Música Mexicana rising star Kane Rodriguez spoke with The Times about finding his way in the music scene and his success on TikTok.
Born and raised in Houston, singer-songwriter Kane Rodriguez grew up surrounded by music. His grandfather, father and brother are musicians, and the sounds of cumbia, banda and norteño were ever present in his house.
The 22-year-old Texican launched his music career by playing with his brothers in a cumbia group in his teens but says he always felt more of a calling toward corridos. He leaned into his musical tastes at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, uploading videos on TikTok of himself singing and playing his guitar.
His first big hit was his 2022 melancholic cover of Aldo Trujillo and Legion RG’s “El Chaman,” which tells the story of an enigmatic character whose emotional availability contradicts his tough-guy appearance. The clip was just him and his guitar in front of a plain background while being filmed at an upward angle — nothing fancy, but his voice and musicality shined.
“I started seeing myself grow and grow, and then a couple videos would go viral, and people asked for more,” Rodriguez said in a recent interview. “I guess people really like how I sound just with the guitar, so I just try to keep recording. … I think TikTok, for me, is a big part [of my success].”
The singer and multi-instrumentalist released his debut studio album, “La Batuta,” in April under Warner Music México.
The LP’s intricate instrumentation works deftly to complement Rodriguez’s gravelly vocals and his swashbuckling lyrics, telling tales of romantic conquests, occasional sadboi reflections and living it up with his compas over the course of 13 tracks.
The “Se Volvieron Locos” artist has been touring the U.S. since his album’s release and was scheduled to perform at Downtown L.A.’s Peacock Theater — in a billing with Chino Pacas, Estevan Plazola, Los Caimanes De Sinaloa, T3R Elemento, El de La Guitarra and Omar Ruiz — but the show was canceled because of the temporary L.A. curfew and the ongoing ICE raids in the city.
Rodriguez fans can rejoice, however, as the singer has a show scheduled for June 20 at El Farallon Event Center in Lynwood. Ahead of his performance, Rodriguez spoke about his rise to fame, collaborating with other artists and his hopes for the future.
This interview has been edited and shortened for clarity.
This is your first studio album. What was the process of recording it like?
It took a while, a cool seven months to get it done. But we picked the right songs and we got the right songwriters. We added different genres, so it took us a while, but I think it was worth it. It’s a big jump from [playing] live to the studio.
How do you think being from Houston informs your work as an artist, and what kind of obligation do you feel to represent the city?
Right now in Houston there’s really not that many corrido artists, so I think being one of the few ones from Houston really helped because I get a lot of support from my hometown.
I grew up in the southeast part of Houston [in an area] called Pasadena, on a little trailer park. It wasn’t nothing too crazy or nothing too bad. I think growing up in a neighborhood like that made me hungrier to make it out of the hood. That just helped me build up.
I think right now Houston needs somebody that could rep them and take them to the next level on the corrido side, and I think I have that responsibility. I want to take that responsibility, and hopefully we can make it bigger.
You’re now on tour and collaborating with big artists. How does it feel to continue to grow in popularity, and how are you managing that emotionally and professionally?
It’s a dream come true. I’m coming from playing in backyards like almost every day, playing 10 hours a day. To play in front of people with big artists — it’s just crazy. It’s really hard to to believe, but I try not to get too excited or get too comfortable. We try to keep our feet on the ground. It’s sort of incredible how everything is building up real fast.
Who are some of the acts you’ve had the chance to work within a professional space that you kind of can’t believe actually happened?
For sure Legado 7 — they’re OGs. I think everybody would listen to them back in 2018, 2019 when I was in high school. So getting the chance to be in the studio and make a hit song with them is even crazier.
And Adrian L Santos also. That fool’s from my family’s hometown over there in Mexico. He’s real poppin’ and a real humble guy. Working with him was one of the best experiences.
Being a musician can feel sometimes, from the outside looking in, like it’s not a “real job,” but getting that cosign from a label changes things. What was your family’s reaction to that moment?
At first they were real iffy, because a lot of people don’t make it out in music. It’s real hard. So they were there, mentally. But the good thing about my parents is they let me do it. They stood back. They’d seen the hunger that I had for it and knew I wouldn’t listen — I’d just keep doing it. Right now they’re real proud, and I’m happy to see them like that.
You’ve got your album out, you’re going on tour — where do you see it going from here? Where are you trying to go?
My vision in the next two years is: I’m trying to sell out stadiums. That’s one of my goals. My biggest dream is to have thousands of people sing my songs.
