WATCH: This Group Is Bringing Back Los Temerarios’ Music Style for Newer Generations
ALBUQUERQUE, NM - OCTOBER 1: Brothers Adolfo Angel (l) and Gustavo Angel (r) pose backstage following their performance at Route 66 Casino�s Legends Theater on October 1, 2010 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Latin GRAMMY® winning Mexican duet known as Los Temerarios has been performing together for over three decades. (Photo by Steve Snowden/Getty Images)
Is Cumbia Pedregal on its way to being this generation’s Los Temerarios? The emerging Gen Z cumbia and pop ballad trio is turning heads with their nostalgic grupero sound, which is largely missing in today’s música mexicana landscape.
Formed by brothers Emilio, José Pablo, and Luche, Mexico City’s Cumbia Pedregal is making waves online with their matching suits, soothing love song covers, and old-school charisma. Their nostalgic matching look with long hair, paired with their soulful and harmonizing covers, reminds social media users of Los Temerarios’ heyday. “You look so much like a member of Los Temerarios that I thought you were his son. Congratulations, chicos, you have beautiful voices,” an Instagram user, iris__guerra_1919, wrote in Spanish.
And they are playing the part too, the trio released a cover EP called Recuerdos, Vol. 1, where they covered classics like Los Bukis’ “Tu Cárcel,” Los Terricolas’ “Te Juro Que Te Amo,” and Los Temerarios’ “Tu Última Canción.” The latter tune is the EP’s most-streamed song on Spotify. Currently, the trio has over 850,000 monthly listeners on the aforementioned platform, thanks to their popular covers that are reviving the ‘80s and ‘90s romantic grupero and cumbia vibe.
But who are they exactly? Influenced by Los Temerarios, Michael Jackson, and Juan Gabriel, the trio has been playing music together since Luche was five years old. The entertainment industry has always surrounded them, as they are grandsons of the iconic Mexican actress, singer, and comedian María Victoria. María Victoria is known for her roles from the 1940s to the early 1990s. One of her most memorable roles was in the sitcom La criada bien criada and the comedy film based on it, where she starred as Inocencia de la Concepción de Lourdes Escarabarzaleta de la Barquera y Dávalos Pandeada Derecha. Not only that, but the brothers’ father is the composer, producer, and orchestral director Rubén Zepeda. Moreover, their brother is Daniel Zepeda from the bolero-glam duo Daniel, Me Estás Matando.
With this in mind, the trio was bound to get into making music. In 2019, they released their first cover, Mike Laure’s “La Cosecha de Mujeres.” To date, their most popular songs include “Tu Nunca Lo Sabrás (Versión Cumbia),” “Que Se Pudra el Amor,” and “De Gritar Te Amo.”
As of now, the band has also collaborated with artists like Daniel, Me Estás Matando, Daphne Michelle, A.B. Quintanilla III, and Armando Manzanero.