Mexican singer Octavio Cuadras creates the new subgenre of corridos felices

At only 23 years of age, Octavio Cuadras, a young Mexican artist originally from Sinaloa, Mexico, has created a new subgenre of corridos, corridos felices.

With many emerging artists sweeping the global charts and taking over the world with the reinvention of corridos tumbados, Cuadras believed it was time to create something new and go against the grain in the popular music world of corridos by singing corridos felices, translated as "happy corridos."

When he was 12, Cuadras started to work in the music industry as a member of various regional bands, later playing different instruments such as the drum and the snare drum. His greatest inspiration has always been and will continue to be his maternal grandfather and his great uncle, Atanacio Cuadras.

His style of music is inspired by classic corridos and corridos tumbados and is very family-friendly. “It’s like jazz, rockabilly, but also giving it a soft touch, so it can continue to be a corrido,” Cuadras said. It also includes positive messages of self-love and improvement.

The young music star from Fonovisa Records, which is home to Jenni Rivera, Los Tigres del Norte and Banda El Recodo, has even caught the attention of Colombian reggaetón singer Maluma, conquering him with his corridos felices.

It all started when one of Cuadra's favorite groups, Marca Registrada, agreed to record one of his songs, “Bling Bling” with him, which ended up going viral on TikTok. Cuadras said that his song went viral because it was something new and different. Just three days after its release, this song became a music trend, occupying the number three position on YouTube in Mexico. As of right now, this song has one hundred million streams. 

That's how the song got Maluma's attention, and he eventually reached out to Cuadras’ manager Edgar Barrera. A few days before Christmas, Cuadras, Marca Registrada and Maluma gathered in Colombia to record “Bling Bling.”

“When I least thought about it, I was already recording with him, and I couldn't believe it because I am a fan of [his]. I listen to his music and his music is incredible. I have a lot of admiration for him,” Cuadras said. “So listening to him and seeing him in person next to me was something on another level. Es ya un camarada, es un amigo, y siento que es muy bonito.” The remix of “Bling Bling” has also trended, occupying position #5 on YouTube.

Currently, Cuadras has released a new happy corrido titled "Belicontento," which aims to inspire and transmit joy. It’s available on all streaming platforms, as well as the official video. 

Cuadras said that the process for this song was easy, as he had already written the song and, at the same time, decided to record it in the studio. “Yo ya tenía la canción hecha y la montamos en caliente, junto con mi compa Pradinito,” he said. “Since we have a friendship, it was very enjoyable, and I really enjoyed the process of making that song with him, and I send him my regards from here.”

Besides “Bling Bling,” other Cuadra-penned songs that gained popularity are  most popular hits are “Belicontento, ” “CLN,” “Salí de la Calles” and “Babys y pacas.”

Aside from working with Maluma, Cuadras would really like to collaborate with other artists, like Arcángel, who is an American singer/songwriter and rapper who delivers reggaetón and Latin trap anthems. He would also love to work with Puerto Rican singer Jhay Cortez and Colombian singer and songwriter Feid.

Cuadras would also like to record in a studio with international artists since he has collaborated with many well-known Mexican artists and still plans to record more. At the moment, he will release songs with Tito Double P, Gabito Ballesteros, Tercer Elemento, Edgardo Núñez and more artists.

The corridos felices creator gives advice for the next generation of corrido creators who are looking to be part of the music industry: “Get out of your comfort zone…don't do the same thing, don't follow the waves, do it your own way and start doing things the way you want and feel, “ Cuadras told CALÓ News. “And what I mean by that is that many people, including myself, when we started making music, we wanted to do the same thing that other people did. And it is not like that. The trick is to work, [create] your own style, and follow your own path. Never in my life would I have imagined that I would have made it a hit with corridos felices. So anything is possible! And I wish you good luck.”

To read this article in spanish, click here.