ACL Música You Need to Know

By shining a light on Latin music and the messages the artists and songs bring, Austin Vida hopes to encourage more inclusive lineups at festivals everywhere. We believe that diverse music lineups provide a richer music experience for all.

Enjoy some highlights from Weekend 2 of this year’s Austin City Limits festival and add these artists to your playlists.

Nemegata

Call it cosmic fate or festival booking serendipity. Either way, kicking off Saturday at ACL with Austin-based power trio Nemegata during an annular solar eclipse, known as a ring of fire, made for both celestial and musical magic. 

“The future of Latinx people is in our roots,” said musician Víctor Andrés Cruz during the set. Through studying our own roots, he said, we begin to understand ourselves. 

Nemegata’s superpower lies in its ability to transport audiences through culturas, time and space with their Afro-Colombian futuristic sonidos that also draw upon indigenous roots.  Festgoers traveled on a hypnotic journey with “El Llamado,” a goosebump-inducing percussive anthem from their 2020 debut album “Hycha Wy.” 

“Get ready for the drum!,” Cruz told the crowd. “It’s calling you.” Just like the song’s lyrics say el tambor does indeed liberate. 

As ACL festgoers around Zilker Park donned their eclipse glasses, hoping to catch a peek at the celestial phenomenon, Nemegata sent the crowd to Mars with their song “Cumbia en Marte” from their latest album “Voces.” 

Nemegata dedicated its set to the youth of Latin America standing up to defend their pueblos and culture. Here’s to the cosmic powers summoned by our hometown musical heroes.

Eddie Zuko

Mexican-American artist Eddie Zuko, 29, brought the energía to his ACL performance. His fusion of rap, reggae, and indie sounds had la gente jumping up and down and singing along to his bilingual songs.

Zuko warmed up the crowd with his own take of the classic Selena Quintanilla song “Como la Flor.” The California Imperial Valley native surprised the crowd with a lyric change to his song ‘Mijo,’ “Catch a plane to Austin, Texas, put my city on the map.”

In the midst of his set, Zuko reminded the audience to hydrate. He led the crowd in a toast, “Para arriba, para abajo, para el centro, y para adentro.” The crowd cheered and shouted after Zuko proudly said, “Para la raza right here.” The audience showed off their Spanglish skills with the lyrics of the ranchera-influenced song “Menciones.”

ACL festgoers got an exclusive performance of an unreleased song. “Okay, for this next part I’m going to need you all to get low to the floor,” Zuko told the crowd. “When the beat drops we’re going to jump.” The crowd then turned into a wave of bobbing heads. 

Kevin Kaarl

In the midst of the festival craze that can be ACL, Mexican indie artist Kevin Kaarl brought a sense of calm to Zilker Park with his introspective pop with a folk twist. 

At 22, Kaarl’s already among the artists leading Mexico’s dreamy folk-pop wave with songs that dive into everything from heartbreak to peeling back the layers of self-discovery. 

Kaarl dedicated songs to “toda la gente Latina que está aquí.” His humble and reserved charm resonates with his fandom who swayed, waved their arms and brought Mexican flags to fly in the sea of tranquilidad Kaarl created. 

Ivan Cornejo

The future feels promising with teenage artists like Ivan Cornejo fueling Latin music movements and forging their own paths forward along the way. 

The Riverside, California native told the ACL crowd he woke up feeling sick, but promised to try his best on the stage. And when he had to use his nasal inhaler to relieve congestion between songs, it only seemed to endear him more to his loyal following. 

Emotional young fans on the front row cheered him on unconditionally. His ballads about heartbreak and feeling damaged have catapulted Cornejo, who’s on his Terapia Tour, into stardom and put him among a new wave of artists shining a light on Mexican regional music and beyond.  

Cornejo wrapped up his set reciprocating the love the crowd showed him throughout the performance. He stepped off the stage to be on the ground level with the audience to deliver T-shirts and single roses to adorning fans. 

Caramelo Haze

Step into a sonic wonderland with Caramelo Haze, the all-star outfit made up of Grammy Award-winning Beto Martínez (Grupo Fantasma, Money Chicha), Alex Chavez (Dos Santos), Victor “El Guámbito” Cruz (Nemegata), and John Speice (Grupo Fantasma, Brownout). 

Their ACL debut brought a wave of electro neo-soul grooves that draw inspiration from psychedelic music to Afro-Colombian folk. Caramelo Haze signed onto the Latin Alternative label Nacional Records and has had fans hooked for more since their debut album “No Estas Aqui” and subsequent EP.

Caramelo Haze knows how to create musical magic and that’s evident in their latest single release, a cover of “Una Mañana,” by iconic Mexican singer José José. Caramelo Haze’s sultry rendition makes us look forward to not only more música but a return visit to ACL. 

* Grace Sorensen

All eyes on local Latina singer-songwriter Grace Sorensen who graduated from Round Rock High School. Sorensen performed during Weekend One, which Austin Vida did not cover, however we wanted to make sure this rising R&B artist makes it to your playlist. This artist to watch opened for Diana Ross in 2022 and we can’t wait to see her star shine even brighter.