Yahritza y Su Esencia

History of Yahritza y Su Esencia

Yahritza y Su Esencia (2022) is a regional Mexican music group originating from Yakima Valley, Washington, United States. The ensemble consists of a trio of siblings: Yahritza Martínez (vocalist and acoustic guitar), Jairo Martínez (acoustic bass), and Armando “Mando” Martínez (guitar). Their melodies stand out within the urban sierreño subgenre.

Beginnings

The group “Yahritza y Su Esencia” is formed by the Martinez siblings: Armando is the oldest, followed by Jairo, the middle brother, and finally Yahritza, the youngest sister, who is also the main vocalist of the band. All of them were born in Yakima Valley, Washington, United States, but they have Mexican roots due to their parents, who come from Michoacán and emigrated in search of opportunities in the United States.

From an early age, they grew up immersed in Mexican traditions at home. Their parents passed down their rich culture, allowing them to explore the rhythms of regional Mexican music from its roots. Moreover, their father, who had once been a part of a regional music band while living in Mexico, provided his support and experience in that field.

At the age of 14, the youngest of the Martínez siblings began playing the guitar and delved into the world of social media. It was through these platforms that she shared her talent and her voice, which are now the heart and soul of the ensemble.

Career

One of their most recognized songs is titled “Soy El Único”. The vocalist wrote this song at the age of fourteen, focusing on the theme of a romantic breakup. The inspiration for the lyrics came from the comments she received on her videos, where people shared their own experiences in relationships. The single climbed to the #1 position on the Billboard Global 200 chart, also achieving the prominent #1 spot on the YouTube Music ranking in the United States, and a respectable #5 position on the popularity charts in Mexico.

They gained prominence when a video featuring their music audio went viral on Tik Tok. This achievement drew the attention of influential figures and, thanks to the collaboration of Ramón Ruiz and Alex Guerra from the group Legado 7, the record label Lumbre Music emerged, which currently represents Yahritza y Su Esencia.

After signing the contract, the band released their debut album, “Obsessed”, in late April 2023. The album performed exceptionally well in terms of commercial success, achieving platinum certification in the United States, with sales of 60,000 equivalent units in the country.

In 2023, Yahritza y Su Esencia joined forces in collaborations with prominent artists such as Yuridia, Ángela Aguilar, and Grupo Frontera. These collaborations, particularly with Grupo Frontera, played a significant role in their increasing international popularity. Their strong track record has earned them nominations at various award ceremonies, including the Latin Grammy Awards, Latin American Music Awards, and Premios Lo Nuestro. In the latter, they managed to clinch the coveted award.

Controversies

The controversy arose in August 2023 when a video of an interview conducted with the group in January of the same year went viral. During the interview, they were asked about their experience in Mexico City (CDMX), to which the vocalist responded: “Yes, I like it, but I don’t like it when I wake up and as I’m falling asleep, because you can hear the cars and the police sirens, but yeah, I do like it. It’s nice here”.

After this, the vocalist hands the microphone to her older brother, who expresses with little enthusiasm his lack of excitement for Mexican food, emphasizing his preference for the food from their hometown in the United States. Then, the microphone is passed to Jairo, who agrees with the opinions of “Mando” Martínez and shares that he has a sensitive stomach and is careful about what he eats.

“For me, it’s also the food because I’m quite sensitive and well… I mostly eat, eat chicken. Ajá. I only eat… wings”.

(vía Instagram)

Apologies from Yahritza y Su Esencia

Following the emergence of this controversy, Yahritza y Su Esencia spoke out. In the company of her brother Jairo, Yahritza Martínez offered apologies to the Mexican people. Although her older brother couldn’t be present, he contributed his thoughts to the subsequent statements.

“Hello everyone, how are we? Ah, we want to send you a big greeting on behalf of Yahritza y Su
Esencia. Unfortunately, “Mando” couldn’t be here with us, but he was indeed part of this message we want to convey to you. Um, so to start, first and foremost, we want you to know that what motivates us every day to write songs and music is the great pride of having Mexican blood in our veins. No matter where we were born, we are proudly Mexican and deeply appreciate the love from the audience, especially in Mexico. Ahm, you always show us so much affection and receive us with so much, much love, and for that, we are grateful, but also apologetic.

We’ve seen the recent comments on social media and we believe you, the audience, are absolutely right. And, well… No, we didn’t express ourselves correctly. Instead of talking about how much we love the country, especially Mexico City, we were discussing some details that were out of place, and we understand that now. Ahm, so we genuinely offer you an apology from the bottom of our hearts. If we offended anyone, that was never our intention. Ah… We love Mexico, our culture, and its people, and we’re honored to be part of that culture. We never wanted to disrespect our land, I swear, it was never our intention.

For us, it’s important to have an honest relationship with you, and that’s why we appreciate you letting us know when something isn’t right or when something you don’t like happens, because that way we can improve. (Jairo:) And really, we love you a lot too and we appreciate all your support, so… Thank you very much. (Yahritza:) And again, everyone, ahm… A thousand apologies on behalf of Yahritza y Su Esencia, a big hug”.

Consequences

The statements made by the group caused discomfort and offense among many Mexican citizens. They were labeled as “No sabo kids” (a term implying ignorance or naivety), and there were mockeries about their appearance and derogatory comments were made. On TikTok, a trend started where people would hit their speakers whenever a song by Yahritza y Su Esencia played, as a form of protest and criticism.

The repercussions were not limited to reactions. Prior to this incident, Yahritza y Su Esencia had over 5.7 million followers on Instagram, but following the statements, that number drastically plummeted to 718k followers. Furthermore, on their music platforms, their audience, subscribers, and listeners experienced a concerning decrease.