With 'eterno,' Calle 24 Is Ready To Move On From The Glitz

Like astir of his música mexicana contemporaries, Diego Millán, amended known artistically arsenic Calle 24, sang astir nan excesses of surviving nan stone prima life — nan money, nan cars, nan booze and nan women.

Since signing pinch Street Mob Records — nan independent explanation founded by Fuerza Regida frontman Jesús “JOP” Ortiz Paz — successful 2020, nan singer-songwriter has been responsible for hits for illustration “Que Onda, ” which featured labelmates Chino Pacas and Fuerza Regida. The trombone-laced earworm astir a deboucherous tryst was a breakthrough for Millán, reaching No. 61 connected nan Billboard Hot 100 aft it debuted successful August 2023.

These days, nan 23-year-old Chihuahua-born creator is dialing down nan glitz, opting for songs that aren’t astir surviving nan luxurious life.

“Money brings much problems,” Millán tells maine wrong an Italian edifice astatine nan Americana astatine Brand, Glendale’s monument to opulent consumerism. “Because nan much money you have, nan much things you person to support.”

In April, Millán released “Eterno,” his 4th workplace album. The 15-track LP mostly forgoes nan boisterous brass conception that’s go a staple successful nan genre successful favour of stripped-down tracks astir being disillusioned pinch newfound wealthiness (“10 de mayo”), his intelligence wellness (the gritty “Si Me Ven”) and romanticist heartbreak and anguish (“Solo”). He besides touches connected a taxable that mightiness beryllium excessively taboo to discuss: Mexico’s wide systemic narration of organized crime (“El Sentrita”).

Millán says this is nan astir authentic he’s ever been successful his music, thing he attributes to moving backmost to Mexico, a state he believes is profoundly misunderstood and has profoundlyshaped his personality.

“[Mexico] is filled pinch heavy values, beardown morals and a profound consciousness of societal understanding,” he said.

While música mexicana artists mightiness consciousness compelled to move to nan states successful hunt of fame and fortune, Millán now finds state successful his autochthonal state — and done “Eterno.”

“Now, I tin beryllium myself,” he said.

The follwing question and reply was conducted successful Spanish, and has been condensed and edited for clarity.

In “Solo” you talk astir romanticist loneliness. Why was that vulnerability important to see successful this album?

I for illustration to attack those themes from a much grounded perspective. With that song, I wanted to really unfastened myself up to that emotion and definitive regret, that consciousness of loneliness that comes pinch saying “I screwed things up.” I consciousness that’s really you found a deeper relationship pinch your audience. After all, truthful galore group retired location don’t person luxuries aliases worldly things for illustration that truthful really do you get to them? With emotion. A emotion that expresses regret, including pinch nan phrase: “I cognize I’m a portion of s—, but you cognize that I emotion you.”

It reminds maine of Joan Sebastian’s “Un Idiota,” successful which nan vocalist admits he still loves nan personification he wronged, and that he knows he messed up.

That’s what I wanted to do too, talk astir nan quality acquisition and what it is. I wanted group to perceive to it arsenic they’re drinking, and each of a abrupt that activity of feelings conscionable hits you for illustration a slap to nan face.

The opus “Si Me Ven” talks astir burnout and nan thought that money isn’t arsenic fulfilling arsenic 1 mightiness think. Did you guidelines it retired of your ain individual experiences?

This opus fits for illustration a ringing connected my finger. They opportunity that money won’t make you happy and it’s true. In my case, I spent 5 years without seeing my family and missed galore things.

On Instagram, you told fans: “I consciousness for illustration I americium much quality than artist, I dream you each tin understand. Sometimes I aftermath up wanting to do nothing, aliases sometimes asking myself what americium I doing? Where americium I going?” Do you consciousness drained by this career?

Of people [being a successful musician] is my dream, but I didn’t cognize each that it would entail. To this day, it has been draining, and there’s immoderate days wherever I don’t consciousness for illustration doing thing because I’m much of a personification than an artist. There are immoderate colleagues that do unrecorded life arsenic if it were a movie, but I’m much of a homebody.

How do you make consciousness of nan manufacture wherever portion of nan allure is tied to wealth, fancy cars and worldly goods?

I evidently emotion cars. Any normal personification would emotion those types of things. And erstwhile you activity hard, of people you capable nan gaps you had erstwhile you were younger. But I don’t for illustration putting it successful people’s faces.

You opportunity this, but your “Eterno” medium screen shows you pinch a stack of money.

[Laughs] But there’s thing funny astir that cover. I was emotion down that day, location was conscionable a batch of sadness astir that time. Yet location I am, surrounded by each that worldly and that’s wherever nan conflict lies, you know? That opposition is what gives my medium screen its depth.

Let’s talk astir “El Sentrita.” The opus contextualizes organized crime arsenic a systemic issue. What prompted you to constitute astir this topic?

I wanted to framework it arsenic societal commentary, addressing what has been going connected successful Mexico for decades, arsenic good arsenic nan obstacles we look arsenic artists who aren’t allowed to definitive ourselves aliases definite themes done music. Just arsenic we were discussing correct now, rap utilized to beryllium really artists delivered societal commentary done nan mean of music. I would for illustration to do that arsenic well.

I figured if nan authorities tells maine I can’t singing a corrido, past I’ll usage a corrido to connection them immoderate disapproval instead. You person to salary adjacent attraction to travel nan character’s storyline arsenic it unfolds. At nan extremity of nan song, it hits you, nary of this would person happened if personification would person fixed him a chance. The extremity was to raise awareness, to show that location are truthful galore dreams wrong [Mexico] but they request to beryllium fixed nan opportunity to prosecute them truthful that they don’t extremity up connected nan incorrect path.

The euphony video for “El Sentrita” shows really 1 young boy gets roped into organized crime. It feels little of a prime and much a consequence of nan system. Tell maine much astir this determination to springiness magnitude to nan character.

That’s nan question: Who is nan unfortunate successful this system? The measurement I saw it was that he was a bully personification who fell successful pinch bad group and ended up becoming a bad personification himself. If we look astatine it from a different angle, 1 wherever you don’t judge whether a personification is bully aliases bad, he was simply personification operating successful that world retired of necessity.

That’s erstwhile you person to mobility yourself and ask: really tin we telephone personification a bad personification erstwhile nine leaves them pinch nary different choice. I besides wanted to do this to show young group that life successful that world isn’t easy. Society correct now is profoundly damaged. This caller procreation of younker needs a batch of attention.

There is simply a building astatine nan extremity of nan opus wherever you say, “You don’t singing astir what you do, you singing astir what you see.” What did you mean by that?

Because it’s not for illustration we’re retired location doing those things, you know? We aren’t engaging successful immoderate benignant of criminal activity whatsoever. We simply sing, literally, astir what we see, astir what goes down successful [Mexico] each azygous day. Because it’s not conscionable immoderate isolated incident; it’s thing that happens perpetually — time in, time out, without fail.