As I walked down LA Live, the streets were flooded with lines, merchandise vendors, food vendors and a lot of security. Initially I had thought to myself, “Perhaps there’s a concert at the crypto arena tonight.” But in reality the line, filled with fans and latino news channels, was for the Novo theater. As you got closer to the theater you could hear chants screaming, “Xavi! Xavi! Xavi!” Everything had finally made sense. The biggest prospect in regional Mexican music since Peso Pluma was performing here in the famous Novo Theater. Even without a debut album released, Xavi was still capable of packing the streets of LA for a sold out concert.
Xavi’s hit song, “La Diabla” trended on social media platforms about a year ago and ever since then the Mexican singer from Phoenix, Arizona (only 19 years old!) has been the biggest talk in the Latino music industry. Xavi was able to break Bad Bunny’s record for longest running #1 latino solo song and is one of the only Mexican artists to make Spotify’s Number 1 hit of the year for Spotify’s top 50 global chart other than Peso Pluma. The hype about this young talent is real and this tour that he had announced defied all odds and critiques–not only was it a sold out tour but it truly made a staple for Xavi’s career showing what he is capable of as an artist.
As the line finally begins to move and fans are allowed inside the venue, you suddenly see dozens of fans sprint towards the barricade to get the best possible view. One thing that I noticed was the diverse age group of Xavi’s fans at this show. From children who had Xavi graphic tees on, to teenagers and even older adults who had come with their friend groups. This put into perspective just how much of Xavi’s fanbase was growing as an artist and how much excitement there was being built around him. It was no longer a surprise why his tour was sold out and why there had been so much talk about such a young artist’s potential to be the next big thing.
As fans awaited for Xavi to take the stage, there were constant chants of his name being yelled from the crowd and fans singing his hit songs. As I was waiting in the photo pit for the concert to start, nothing could describe the energy I had seen from the top terrace seats above the general admission floor section. If you looked up all you could see was the sea of people waving Mexican flags and screaming from their seats. As I adjusted my camera and practiced taking some photos of the fans with all their banners being waved, suddenly the lights had been shut off and it went pitch black. A few seconds of screaming in the dark and as I prepared my camera not knowing what to expect I saw the curtains had gone away and the musicians took their positions. Bright blue lights had turned on beaming from the ceiling and you suddenly heard loud guitar riffs from the amplifiers and from that point on you knew exactly what song was about to be performed.
“Y poco a poco fui creciendo y la vida me enseño, que tiene que ser decente con el que un dia te humillo,” sung Xavias he ran onto the stage hopping around waving his mic everywhere with his iconic voice that made him who he is today. The tour itself was named after this song, “Poco a Poco” which in Spanish means, “little by little.” The lyrics themself in English translate to, “and little by little I grew up and life had taught me that you must be decent with those who once humiliated you.” Xavi’s musical talent isn’t just in his voice but it’s also the message he shares through his music that all latinos can relate to. During this concert, I caught myself always looking back at the crowd to see their reaction to the songs. In particular, this song had everyone in the theater singing with their chest and heart. Such a strong and popular song to open up his show and we all knew this was only the beginning for what was to come on this night.
As the night goes on, we don’t only get to experience special guests such as Fabio Capri and Tony Aguirre who collaborated with Xavi on hit tracks, but we were also able to see Xavi take the stage with some of his youngest fans. As his two younger fans made their way to the stage Xavi had asked, “Cual cancion te sabes tu Jorge?” and as the crowd quiets down to hear the boy speak he replies, “La Victima.” As soon as that was said all I felt from that front row area I was in were the amplifiers shaking through your chest and all the fans starting to jump up and down screaming and shaking the floor. The song “La Victima” today on Spotify has 431 million streams, and has been a staple in Xavi’s career. Not only has it broken records and gone trending all over social media, but it helped show the world how special Xavi’s voice is along with how powerful and catchy his music is, making us want so much more from him.
Towards the end of the night, Tony Aguirre comes out once more to sing an unreleased song, with the ending being a personal concert highlight.. Tony Aguirre, a 32 year old Regional Mexican artist, says on stage, “Te lo digo todo el tiempo, pero espero que tu sabes cuánto orgullo siento por ti y por lo que has logrado en tu carrera siendo tan joven Cabrón.” The entire crowd, everyone on stage, his team, and even the staff had all clapped in awe of this moment– Tony had told him how proud of him he is and all that he has accomplished at such a young age. During its entirety, you could only feel pride in the inspirational talent Xavi as he represents his country, Mexico, at such a young age. It’s easy to tell while watching Xavi how passionate he is about his music and how he sets a good example for all of his fans. Xavi will continue his tour across the United States (with most of his shows being sold out!) and all we can hope for is a surprise album release. Even without a debut album release date, Xavi will only grow more into the biggest star that he was always destined to be.
