*This is the fifth article published through the column “Hay que hablar de México,” a column on regional Mexican music written by reporter Evelyn Salazar.*

During the late 1990s, a Tejano band started to launch their career in the regional Mexican music world after being influenced by a now legendary norteño group called Ramon Ayala y Sus Bravos Del Norte. This was their greatest influence, like many other listeners who enjoy this genre of music.

This caused the members to start their own group, and would also be considered to be one of the first to launch a new style of music. The founders of the group, Ricardo Muñoz (accordion/lead singer) and Rene Martinez (drummer), started their dream in 1992. They recorded their first demo and were signed to a record label called Emi Latin.

This gave them a place where they could make more albums. This would also slowly, but surely, jumpstart a career that would later lead them to Mexico to promote their music. This was a challenge at first, but they later demonstrated to the public that by practicing and being consistent, they wouldn’t back down to criticism.

Their first stop in Mexico was Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, where the public didn’t connect with them and their music as they were “Tejanos” or Texans. During their first interviews, they would rarely speak because they weren’t fluent in Spanish. But they took the initiative to learn fast and show the public they were serious about their careers.

Soon after, fans connected with them and were able to identify with their background in music. All members of the group are Mexican Americans who grew up with traditional regional music.

I think that’s what made their audience in the U.S. and Mexico understand them more and in some ways identify with them. After all, they are people just like us living in America, but are Mexican.

Let alone, the music that they make sets them apart from lots of artists. When you hear that accordion and Muñoz’s voice, you know that Intocable is playing. The new wave of Tex-Mex mixed with the norteño style of music has now become certified.

Now, 30 years later, their influence has only grown more and more, especially now with a very powerful tool in social media. Now more than ever, I keep seeing the younger generations enjoy what their parents or siblings listened to when they were young.

TikTok has been the main source, as there are thousands of videos being used with popular songs by the group with many users being from the current generation. This is nice to see because that means that the music will live on for many more generations to come.

Not to mention that the music they put out for the public is very consistent and clearly shows why they are being displayed on the top charts. After many hits, here are Intocable’s top five most top charted and iconic songs:

At number one is “Sueña,” number two “Eres Mi Droga,” number three “Enseñame a Olvidarte,” number four “El Poder de tus Manos,” and lastly number five is “Aire.”

These songs resonate the most with people because they sing about feelings of love, breakups and vulnerable moments that connect with the audience. They sing for the audience’s emotions, and do it really well.

This just goes to show that music really doesn’t have a language barrier and if the artists put in the work to get the public to understand them and enjoy their music, that’s all that matters. For the listeners, the music makes them feel and connect with the melodies and the lyrics, and clearly have been for decades.

Their influence has also stuck with me for all of my childhood and now adulthood because they have always stuck with being amazing musicians and I can connect with them on a more human aspect.

In the end music has no barriers, and language is certainly not one of them.