Luis Alfonso’s Colombian Music Breakthrough From Mountains to Stardom
Luis Alfonso is a mountaineer and a Regional Mexican music crossover artist from Colombia. He blends his music with traditional carrier music, and Billboard has named him a Latin Artist on the Rise.
Making History on the Billboard Stage
The mountain-bred Luis Alfonso rose from Popayán, Colombia, to go global. In 2024, he opened the Billboard Latin Music Awards with a celebration of música popular Colombian music. This regional style has seemed on the verge of a significant breakthrough in recent years. With its string-heavy sound rooted in the folklore of the Cauca Valley, accompanied by the frenetic tempo of Regional Mexican music, a traditional form of norteño music, Alfonso’s performance was the pinnacle of a powerful movement.
During his award show debut, he performed a medley of his hits, including ‘Tequila Con Cerveza,’ featuring the urban artist Blessd, followed by the viral tune ‘Chismofilia.’ Alfonso told Billboard: ‘It’s difficult to describe how powerful this is and how important this was for the Colombian popular genre. To be on this stage, I felt grateful … The Billboard Latin Music Awards opened the doors and allowed me the space to showcase my music to bring Colombia’s culture to the world stage. I am tremendously grateful to Billboard for this opportunity and for allowing us to show our culture to the world.
In addition to performing at the event, Alfonso participated in one of the panels during Billboard Latin Music Week, titled ‘Evolution of Música Popular Colombiana.’ The panel discussed this new genre with other Colombian artists, Paola Jara, Yeison Jiménez, and Pipe Bueno. This success story, alongside his tireless efforts to put Colombia on the musical map, makes him a pioneer at the head of this Colombian musical wave, which has swept Latin America in recent years.
A Genre and Spirit Born in the Mountains
By the time Alfonso made his Billboard debut – in an album he called La Gozadera (‘the good time groove’) – she had already conquered a sub-genre Alfonso called ‘contentoso’ (‘happy’-song), which infuses the bump-and-grind rhythms of the rapper’s favorite American pop with the more urbana, up-tempo melodies of música popular Colombiana. The lyrics in ‘Chismofilia’ – his ode to gossip – are as quirky as his musical vision while reflecting universally known experiences. Alfonso told Billboard how the song came about: ‘We’re going to create something everyone can relate to. Everyone has a gossip in their life. For that reason, thanks to those people who are jealous, we are trending every day.
His first Billboard chart appearance on Latin Pop Airplay, chismofilia (a wording meaning ‘swarm gossipiness’), is probably the most representative of his ‘contents’ sound: a song that wields humor to explore easily relatable aspects of human nature. Alfonso’s musical ingenuity, then, has not only produced a loyal fanbase but has also brought Colombian pop closer to broader international audiences, questioning its boundaries and expanding its appeal.
Honoring Mexican Legends and Colombian Icons
Luis Alfonso takes his music from his grandfather, who taught him about the richness of the Mexican culture and its most legendary musicians. Growing up, Alfonso listened to the greats Pedro Infante, Jorge Negrete, Antonio Aguilar, and Vicente Fernandez. Still, he says his two most significant influences in Colombia have been Jhonny Rivera and Arelys Henao. ‘If it wasn’t for them, I don’t think I’d be doing what I’m doing right now,’ he says of the other Colombians who’ve spent time in La Villa. ‘Those two people have constantly shown me an attitude of humility and pride in your heritage… That’s been the most influential thing.’
Signed to La Industria Inc. in 2020 after being discovered at a birthday party, he had finally found the means of expression for his chaotic sound. A stream of live albums followed under the label, culminating in his first studio album, Contentoso (2024). He’s given his musical talents scope to develop, and Alfonso has found emotionally rich ground to work from, even if he’s also borrowed heavily from his Colombian roots. With each release, Alfonso claims a sound that’s true to his experience and rich with meaning. Just like the soul of the music, the montañero speaks of the value and lifestyle of a mountain person.
Celebrating Colombian Identity Through Music
At the center of Alfonso’s image is his status as a ‘montañero’ or ‘mountaineer’; he is delighted to have been branded as such. He places it at the very heart of who he is: it is his value system, his preferred aesthetics and tastes, his passions, and his very way of life. ‘Being a montañero is everything,’ he told Billboard. ‘It’s the cement that unites all my passions, loving the mountain, the town, horses, animals, and even eating rice with eggs. My music is for the bars and the town.’
That heritage is significant to him and on show when he recently sang before more than 15,000 fans in his completely sold-out show at the Coliseo Medplus in the Colombian capital of Bogotá. The show is a significant accomplishment for Alfonso and the pinnacle of his career, as he described the event to Billboard: I gave a concert, and it sold out. That is how things in my career really began to move forward. Taking the Coliseo was the key to everything. Getting there in one month was a considerable achievement.
As his fanbase spreads and his music takes from the hills and gives back to the mountains, he’s also a cultural ambassador. Alfonso brings to the broader world what they won’t find anywhere else. He sings for those who like simplicity. He sings for people who want it just as it is.
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Luis Alfonso has become Billboard’s Latin Artist on the Rise. The feat suggests that música popular Colombiana is reaching an international audience. Billboard gave him the moniker because he quickly points out that he works hard on new collaborations, new albums, and a future European tour. ‘There are many beautiful things and music for “berracos” [hard and determined workers] getting ready to come soon,’ the musician told me. You will understand why when you listen to his song, ‘Una Nueva Luz.’ It is uplifting, filled with gaita sounds that reverberate energy, while Alfonso sings about the strength that comes with renovation. That’s what he has done: he has moved from being born in a mountainous hammock in a place with no connection to the outside world to international acclaim. He proudly proclaims his roots as a factor in his success. As he soars, a new generation of Latin American artists sets out to bring the world their own roots.
