EXCLUSIVE: Santa Fe Klan Reveals Release Date & Tracklist for Upcoming Cumbia Album ‘BAILE CHOLO’
Photo by Alberto Contreras.
The wait is over: Santa Fe Klan is gearing up to drop his newest album. The Mexican singer, songwriter, and rapper revealed artwork, release date, and tracklist for his upcoming album BAILE CHOLO exclusively on Remezcla today (Nov. 7). Santa Fe Klan previewed this new era by releasing “No Seré Quién Canta,” a heartfelt cumbia about a regretful breakup, yesterday (Nov. 6).
Santa Fe Klan knows how to make a cumbia. Take “Tú Y Tú” with Los Ángeles Azules and Cazzu as a prime example. Turns out, there’s more of the genre he’s ready to explore. In BAILE CHOLO, the Guanajuato native returns to his cumbia sounds that have helped him leave a mark on the music industry. “It was like going back to school: spending days and nights in the studio in Monterrey (Mexico), learning new instruments, understanding harmony, and exploring every musical detail,” he tells Remezcla via email. “On this album, I not only play, but I also perform songs written by others, learning to tell their stories through my voice.” A cover on his upcoming album is “Perro Lobo,” originally by Alberto y Roberto.
He also spoke about why cumbia is an important genre to him. “For me, that’s the most important thing: sharing the real stories of the people in the neighborhood, of our culture, through music. Cumbia has always been part of my life, and with this album I’m taking it to a new level, with the rhythm and feeling that have always been with me.”
Although BAILE CHOLO is set to explore life’s highs and lows, Santa Fe Klan hopes that even the songs about life’s downfalls serve as inspiration. “The hardest thing to express was those moments of darkness, loss, pain, and everything else that life throws at you. On this album, I wanted to transform all of that into hope, so that each lyric could serve as inspiration for those who listen to it. There is always light within the darkness, and that is what I want people to feel with BAILE CHOLO.”
Though we have to wait a couple of weeks for the album to drop, we have the artwork and tracklist to reveal. The album’s art cover—which features Santa Fe Klan in front of a stunning panorama of the city—was taken in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, where Santa Fe Klan has spent a lot of time with the cumbia culture and people. In the image, he wanted to capture the spirit of cumbia, and the baile de los cholos, who he identifies with. “It reflects who I am, where I come from, and everything that inspired this album.”
Santa Fe Klan also shared the album’s tracklist, featuring Alberto y Roberto, Javier Lopez y Los Reyes Vallenatos, and Toy Selctah.
BAILE CHOLO will be released on Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. PT.
