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\n\tChino Pacas<\/a> was only 12 years old when he unearthed his passion for music. Four years later, he went viral on Tiktok, landed on the Billboard<\/em> charts, and signed a major record deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tBorn in Guanajuato, a city located in central Mexico, Pacas (real name: Cristian Humberto Avila Vega) was aware of his artistic skills but it was his older brother, Diego Arturo Avila Vega (known by the artist name \u201cTuro Pacas\u201d) who not only encouraged him to kick off his singing career, but also taught him how to play the guitar.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI feel that in Guanajuato, the clothing and culture has been represented by the tumbado movement and I based my character a lot on that,\u201d Pacas tells Billboard<\/em>. \u201cSeeing all the movement that was emerging around me was what motivated me.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tInspired by artists such as Natanael Cano and Fuerza Regida\u2019s<\/a> Jes\u00fas Ortiz Paz (JOP), who he says \u201cfor real, he\u2019s a big example to follow,\u201d Pacas began to upload his original music on social media flaunting his mature and raspy vocals. One viral TikTok video, however, quickly changed his fate.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201c\u2018El Gordo Trae el Mando\u2019 is the big blessing that pushed us forward,\u201d he recalls, explaining that JOP came across his videos on the app and decided to FaceTime him at 4:00 a.m. Pacas inked a record deal with JOP\u2019s label, Street Mob Records, this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhen he wanted to sign me, I was super excited, because I never had relationships with artists in music. I was really moved,\u201d he notes. \u201cThanks to that song, JOP noticed us and decided to sign us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThis year, the then 16-year-old Mexican artist scored three Billboard <\/em>chart entries across Hot Latin Songs<\/a>, Latin Streaming Songs<\/a>, and both Global<\/a> charts<\/a> with \u201cEl Gordo Trae El Mando,\u201d \u201cDijeron Que No La Iba a Lograr\u201d (with Fuerza Regida) and \u201cQue Onda\u201d (with Calle 24 and Fuerza Regida). Both the first and the last of the three earned him two tops 10 hits on Latin Streaming Songs. He was also a finalist at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards for best new artist.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI am very happy with everything that is happening and the reception from the fans that are always supporting us,\u201d the now-17-year-old says. \u201cI really feel like I\u2019m not very famous yet. I\u2019m just making music and people really like it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tBelow, learn more about this month\u2019s Billboard<\/em> Latin Artist on the Rise:<\/p>\n \n\tName:<\/strong> Cristian Humberto Avila Vega. (His artistic name is a mix of his childhood nickname \u201cChino\u201d with \u201cPacas,\u201d which translates to bales of money.)\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tAge:<\/strong> 17<\/p>\n \n\tRecommended Song:<\/strong> \u201cDijeron Que No La Iba a Lograr\u201d with Fuerza Regida<\/p>\n