During Karol G’s historic Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival headlining set, which was all about female empowerment and Latino pride, one of the most memorable moments was when the Colombian star brought out an all-female mariachi band.
Twelve members of Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles, America’s first all-female mariachi group, surprised the audience on Sunday, April 12, with the sounds of trumpets, violins and guitars, which led to an eruption of excitement from the crowd. The women also performed Karol G’s songs “Ese Hombre Es Malo” and “MAMIII” with guest Becky G.
“When we first walked out, we could see the huge amount of people there,” Crystal Hernández, a violinist/vocalist with the group, said. “It was really cool to see the faces of the first good chunk of rows of people and how excited they were and how much joy it brought everyone to see us up there.”
But the moment represented so much more than just taking the stage with a superstar. It was part of history, as Karol G became the first Latina to headline the festival. The mariachi band itself has also pushed the boundaries of what is possible in the music space in its three-decade-long history.
“We got to represent women, Latino women, our music and our culture with pride,” Hernández said. “We hold it very near and dear to our hearts.”
Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles history
Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles was established in 1994 by José Hernández, a renowned mariachi musician and director of Mariachi Sol de México. It came at a time when the industry was heavily male-dominated, but more and more young girls and women were expressing interest. His own after school mariachi program was made up by more young girls than boys.
“They didn’t have a professional female mariachi to look up to … and say, ‘I want to be in that group when I’m older,'” his daughter Hernández said. “So my dad decided to make this group, and since then Reyna has inspired so many little girls and we continue to that.”
Hernández herself is a seventh generation mariachi musician, but the first woman in her family to take on the legacy. She has been in Mariachi Reyna for two years.
Over the years, Mariachi Reyna has seen a great deal of success, including seven studio albums, nominations for the Grammy and Latin Grammy awards and an induction into the California Hall of Fame. Many original members have also taken part in recent anniversary celebrations.
But Hernández said the way the group has shaped the mariachi space and influenced so many women into pursuing their musical dreams has meant so more than accolades.
“With Reyna being the first of its kind then, now we get to represent the same group with pride, with passion and seeing how it’s influenced and given women within mariachi music a voice,” she said.
Performing at Coachella 2026 with Karol G
Seeing how Karol G has made her own strides in the male-dominated world of reggaeton, it comes as no surprise that she asked Mariachi Reyna to collaborate for her headlining set.
Hernández said Karol G’s musical director reached out to the group to express interest in having the members up on stage. The singer has revealed in recent interviews that she’s been preparing for her set since November, and Mariachi Reyna rehearsed for about a week with the headliner and her team.
The group, wearing blue traditional mariachi suits and sombreros, performed three pieces during the concert. They came out to “El son de la negra,” a classic mariachi song, which they knew would set the tone for their section, and it got the crowd shouting and applauding. The second, “Ese Hombre Es Malo” off of Karol G’s album “Tropicoqueta,” has mariachi sounds on it, which made it easy for the group to step into.
The most challenging one was “MAMIII,” which Hernández said is not done with a mariachi group, and an arrangement was created for them specifically.
“When [Karol G and Becky G] heard it, they were so excited and were like, ‘Wow, this sounds like it was just meant to be mariachi the whole time,'” she said.
Thinking back on stepping foot on the stage, Hernández said the first thing that sticks out is the “roar of excitement from the audience” with applause and cheering, as well as spotting people holding flags from various Latino nations. She added that the moment was “better than we could have imagined.”
Karol G also took time to speak about U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement activity in the country. She revealed in a previous interview that she’d been warned by people to not be political during her set. Hernández said she and her Mariachi Reyna musicians were proud that the singer felt compelled to speak from the heart and not let people dictate her decisions.
Mariachi Reyna will return for Weekend 2 of Karol G’s performance, and Hernández said the group is looking forward to bringing their best foot forward again.
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Meet the female mariachi band that performed with Karol G at Coachella
Reporting by Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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