While a lot of grupero music doesn’t travel far beyond the borders of Mexico, singer-songwriter Ana Bárbara has taken her grupero-influenced music around the world, becoming one of the biggest stars not just in Mexico, but in all of Latin America (and beyond). She was the first solo grupero artist to be nominated for a Latin Grammy, and she’s been an international success since her 1996 third album, Ay, Amor. As Bárbara’s popularity has grown, she’s taken more control of her career, writing and producing her own music and expanding her sound beyond grupero.
Over the years, Bárbara has collaborated with an all-star lineup of Latin musicians, including Joan Sebastian, Marco Antonio Solis, Reyli and Ricky Martin. Bárbara’s latest album is 2014’s Yo Soy La Mujer, and her current Mi Revancha Tour follows the recent release of new singles “Que Poca” and “Solos” (featuring fellow Mexican singer Christian Nodal). More than anyone else, Bárbara has helped bring grupero sounds to a global audience and to provide recognition for the genre, selling more than 6 million albums worldwide over the course of a nearly three-decade career. She’s not known as “the Queen of Grupero” for nothing.
House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 7 p.m. June 1, $55 plus tax and fee. 702.632.7600
