There's nothing orthodox about Latin Mafia.
The trio of brothers from Mexico City — producer Mike de la Rosa and twins Milton and Emilio, who are the singers — are pushing Latin music to new places with songs that span R&B, reggaeton, EDM, pop, alternative, and other genres. A testament to their groundbreaking sound, Latin Mafia found out they are nominated for Best New Artist at the 2024 Latin GRAMMYs.
"We put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into what we do," Milton de la Rosa tells GRAMMY.com during a listening session of their debut album, Todos Los Días Todo El Día, with over 18,000 fans in Mexico City. "For the Latin Recording Academy to recognize the hard work, time, and sweat we've put into this project, it's an honor for us as people who have dedicated ourselves to creating music."
Latin Mafia began uploading music to Spotify in late 2021 and, without an album or a record label, sold out arenas across Mexico. The group later performed in festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza Argentina, and Lollapalooza Chile. From the swaggering reggaeton of "Julietota" to the soulful pop of "Patadas de Ahogado" (which features previous Best New Artist nominee Humbe) and trap-infused R&B of "No Digas Nada," the common thread among the group's diverse songs are messages about centering emotions and mental health.
In July, Latin Mafia signed with Rimas Entertainment, the label of Latin urbano heavy-hitters like Bad Bunny, Eladio Carrión, and Arcángel, and the trio is poised to take over the world next. On Todos Los Días Todo El Día (all day, every day), which was released on Oct. 25, the group delves deeper into the human psyche while exploring genres like flamenco in the frenetic "Siento Que Merezco Más" and punk rock in "Sentado Aquí." Latin Mafia will also perform across the U.S. beginning in January as part of their Te Odio Y Te Extraño tour.
Read more: 2024 Latin GRAMMYs: See The Full Nominations List
Ahead of the 25th Annual Latin GRAMMYs Awards on Nov. 14, Latin Mafia spoke with GRAMMY.com about their first Latin GRAMMY nomination, their new album, and redefining Latin music.
Congratulations on your first Latin GRAMMY nomination! What does this nomination for Best New Artist mean to you?
Emilio: I believe the nomination is an award in itself for us. On top of that, it's an award that you can only win once in your life. If you don't win it, there's not another way to be nominated in that category again. We're people who put a lot of heart into what we do. It's an honor for us.
Milton: It's like a hug to that kid who stands on top of a chair and starts singing in front of their family. I never imagined us to be nominated for something very important like this. Sometimes I still can't believe it. It's crazy! If we win, I would dedicate the award to my brothers and my family, who have always supported us. We will keep working hard because our work isn’t done.
Latin Mafia is nominated for songs that you had previously released independently. How does it feel to represent indie acts in this category?
Emilio: It's an important moment to show that today you can make music independently. I believe we live in a moment where we didn't need big things or big opportunities. We simply created something genuine that you can feel with our music.
This is a moment to say, "Do what you want to do or do what you feel." All the good will follow with the way people love, care for, and connect with your music. We believe a lot in manifestation. If you believe in it, put your mind to it to make it happen. Put your actions to it to make it happen.
How would you describe the experience of working together in Latin Mafia as brothers?
Mike: Each time we work together, we get to know each other more than we knew before. Of course, we know each other very well as brothers. We know how to work with each other very well. We know how each one of us works. If one of us suddenly gets stressed out, the other two can keep on working. We understand each other and our processes well. We don't like to force it. We've found a rhythm that feels good and comfortable when we’re working as a trio.
Emilio: With everything we’ve done so far, we don’t only know each other better on a personal level, but as people who are working towards the same goal as well. In addition to being brothers, there’s a stronger link between us as creatives and on an artistic and business level.
Where did your genre-bending approach to music come from?
Mike: We like a lot of different types of music.
Milton: Music is magic because there's not one way to define it or classify it. Simply put, if you like our music, it's there for you. We can keep making the same song an infinite amount of times, but that would be boring. What we love about making music is to see how we can keep surprising ourselves.
Emilio: Fortunately, we continue to have the opportunity to keep surprising ourselves every day. Music is something that reflects what we experience and what we're feeling. Suddenly, for us to be nominated for such an important award for the music we’re creating, it’s a dream come true.
Songs like "No Digas Nada" and "Más Humano" discuss leaning into your emotions and detail your struggles with mental health. Why is it important for Latin Mafia to speak up about those topics?
Milton: It's important because mental health issues exist. It's something that someone is dealing with everyday. It's important because we don't know what someone close to us is going through. We don't know what's going on in someone's head. To make someone feel safe and find refuge in a way through our music, that's what matters. It's illogical to not give visibility to something that's very important and very real.
Emilio: The music that we want to make is the music that creates a genuine bond with the people who listen to us. We want to create a bond with people not only as listeners, but with people who see us live as well.
Mike: We always have it as a priority that we want to express something that we feel and care about in our music. That's how it's always going to be.
Another one of your big hits from that indie era is "Julietota." How did that song come together?
Milton: To this day, it's one of the songs that's most fun to sing and experience on the stage. When we made that song, it was just to have fun. It's been two years since we put out "Julieta," the original version of the song.
It's closing a chapter [our indie years] that was very fun. It's a song to have a good time with. We enjoyed showing that contrast from the start of the song to the end of it that sounds completely different.
What does the title of your album Todos Los Días Todo El Día mean to you?
Emilio: We're people that are very sensitive to everything. We can feel something very strongly or not at all. Todos Los Días Todo El Día is a phrase that fits into everything. All day, everyday, you can be feeling bad. Suddenly, all day, everyday, you can be missing someone. All day, everyday, you can feel good or feel sad. It's normal. It's something to say that genuinely we're going through something.
Everyday we can go through something that fills us with sadness, happiness, melancholy, or another emotion. It's a phrase that we want to encompass everything.
Todos Los Días Todo El Día is even more experimental and genre-bending than your previous releases. How does it feel to show a more avant-garde side of the music coming from Mexico?
Emilio: We're always changing; we're not the same people like we were yesterday. Who knows if we'll be the same people tomorrow. That's what's completely reflected in our music. Our tastes change. Our ways of feeling change. Our pain is different. Our happiness is different. That's totally expressed in what we feel with this album.
Milton: This is just the beginning. Mexico is f—ing awesome and you can see that. There’s always been incredible music in Mexico. We feel honored to represent that new wave and bring it to places like Coachella and Tyler, the Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival. It’s very beautiful to be a part of the new sounds coming out of Mexico.
What do you want to achieve next as Latin Mafia?
Mike: We want to break down the language barrier. We want more people to identify with what we've said, what we're saying, and what we'll do in the future. We want to break down barriers and reach more people with our songs. We feel music is its own language.
Emilio: We want to keep surprising ourselves with our music. We have a lot of hunger and a lot of drive. We want to keep having fun with the music that we’re creating. We’re very excited for people to get to know this new chapter. This album is us being more intimate, raw, and real with our listeners.