Biography of El Fantasma

Alexander Garcia (born December 2, 1989), better known as El Fantasma, is a singer and composer of Mexican regional music. Based in the United States, Garcia began his music career in 2016 with the single “Mi 45” and the album “Equipo Armado”. He quickly gained fame, releasing “Pa’ Los Recuerdos” with Los Populares Del Llano later that year and “En el Camino” (2017), “Dolor y Amor” (2018), and “El Circo” (2019). He is currently considered one of the most famous exponents of norteña music.

 

Early Life

Garcia was born in San Jose de Canas, Durango, Mexico on December 2, 1989. Like many other Mexicans, he came to the United States in search of a better future. He was only 14 years old when he left everything behind for the American dream. Upon arriving, he immediately started working: caring for horses, doing household chores, and cutting and organizing trees. He had always loved music, but work took up most of his time. Coming from a humble background, he couldn’t afford to stop working, so he lived as a gardener for about six years. During that time, he dabbled in the artistic world.

He used to sing at family celebrations and some events, but it wasn’t until 2015 that he learned to play the guitar. He recorded some of his songs, the ones he sang to his coworkers while working, and suddenly an opportunity presented itself. His voice captivated Jorge Gaxiola, the interpreter of Voz de Mando, who opened the doors of the industry to him. In no time he was playing and singing in bars. In 2016 he finally made his debut.

 

Debut: El Fantasma and his 45

In January 2016, El Fantasma successfully debuted with “Mi 45” and the album “Equipo Armado”. For a debut album, the record swept the norteña music charts, surprising more than one established artist. El Fantasma, as he was called from childhood, arrived to conquer and revolutionize norteña music. The success was so great that the same year El Fantasma released his second album: “Pa’ Los Recuerdos”, a collaboration with Los Populares Del Llano. “El Más Poderoso”, “La Feria de las Flores”, and “Quisiera Armarte tanto” were some of the album’s tracks.

 

First Recognitions

Later, in May 2017, El Fantasma returned with the EP “Hay Pa’ Toro y su Calentano”. This was followed by two versions of “Mi 45”, one with Los Populares Del Llano and another with Lenin Ramirez and Jesus Payan. In August 2017, his live musical production “Vengo a Aclarar” reached number 10 on the Hot Latin Albums chart, turning him into a musical phenomenon. After its release, the single reached the top of the international charts and reached number one on Monitor Latino. A few months earlier, El Fantasma had received the award for the most outstanding artist in his genre at the celebration of the 20th anniversary of “Carnaval Carolina 2017”.

In December 2017, his third album “En el Camino” (2017) was released, a work of twelve songs with themes like “El De Piedras Blancas”, “En el Camino”, “El Nano”, and “Al Mayo lo que es Del Mayo”.

 

2018: Nominated for a Latin Grammy

In 2018 success knocked on his door. El Fantasma not only became one of the most listened to Mexican artists on platforms, but he was also nominated for a Latin Grammy in the category of Best Banda Regional Mexican Album for “En el Camino”. El Fantasma had arrived to stay. During that year, he released two albums: “Dolor y Amor” (2018) and “Pa’ Los Recuerdos vol.2” (2018). The first, of eleven songs, included the themes “Dolor y Amor”, “La Pajarera”, and “Soy de Durango”; “Pa’ los Recuerdos, Vol. 2”, of thirteen songs, contained “Los Tres Gallos”, “Catarino y los Rurales”, and the hit “Seré un Borracho”.

 

El Circo (2019)

In February 2019, El Fantasma released the single “La Encantadora”, the first promotional theme of what would be his sixth album, “El Circo”. After its release, the single became a trend, reaching #3 on the Billboard regional music list. In April, it was followed by the single “El Mes de Mayo” and a month later the album was released. “El Circo” was released on May 31, 2019, including a total of eleven songs, among them “Machete Terciado”, “Con Intereses”, “Lupe Campos”, “La Vieja Escuela”, and “Corazón Percio”. Also that month the single “Ya Ves” was released.

A month later, El Fantasma released the live single “El Muchacho Alegre”. In October, he released his seventh studio album “10 Kilates: Con Norteño” and then, in November, released the live versions of “El Tolo” and “El Paisa” in collaboration with Los Austeros de Durango. “10 Kilates: Con Norteño” was recorded, among other things, in Culiacán, consisted of a total of 10 songs, and featured Abel Bustillos in “El Desquite” and “Chalito”. Shortly before the album’s release, El Fantasma and Calibre 50

had released a live version of “Chalito”.

