At a Mexican military base, Captain Eduardo Barrón picks up not a rifle but a microphone. Swaying boot-to-boot, he belts out a song as the sounds of trumpets and accordions roar from a band of a dozen camouflage-clad soldiers.
The rhythmic style — known as a corrido — is recognizable to just about every soul in the Latin American nation of 130 million. But Barrón’s lyrics diverge sharply from those blaring on speakers across Mexico.
“I still remember the day I joined the military,” he crooned. “This is a dream my soul longed for, and if I were to live another life, I’d become a soldier again.”
Barrón, who performs under the name “Eddy Barrón,” began releasing music videos and songs on Spotify last year in coordination with the Mexican military. His lyrics extol the army’s virtues, celebrate proud parents and honor the fallen.
They stand in stark contrast to the controversial narco corridos, a subgenre that has sparked controversy as famous artists pay homage to cartel bosses, portraying them as rebels going against the system.
Faced with the challenge of addressing a musical style that depicts cartel violence, local governments across Mexico have increasingly banned performances and pursued criminal investigations of bands and musicians. Mexico’s president even vowed to reduce the popularity of narco corridos while promoting other, less violent musical styles.
But Barrón, 33, is taking a different approach. Instead of censorship, he wants to build upon the momentum with his own military corridos, an effort to both infuse the genre with more socially acceptable lyrics and recruit young people to the military.
“Narco life is in style and they make it sound really pretty… but the reality is different,” he said. “We’re playing our part to invite young people to join this movement of positive music.”
A vow to change Mexican music
Barron’s military ballads are part of a wider government push spearheaded by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has proposed that the government promote corridos about “love, falling out of love and peace.”
She even announced a government-sponsored Mexican music competition in the northern state of Durango showcasing music that avoids “glorifying violence, drugs and discrimination against women.”
“It will completely change Mexican music,” she said.
