A yr in the past, 15-year-old Yahritza Martinez was enjoying soccer for A.C. Davis Excessive College in Yakima, Wash. When she wasn’t on the pitch, she and her 4 brothers and sisters would get up early within the morning to assist their father choose fruit within the Yakima Valley.
In the present day, Yahritza, singer, songwriter and guitarist for her sibling trio Yahritza y Su Esencia (Yahritza and Her Essence), are on the SoHo Home in downtown Los Angeles, to advertise the discharge of their debut EP, “Obsessed,” which instantly grew to become the No. 1 Latin album on Apple Music.
In mid-February, a snippet of Yahritza y Su Esencia’s breakup ballad “Soy El Unico,” written by a 13-year-old Yahritza, went viral on TikTok. After the tune was launched by their label Lumbre Music, it flew to the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Scorching Latin Songs chart and crashed the Billboard Scorching 100, peaking at No. 20, making Yahritza the youngest Latin performer to enter the all-genre chart.
“Yeah, it’s loopy, as a result of it was our first tune ever,” says 24-year-old Armando Martinez, who performs the 12-string guitar. “Like, we hadn’t launched nothing in any respect.”
Mando, as he’s recognized, started enjoying 12-string guitar six months in the past. His youthful brother Jairo Martinez, 17, performs the acoustic bass generally known as the bajoloche, which he discovered final summer time after rising annoyed making an attempt to be taught guitar. Yahritza first picked up the guitar a couple of yr in the past.
“[Our parents] have been very supportive,” Yahritza says. “Once I was youthful I’d see my dad singing and I wished to be like him.”
“However I additionally obtained it from him,” she says, pointing at Mando. “He’s the one which impressed [me and Jairo].”
Mando was born in Jiquilpan within the Mexican state of Michoacán — the identical place their mother and father have been born — whereas Jairo and Yahritza have been born and raised in Yakima.
The trio grew up surrounded by Mexican music, watching their father play in a household band with their two uncles. Mando joined the group when he was solely 10, enjoying keyboards.
Yakima is understood for its agriculture and vineyards, and the siblings aren’t any strangers to the lengthy hours and labor it takes to maintain up that popularity. Their father began taking them to the fields after they obtained a bit older to show them his fruit-picking secrets and techniques and the best way to become profitable within the fields.
“When you begin getting older, you hit the sector along with your mother and father,” Mando mentioned. “Ever since we have been like 10 or 11, we’d go assist my dad choose apples, cherries, pears.”
The household band was found by way of TikTok after Jairo and Yahritza’s cowl of “Está Dañada” by Riverside teen Ivan Cornejo went viral in November. Inside minutes of the add, their video began blowing up on the platform — at present it has over 80,000 likes, and Jairo and Yahritza have a mixed whole of round 1.7 million TikTok followers.
A number of Zoom conferences later, Ramón Ruiz, chief government of Lumbre Music, already knew these children “might be the following massive factor.” He and label president Alex Guerra flew to Yakima and signed the trio.
“[Musica Mexicana] has been categorized and put in a bit that doesn’t match Yahritza,” says Ruiz. “Even when you don’t converse Spanish, you simply fall in love with the music,” Ruiz mentioned.
The band notes lo-fi Mexican singer-songwriters like Kevin Kaarl and Ed Maverick as two of their influences. Nevertheless it’s clear that Yahritza y Su Esencia has a mode all their very own.
Mando and Jairo play easy chords that work collectively to enrich Yahritza’s voice. Mando factors out that he’s “not one of the best” on the 12-string guitar. “I’m making an attempt to let her voice shine, so I don’t do an excessive amount of,” he says.
On the rooftop of the downtown SoHo Home, Yahritza sports activities a Chalino Sánchez tee — a shirt she admits she swiped from Jairo. For Yahritza, the primary tune that involves thoughts when she thinks concerning the King of Corridos is “Nieves De Enero.”
“That’s my dad’s favourite tune that I sing,” Yahritza mentioned.
Yahritza and her brothers are slowly getting acclimated to their newfound fame. (Their sister, Adriana, manages the group.) Yahritza and Jairo are nonetheless highschool college students. Mando does a lot of the speaking, Jairo the least. The tomboyish Yahritza, who exudes confidence within the group’s movies, tends to shyly look away when answering questions. They evenly faucet their sneakers and discuss their go to to Surgeon Studios, a customized sneaker studio in Los Angeles, the place they performed some soccer with its founder, Dominic Ciambrone.
“He obtained nutmegged by her,” Mando factors to Yahritza as all of them chortle.
After the interview, Yahritza, Jairo and Mando unbuckle their black carrying instances to disclose their devices. Within the blink of a watch, the trio strum a few chords and start singing “Soy El Unico” for The Occasions, their staff and anybody else on the rooftop prepared to take a pay attention.
“Soy El Unico” grew to become a heartbreak anthem for a lot of, but it was written by a then-13-year-old who took inspiration by finding out TikToks of different customers going by way of their very own relationship drama. She remembers studying one line from a TikTok she was watching, and that’s when all of it clicked for her.
“It was, ‘Oh, you’re not gonna discover anyone higher than me.’ That’s the place I obtained the thought from,” Yahritza mentioned.
One of many first listeners to her tune was Armando who, on the time, was coping with a breakup from a longtime girlfriend. Yahritza’s highly effective voice and lyrics made him notice the potential the tune needed to relate to folks in every single place.
“I would like folks to know that that tune was not about my ex,” he says with a smile. “As a result of there are some rumors on the market on TikTok.”
At first, Yahritza was “actually scared” to place out “Soy El Unico” as a result of she thought her brothers and household would consider she was the one who’s heartbroken.
“She was 13 on the time. We have been like, ‘Who’re we gonna need to beat up?’” Mando joked.
In the present day, the video for “Soy El Unico” has over 16 million views. The trio’s new “Obsessed” EP consists of 5 songs, three of which (“Soy El Unico,” “Enamorado” and “Dejalo Ir”) have been written by Yahritza, plus covers of “Siendo Sincero” by Los Del Restrict and “Esta Noche” by Nivel Codiciado and José Mejía.
Within the SoHo Home parking storage, a valet employee gushes to the trio over how obsessed his daughter is with them, even asking to report a birthday video to ship her for later within the week.
“It’s like we make their day simply by being there,” Mando provides. “It’s loopy.”