To finish the year, El Fantasma won the Orgullo Latino Del Año award at the Premios de La Radio 2019, where he surpassed Chiquis Rivera, Adriel Favela, and Virlán García, and was also nominated in the categories of Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, and Corrido of the Year for the album “El Circo”.

 

2020: Puerta Abierta

In January 2020, El Fantasma was nominated for the iHeart Radio Music Awards in three categories: Regional Mexican Song of the Year for “Encantadora”, Regional Mexican Artist of the Year, and Best New Regional Mexican Artist of the Year. That same month, the interpreter released the single “Palabra de Hombre”. In April, he collaborated with Alfredo Olivas for the live single “El Zoologico”, a song that in a short time exceeded 10 million reproductions on YouTube.

In the middle of 2020, El Fantasma released the album “Puerta Abierta, vol. 1”. The album followed the line of live albums, including several collaborations such as “La Línea Directa (En Vivo)” with Julián Mercado, “El Güero Pochote (En Vivo)” with Eduardo Gurrola, “Los Enjambres (En Vivo)” with Alfredo Olivas, and “Cabrón y Vago” with Los Dos Carnales. The album also featured Meño Sánchez, Larry Hernandez, Virlán García, and Calibre 50.

After “Puerta Abierta”, in September, the album “Guárdame Esta Noche” was released. In December, El Fantasma closed the year with “Pa’ los Recuerdos, Vol. 3”, an album of ten songs with the highlights: “Al Corta una Gardenia”, “La Hielera”, and “Rama Seca”.

 

2021: Cabrones y Vagos con Los Dos Carnales

In 2021, El Fantasma’s career continued with the release of “La Mayiza”, a promotional single for his next album “Carteles”. “Carteles” was released on February 19, 2021 with a total of 10 songs, including “El Bélico”, “Los del Golfo”, “La Menchiza”, and “Los Sonorenses”. The album also included a collaboration, titled “El 21” with Los Austeros de Durango. Shortly after its release, the album dominated all digital platforms; it was especially popular on Spotify, Tidal, and YouTube.

Later that year, El Fantasma released one to two singles per month. In April, he released the single “El Rey del Mundo”. This was followed by “Soy Buen Amigo” in May, “Agarra Tu Camino” and “Tus Desprecios” in June, and “Los Inicios” and “Todo Cuanto Tuve” in July. In August, he released “Tu Derrota” and in September he collaborated with Banda Lirio on “Cuatro Caminos”.

In November 2021, El Fantasma released “Cabrones y Vagos”, a collaborative album with Los Dos Carnales that was quite popular, with songs like “Mis Raíces”, “La C y la J”, “Escuadra Endiamantada”, “Cabrón y Vago”, and “Las Bendiciones”. Later that month, El Fantasma released the album “Pa’ los Recuerdos, Vol. 4 (Edición Especial)”. In the same month, the young singer-songwriter received two Premios de La Radio 2021 in the categories: Male Artist of the Year and Norteña Song of the Year, for his song “Cabrón y Vago”.

Current (2022)

His first release of 2022 was the single “Fuera De Servicio”. In April 2022, El Fantasma was nominated for the Latin American Music Awards in the category Favorite Solo Artist- Regional Mexican, but lost to Christian Nodal.

Personal life

He is married to Perla Limón Elenes. Together they have written some of his songs.

Discography

Studio albums

  • Equipo Armado (2016)
  • En el camino (2017)
  • Pa’ los recuerdos, V 2 (2018)
  • Dolor y Amor (2018)
  • El Circo (2019)
  • 10 Kilates: Con Norteño(2019)
  • Puerta Abierta, Vol. 1 (2020)
  • Guárdame Esta Noche (2020)
  • Pa’ los Recuerdos, Vol. 3 (2020)
  • Carteles (2021)

Collaborative albums

  • Pa’ Los Recuerdos, Vol. 1 (feat. Los Populares Del Llano; 2016)
  • Cabrones y Vagos (feat. Los Dos Carnales; 2021)
  • Pa’ Los Recuerdos, Vol. 4 (feat. Roman y Tacho; 2021)

Live

  • En Vivo Desde Badiraguato (2016)
  • Vengo a Aclarar (feat. Banda Los Populares Del Llano; 2016)
  • Concierto En Vivo, Vol. 1 (2020)

Awards

  • La Radio Prize 2017 for Song of the Year
  • La Radio Prize 2017 for Revelation of the Year
  • Distinction as the most outstanding artist in his genre at the 2017 Carolina Carnival.
  • La Radio Prize 2019 for Latin Pride of the Year.
  • La Radio Prize 2021 for Male Artist of the Year
  • La Radio Prize 2021 for Norteña Song of the Year
History-biography

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