Amid a burgeoning regional Mexican scene in 2018, Alex Ahumada and his cousin Leonardo Lomeli began playing gigs in their hometown Salinas, Calif., — an agricultural hub located just south of the San Francisco Bay Area — mainly as a hobby, after all, they’d both soon go off to college.

Inspired by legacy acts like Valentín Elizalde and Ariel Camacho, Ahumada sang covers while Lomeli played the requinto at family backyard parties or events around town, their repertoire ranging from old-school corridos to cumbias. “We wanted the party to be lit,” Ahumada tells Billboard. The 24-year-old doesn’t come from a family of musicians but corridos and regional Mexican music in general soundtracked his childhood. “A lot of Mexicans live in Salinas,” he adds. “Growing up, we’d always have música mexic

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