengue in your world? How would you put EDM on merengue?” Marshmello said, “You start the production and I’ll follow you.” So I started playing the chords on the piano, throwing melodies. We put the song together on the spot. Nobody [was] doing merengue at that time.

How would you say your Mexican roots contribute to your approach to songwriting and production?

I think it’s in all the songs I’m a part of. For example, if you listen to “El Jefe” by Shakira, you hear a lot of Mexican stuff, or “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” by Karol G, you hear a more Tejano flow like Selena, which is the music of my hometown and that I listened to growing up. If you hear a song like “Según Quién” by Maluma and Carin León, you hear some pop, but with a very Mexican style. Lately I’ve been getting tweets [that say], “I knew this song was Edgar’s because of this and that.” People are starting to identify me in songs. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about: being true to the roots of who you are and showing it with the songs you’re doing.

Can you explain what inspired you to found your label BorderKid Records?

I grew up on the border — I’m a border kid, as they say. I feel that many see us with disadvantages, because maybe we are too American for Mexicans and too Mexican for Americans. But I try to look for the positive side, that I have both cultures in me. And part of my stamp is that. One of the first releases I had with my label was “Que Vuelvas” by Grupo Frontera [and Carin León of 2022]. When I decided to support a local group from McAllen — which is right where I was born, and close to where I grew up, between Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas and Roma, Texas, an hour from McAllan — I wanted to start a label supporting local talent. Well imagine, I met Grupo Frontera, which also means the same thing as the label — so as they say, it was meant to be.

What advice would you give to aspiring producers and songwriters who want to make a name for themselves in the industry?

To be original, to always be real to what they do; not be ashamed to show who they really are and where they are from. For example, there was a time when Latin music was very focused on other genres, in other countries, very urbano. As a Mexican, I bring other kinds of things to the table. I have always been proud of my roots and I consider myself different from others. I feel that you have to always be proud of yourself and not try to be a person or a producer that you are not, or try to write something that isn’t your language or your way of expressing yourself in order to fit in.