Grupo Frontera Talk Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada and Reveals Their Secret to Remaining Humble (Exclusive)

Grupo Frontera released their sophomore album on Friday and it features stars like Maluma, Christian Nodal and Nicki Nicole

Grupo Frontera
Grupo Frontera. Photo:

courtesy Grupo Frontera 

Grupo Frontera has come a long way since their early days playing parties and quinceañeras in their hometown of McAllen, Texas.

The "No Se Va" singers released their sophomore album Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada on May 10, and open up to PEOPLE about the journey that led them to becoming one of the hottest bands in regional Mexican music.

"We have matured as artists, as people, and within our music. We've also matured a lot because we started off scared," Adelaido "Payo" Solís says. "Honestly, we were scared of changing the cumbias because that's what people knew us for, and we didn't want to upset them. Like the saying goes, right? 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'"

He continues, "But you get to the point where us as artists, we realize that we're not changing our style, we're not going to leave the cumbias to do a whole different style. If anything we just want to record and play the songs that we can express from our hearts."

On Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada, Frontera stayed true to their roots while successfully experimenting with different sounds on the 12-track album. On their debut album El Comienzo, the band felt like it was "rushed" and they were "overworked." This time, however, they're telling a story.

"We're really proud to be able to release this into the world," he says. "All of our songs have that little thing. I don't know exactly how to explain it, but that little thing that everybody has lived through. You're going through a breakup or things don't end up working out. But you pretend. You act like everything's OK."

He adds, "You're not hurt. You don't miss that person. You don't need to talk to them. You're OK without them being in your life."

Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada
Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada.

courtesy Grupo Frontera 

That relatability is something fans connected to instantly when regional Mexican music icon Christian Nodal teased their single "Ya Pedo Quién Sabe."

"Nodal was a feature that we've been waiting for; we just never found the right song. We had already been talking to him about wanting to do a song, but he felt the same way," he says. "So when we heard the song, we got together and it was amazing. We got advice from his experience in the music industry."

Reflecting on their rise to fame, Solís says the band doesn't like to think of themselves as "famous" and instead feels "grateful" for their experience.

"Not a lot has changed in the way that we act, in my opinion. We still live in McAllen, and we all always say that we're never going to leave McAllen," the "Bebe Dame" singer says.

"We're not trying to pretend like we're people that we're not trying to act like something that we're not. We all are pretty much brothers. We all grew up in the same place. We all have the same values, the same experiences, life experiences," he says. "And if we see a change in one of us, well, we're going to speak up and we're going to tell them that that's not right. That's not who we are. And that helps us stay humble."

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