Fuerza Regida, San Bernardino band propelling regional Mexican music globally, drops new album

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- From backyard parties in the Inland Empire to packed arenas in the U.S. and Mexico, Fuerza Regida is part of a movement propelling regional Mexican music to global levels.

"We're part of it. We're part of the ones that started it," Jesús Ortiz Paz, Fuerza Regida's lead singer-songwriter, told Eyewitness News. "It feels good to be part of that genre that's going up," said Moises Lopez.

The five-member group formed as a cover band in San Bernardino in 2015.

"We feel really proud of coming out of there. Especially representing our music and our culture and it becoming global," said Ortiz Paz.

The band is now topping charts and has more than 11 billion global streams, multicultural fans and collaborations, including hit songs with Shakira and DJ Marshmello.

One thing that sets Fuerza Regida apart in this space is their bicultural identity.

"I don't think anyone else has made it as big as us. I could probably say that, Mexican American in our genre," said Ortiz Paz.

On Friday, Fuerza Regida released "Pero No Te Enamores," which means "But don't fall in love" in Spanish. It is named after their current U.S. Arena tour.

"Let's say you got a nine-to-five job and you're not happy there," said Ortiz Paz. "Or you get comfortable with the pay because you're paying your bills, but you really want something more, don't fall in love with that situation."

To announce the album, the band placed murals in cities across the U.S., including one at the Santa Fe market in San Bernardino and another in East Los Angeles, partnering with small businesses. Ortiz Paz, also known as JOP, said they will always play corridos, a narrative genre, but explained this album introduces something new.

"A lot of EDM Jersey Club. We got the new genre we created, Jersey Corridos," said Ortiz Paz.

The album also includes reggaeton and features from Colombian rapper and singer Maluma, DJ and producer Afrojack, and others.

"We got all these big DJs in there. Even small DJs," said Ortiz Paz. "We just did it for the music, for the love of music."

One of their stops at Inglewood's Intuit Dome has already sold out.

"Manifestation is real," said Ortiz Paz. "When we were in backyard parties, we photoshopped ourselves in an arena and now we made it true."