Meet the World's Youngest Mariachi Singer Bringing the Tradition to a New Generation

“It's the soul of Mexican culture, the soul and heart.”

Meet the world’s youngest mariachi player, who’s bringing the traditional Mexican music to a new generation.

Mateo López was named the world’s youngest mariachi singer in 2019 by Guinness World Records, when he was 4 years and 236 days old.

“What I like the most is how it makes me, and my family, and everybody feel,” Mateo told NowThis. “It's the soul of Mexican culture, the soul and heart.”

Mateo, who is based out of San Antonio, Texas, performs across the U.S. and in Mexico. His father, Adalberto López, said Mateo’s interest in this part of his culture is a full circle moment.

“My dad was a musician. He was a mariachi. I used to be so embarrassed of him and his trajes [suit],” he said. “Once my daughter started doing it, I was very, very proud of that. Mateo came into the picture, and she is the one that actually exposed him to that music.”

“I never got a chance to tell my dad how proud I was of him. I never got to tell him, and now that my kids are doing it comes back full circle… As ashamed as I was as a kid, now I'm just exploding with joy and with pride,” Adalberto said.

“Mariachi music is… it means everything,” he continued. “It means everything to us because mariachi music really resonates and accompanies us in every facet of our lives, right? When we're really happy, we're listening to mariachi music. When we are really, really sad, we are listening to mariachi music, and that's what makes it so culturally significant for us as Mexicanos, but also for us as Mexicanos to showcase to the world the best of our culture.”

Álvaro Obregón is the president and founder of the Chicago Mariachi Project, a school for young people to learn to play and perform mariachi music. Obregón believes it’s important that organizations like his keep mariachi alive for generations to come.

“We take that responsibility very seriously. So we teach it in a way that is respectful, in a way that is age-appropriate, and also in a way that maintains and keeps that tradition alive so that the future generations can continue to not just listen to it, but also perform it,” he said.

Upholding the tradition can make older family members emotional, according to Obregón. “One of the most beautiful things to see is a parent, a grandparent, when their child or when their grandchildren are performing this music. It leaves you, at times, speechless. It puts tears in their eyes, and thus it puts tears in your eyes because it's that sense of pride.”

Mateo’s mother, Janelle López, is incredibly proud of her son. “What I'm most proud of is the legacy that he's creating at such a young age,” she said. “It’s just seeing all the people that embrace him and that really support him and love what he's doing. You don't have to be Hispanic to love the music and to appreciate it. He truly brings a smile to people's faces. And that's what makes me happy.”

“Our culture is of equal value — no more, no less than any other culture in the world. And when we perform this music to the outside world, we should look at it and respect it because it has value,” Obregón said. “I hope that the next generation, as they are taking this to the next level — because that's really what should happen — but that, I hope that they also maintain some of those older, more traditional sounds and that they sometimes blend some of those into what they're going to be doing. And I hope that mariachi music lives on for a really, really long time.”