Billboard Espa\u00f1ol<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\tThe Mexican-American producer and songwriter is a self proclaimed \u201cborder kid\u201d (also the name of his label), born in McAllen, Texas and raised between Tamaulipas, Mexico and the Lone Star State. To date, he has accumulated an impressive roster of artists he\u2019s worked with, from all corners of the pop map: Madonna, Adriana Grande, Becky G, Grupo Firme, Manuel Turizo and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tWith Grupo Frontera, fellow borderland troupe, they not only solidified their distinctive musical niche but also crafted one of the standout hits of 2023: the Tejano-cumbia of \u201cun x100to,\u201d featuring powerhouse Bad Bunny \u2014 his second foray into the genre. The song earned Barrera (and songwriters Andr\u00e9s Jael Correa Rios and Mag) a Latin Grammy for best regional song.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tAs the accolades continue to accumulate, Barrera now finds himself in the running for Songwriter of the Year at the upcoming 2024 Grammy Awards. Our interview below:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tCongratulations on reaching No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs Producers chart. Did you expect this feat given the success of many of the hits you have created this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tIt\u2019s been a good year for me in every way. It was the year where I had the opportunity to make my label [BorderKid Records]. As a songwriter and producer, I feel like I had a lot of versatility as well. I always try to include Latin sounds in my productions, whether it\u2019s a bachata, a merengue, a cumbia or a vallenato \u2014 something different, and regional Mexican music all the time; putting a little bit of that into urbano and pop. This year I had the opportunity to do a lot of that, and to appear now as Billboard<\/em>\u2018s No. 1 \u2014 well imagine, for me, it\u2019s an honor.<\/p>\n\n\tLet\u2019s talk about some songs, like \u201cun x100to\u201d with Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny, which also had tremendous success in the charts. How was the creative process for that?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tWhen we wrote it, it was in another genre. It sat for a year and a half. We showed it to a lot of artists and nobody saw it as R&B. It had the same lyrics, the same melody, the same everything, but the arrangement was R&B. I feel that the industry was very focused on a more urbano vibe, and the song didn\u2019t fit the rhythm it had. I had just sent it to another artist who had told me he didn\u2019t see himself singing the song, and then Grupo Frontera arrived. I said to them, \u201cI\u2019m going to show it to you without the arrangement \u2026 with just the guitar and vocals.\u201d I grabbed the guitar and sang it for them. They immediately told me, \u201cWe\u2019re going to record it.\u201d [Frontman] Payito learned it and we recorded it that same day in the studio.<\/p>\n\n
![\"Edgar](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-billboard-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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