The story of this year’s breakout star Macario Martínez seemed too neat to be true, a Cinderella story for our modern online times: a singing street sweeper from Mexico City who throws caution to the wind, uploads a video to TikTok, and goes viral by plucking at our heartstrings and giving us hope for the future. With ragebait and AI slop taking up so much space on our timelines, seeing this kind of story feels like a lifesaver. However, there’s something deeper underlying this feel-good tale. Rather, it makes for a far more interesting story that revolves around fame, Mexico’s current underground, and how good music can cut through the noise.
There’s no denying that his part-time job cleaning the streets of Mexico’s capital city played a big part in his rise to fame. It was exciting and emotional to see how his co-workers cheered him on at his first big concert after “Sueña Lindo, Corazón” broke through. But his success also marked the culmination of years of hard work, signaling the beginning of what will be unraveling before our eyes.
Born to an independent mother, she helped Martinez indulge his passion for music from an early age, taking him to cultural houses and enrolling him at an INBA-backed school (the government’s institute of arts) while he was studying high school. Later on, he became a member of the music press as a photographer and sometimes music video and short film director—his other passion is theater—before joining krautrock punk band Feelder, while also developing his “emotional huapango folk rock to cry to.” Even then, the path from the release of his first song, 2019’s “Adiós,” to today has been full of developments, not only on his part but also in the regional music scene and the industry at large.
Yet, there’s something timeless about his music that transcends any form of explanation for his success. “Sueña Lindo, Corazón” is a simple song with lyrics that are easy to understand and relate to. With acoustic guitar strums that sound homely and direct, providing a barebones yet impactful backdrop, his vocals effortlessly capture a wide range of emotions. You can find melancholy, friendly warmth, and youthful excitement. These emotions are also present all over his most recent album, Si Mañana Ya No Estoy, accentuated by occasional uses of electronics and ever-present guapango rhythms.
Undeniably, part of Martínez’s success is his personal approach to music, yet there’s no denying that part of why he had the opportunity to rise through the ranks is because he’s part of a strong, up-and-coming music scene. Currently, Mexico City is home to a small network of guitar-centric bands that have cultivated a passionate fanbase through live shows that take place at small venues. While sonically, Martínez has little in common with Mengers, Unperro Andaluz, Ven y Mira, Gloory Hole, and Demencia Infantil, to name a few, his approach reflects the same ethos: there’s a sense of relatability to them to the point that there seems to be no separation between audience and artists. This relatability is something that provides Martínez with a context beyond what seems to boil down to a wonderkid who went viral.
Thanks to “Sueña Lindo, Corazón” and everything it entails and represents, this friendly-looking young man broke through in ways that few could have imagined or even hoped for. He notably went from 2,622 monthly listeners on Spotify at the time of recording the song to 440,560 in less than a week after going viral. He now boasts over 1.1 million. He’s toured the U.S. and Europe, collaborated with Eslabón Armado and pablopablo, and scored high-profile gigs like Tiny Desk, a Los Angeles Rams game, and being invited onstage by his heroes and influences, like Zoé, Little Jesus, and Porter. And, of course, inspired countless struggling musicians.
But the most interesting part of the Macario Martínez story is what’s yet to be written. Music audiences—especially related to Mexican folk rock singers—love an underdog, and there are plenty of examples of past instances of this phenomenon. There is Juan Cirerol, who captivated millennials with a thirst for norteño corridos in the early ‘00s, and there’s also Ed Maverick, who, like Martinez, was a young starry-eyed songwriter upheld by the internet as its savior. They were chewed up by the industry, and fans turned their backs on them, almost ending their careers. Cirerol remains a revered cult figure, while Maverick retreated from fame to harness his artistry, managing to take control of his career and retaining a big chunk of his audience doing things his way.
Macario Martínez is just starting to write his story, yet there’s an audience eager to follow his every move and listen to the amazing, emotionally charged music he will be sharing with us. In a year where AI use in the music industry became a hot topic, the fact that an artist like Martínez built an international name is worth noting. People are still eager for sincere songs made by sensitive human beings.
