Missed the Austin City Limits Music Festival ? Didn’t hear about the Latin music at the fest? We got you. It’s no secret that Latin music doesn’t have the biggest footprint at this music festival, though the fest has made some strides in recent years.
We kept our eyes on all things cultura this year at ACL. It’s important that at big music festivals like this that diverse artists are represented and that all música gets a spotlight. Our hope is that by shining a light on Latinidad that we can keep diversity, equity, and inclusion top of mind not only when booking artists at ACL, but at other music festivals in Austin and across the country.
Enjoy some festival highlights below and start adding some of these artists to your playlists! ACL Weekend 2 goes from Oct. 14-16.
-Nancy Flores, Austin Vida editor & publisher
Los Rising Stars
Omar Apollo, a Mexican-American artist from Hobart, Ind., sang his heart out during a sunset performance at ACL music festival. “Who here is Mexican? Where are my Mexicans?,” Apollo asked. The pop singer then showed his roots by singing his ranchera “En El Olvido.” As the song was ending, he proudly let out a grito. Along with the artist’s soulful ballads, Apollo also performed his bilingual hits including the Spanish song “Frio.” –Kessly Salinas
Katzù Oso, a Los Angeles-based artist, opened up the second day of ACL with Spanish rock-inspired music. “Who here can do a grito?,” Hernandez asked, “You know what? Let’s all do a grito together.” Katzù Oso had fun interacting with fans, exchanging gifts like a guitar pick for some festival leis. He even indulged fans by playing a little of his song “Coqueta,” for a fan who requested it, even though it was not initially on his set list. –K.S.
Local Latinx band Luna Luna brought the energy to their debut ACL performance. The indie-synth pop group had their fans singing and dancing.“Where are my Latinos at?,” asked singer Kavvi, before playing their renditions of the classic cumbias “Tiene Espinas el Rosal” and “Oye Mujer.” Luna Luna performed their new unreleased bilingual song “Talk Too Much,” during their set. Enthusiastic fans who could not get enough of them chanted “Otra, Otra,” as the show ended. –K.S.
Hometown Pride
We love seeing hometown heroes shine at ACL. Austin’s own Grammy-winning guitarist, producer and Black Pumas co-founder Adrian Quesada brought his acclaimed “Boleros Psicodélicos” album to life, playing the music live for the first time. Crowds were treated to a star-studded set highlighting vocalists from around the world, from Puerto Rican songstress and former Calle 13 singer iLe, to Natalia Clavier, known for her Thievery Corporation and previous Adrian Quesada collaborations. –N.F.
Sweaty Dance Party
Cimafunk brought the Cuban sazón to ACL during their funky afternoon performance. “We’re going to have a great afternoon of Africano music,” singer Erick Iglesias Rodríguez promised. The lively performance had fans in the Tito’s tent swaying and clapping along to the music. Cimafunk ended their performance by inviting fans onto the stage for a dance party. –K.S.
Mujeres Poderosas
Colombian-Canadian artist Lido Pimienta brought the playful and powerful to her ACL performance full of magía as she melded traditional Afro-Colombian rhythms with electronica and synth pop beats.
“You’re going to want to get up close,” she told fans. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a Black, Indigenous woman in front of you (on stage).”
Pimienta produced back-to-back goosebump-inducing moments that we hope paves the way for even more mujeres poderosas on the ACL stage. –N.F.
Step into a dreamy wonderland with the velvety vocals of The Marías. Puerto Rican lead singer María Zardoya effortlessly glides in and out of Spanish and English lyrics making her psychedelic soul pop a seamless bicultural experience for all. She treated fans to sneak peeks of unreleased love songs and wrapped up with fan favorite song “Cariño.”
“Vamos, Austin!” she told the cheering crowd before sipping some tea from the ACL stage. –N.F.
Algo para Los Niños
Colombian husband-and-wife duo 123 Andrés performed at ACL for the first time at the Austin Kiddie Limits stage. The Latin Grammy winners allowed their audience to choreograph one of their cumbias. Andrés joked that he didn’t know how to play the saxophone and asked for volunteers to teach him. The interactive performance ended with a big conga line that snaked through the audience area and back to the stage. –K.S.
