Reggaeton mexa is the new frontier, and an artist leading the movement is El Malilla. Fresh off hits like “B de Bellako” and “Dime,” the rising Mexican star is unleashing his debut album ÑEROSTARS today (July 15). In an interview with Remezcla, El Malilla opened up about representing Mexico’s reggaeton scene, the journey to his LP, and being an ally to his LGBTQ+ fans.

“A ñero is a morro from the street,” El Malilla says about the title of his album. “I’m a star from the barrio. When you come from a barrio, it’s hard to excel. The street always pulls you in, but with a dream, we’re breaking out. We’re shining like stars.”

Before becoming a ñero star, he was born Fernando Hernández Flores in Valle de Chalco, a barrio on the outskirts of Mexico City. As a teen, El Malilla discovered reggaeton music playing at the local tianguis and through pirated CDs. He cites the romantic reggaetoneros like J Álvarez, Ñengo Flow, Farruko, Arcángel, and Gotay as his inspirations. At 16, El Malilla started chasing his dream of becoming a singer himself. Eight years later, he is now one of the top reggaeton mexa artists.

“Us Mexicans are putting our stamp on reggaeton with our slang,” he says. “I feel very happy to be a face of reggaeton mexa. I’m proof for all those morros from the barrio where I come from or that have been in situations I’ve been in that dreams come true.”

2024 has been El Malilla’s biggest year yet. ÑEROSTARS includes his sensual love song “Dime,” which has over 55 million streams on Spotify, and the viral hit “B de Bellako” featuring Yeyo and DJ Rockwell. In May, El Malilla got a co-sign from Puerto Rican OGs Jowell y Randy, who jumped on the remix. J Balvin later joined El Malilla and more reggaeton mexa stars on a remix of “G Low Kitty.”

“When I was in high school, I used to perrear to Jowell y Randy’s songs,” El Malilla recalls. “When I met them face to face, it was a dream come true. To be honest, I’m more surprised by the reaction of people connecting with ‘Dime’ because it’s a cute reggaeton song while ‘B de Bellako’ is perreo for the parties.”

I’m a star from the barrio. When you come from a barrio, it’s hard to excel. The street always pulls you in, but with a dream, we’re breaking out.

El Malilla has built a massive following not only for his reggeaton viejito-sounding music, but also for his unique social media presence and “chacal” persona. He’s become known for his suggestive moves and for taking off his shirt during his concerts. On TikTok, his thirst traps include GRWM and boyfriend bait videos. El Malilla is aware of the thirst from the women in his fanbase and the LGBTQ+ community and welcomes it. “Malisacatela,” a song about him whipping it out, is taken from his interactions with the latter group on social media. With a laugh, he says, “On X, they’re always writing to me, ‘Mali, sácatela,’ so that song is an inside joke between me and my fans to let them know I hear them.” As another nod to his queer fans, El Malilla shot the “Rebote” music video with Mexican drag queens in Spartacus, an iconic gay club in Nezahualcóyotl, commonly known as Neza, a city in the state of Mexico.

“In the barrio, it’s very normal to see people from the LGBTQ+ community,” he shares. “I’ve noticed that that community has given me a lot of love and support, so with respect, I made this music video.”

Aside from reggaeton, El Malilla explores merengue in “Coronada” and house music in “Todo Tiene Su Final.” In addition to taking reggaeton mexa into the mainstream, he wants to push the sound into the future. 

“ÑEROSTARS is a refresh of the genre in Mexico,” he says. “It’s a call for all the reggaeton mexa artists to dare themselves to make different music so that this movement keeps growing.”

ÑEROSTARS is out now.