Artfully combining norteño music and culture with animated songs and anime culture, Los Shinigamis del Norte of Mexico has brought something to an established musical genre that most people never thought possible. Includes anime songs in the norteño musical style (a musical genre of Mexican origin with mainly accordion and bajo sexto and originating from a fusion of Mexican-Austrian-Czech folk music .) Formed in Monterrey in 2017, Los Shinigamis del Norte has quickly risen to become a respected anime band and a respected norteño band, bringing a novel concept to both genres .
It's paradoxical that, as a society, we are so obsessed with assimilation and yet vehemently revile about cultural appropriation. Of course, if it is done violently then it can be said that the offense is justified. But if a person carefully combines a foreign trait with a trait that is inherent to them and then presents it on stage for the world to see, it is truly magical. Few people can chant spells as eloquently as Mexico's Los Shinigamis del Norte.
Made up of former YouTuber Yair “Lalothing” Guzmán on vocals, Erasmo Herrera on accordion, Marcos Bocanegra on bass guitar, Fernando Dominguez on bajo quinta and Diego Garcia on drums. Los Shinigamis del Norte are considered the ancestors of the nortaku subgenre of norteño music.
Recently, we at Anime Corner interviewed Los Shinigamis del Norte and talked about their music, anime, and norteño culture. This interview was conducted in Spanish and has been translated for the Anime Corner website. Although great care has been taken to translate everything as closely as possible to the original meaning, a number of edits have been made to improve fluency and accuracy.
Q: First, can you tell us a little about how Los Shinigamis del Norte started?
D: We were founded in 2017 by YouTuber (and current singer) “Lalothing”. Before that, he was famous for creating parodies of anime songs in which he heavily referenced norteño/Mexican culture. He used to perform corridos (Mexican folk ballads) about characters from cartoons, movies, and YouTubers. Among his most viral songs are “El corrido de Shaggy”, “El corrido de los Avengers”, “El corrido del abduzcan (Auronplay)”.
Our first appearance was at a small anime event in Monterrey, where Lalothing performed his cover. Initially, we covered ani songs in a hard rock style. But after that event, the original band was discontinued. We revived the norteño band around June 2021 and made our debut at Conve-Animex in Monterrey. It was this performance that really launched our career. People shared clips of our performance, and us playing norteño music in Naruto-themed cowboy outfits attracted a lot of attention. The videos quickly went viral. We reached 10k followers in the week after launch.
Q: When people think of norteño music and its themes and lyrics, they think of groups like Los Tigres del Norte or Ramon Ayala, and their lyrics are filled with heartbreak and drug dealing. On the other hand, you often sing anime covers with exciting lyrics, but it's very effective. Why you think so?
D: We think this formula works because of the nostalgia. Many of the group's followers grew up with anime series like Dragon Ball, Ranma ½, Naruto, and Saint Seiya. They also grew up with norteño music because it was the type of music their older family members would listen to. So our mix really creates a nostalgic feeling with the listener.
Not only is this really effective in the north of Mexico, but also due to the popularity of norteño memes in the central and southern parts of the country (Cosplay with hats, drinking caguama (big beer)). Because of this and the trend of hyping the tumbados corridor in the country (a kind of corridor that combines rap, hip-hop and reggaetón), it really helped us take off.
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Q: Many people know you thanks to a viral video of you wearing Akatsuki robes playing at a convention and a group of cosplayers dancing along to your performance. Can you tell us a little more about that particular show?
Lalothing: That concert is what made us famous internationally. Someone uploaded a clip of that performance to TikTok, in which a cosplayer dressed as Boba Fett was dancing with Grogu, and it blew up. So much so that even the official Star Wars account reposted the video.
Q: Your popularity has increased steadily over the past few years. After Akira Toriyama sensei passed away, even fans outside of Mexico shared your content to express what Dragon Ball means to the global anime community. And in a time when people are protesting cultural appropriation and what can and cannot be combined, it's great to see the blending of two cultures being so enthusiastically embraced. How do you feel about that?
D: It's a great feeling. The support we receive is much greater than the hate and for us it means we are doing something right. We once read a comment that said: “This would be ridiculed if it were done poorly, but it was done so professionally that it worked.” From then on, we knew we had to work hard to prove this wasn't a joke. It's authentic norteño music. After all, it's not an insult to anyone. Quite the opposite — we want people to like it.
Q: Is music something you all do full-time? If not, do you want to pursue it as a career?
Lalothing: Music is really our second job. We all have this outside career. Our drummer, Diego, is an accountant. Erasmo, the accordion player, is a dentist! The youngest Shinigami is Fer, 16 years old and a high school student. Marcos, the bassist, and I (Lalothing) also have jobs outside of music. But what unites us all is that even though music is not our main job, it is what we are most passionate about and we all share the same goal of going further in this field.
Q: Which cover do you like to play the most?
Lalothing: “Moonlight Densetsu” by Dali (Sailor Moon)
Fer: “Butterfly” by DXGX (Digimon)
Marcos: “Pegasus Seiya” by Make-up (Saint Seiya)
Erasmo: “Los Malaventurados no lloran” by Pxndx
Diego: “Pegasus Seiya” by Make-up (Saint Seiya)
Q: What is the anime scene like in Mexico? We understand that Mexico is quite a large and diverse country. One state's culture, heritage, and socioeconomic structure can be completely different from another. Comparing Sonora to Yucatan is like comparing Florida to Alaska. Does the makeup of a state affect how anime is viewed and accepted?
D: We went to almost every state in Mexico and to our surprise, we found that anime is very well received throughout the country. There are more otaku now—it has become a trend. So much so that you can now find cosplay sold in various stores in most cities. Previously, it was not common. You have to order it from China or make it yourself. We don't think it's a bad thing that it's becoming a trend. Honestly, it's great that there are more of us and it's become so normal that there's no more bullying like before haha.
Q: During your time as a performer, what has been your favorite show or live experience that has really stood out to you? Is there anywhere you would like to play in the future?
D: There are many things that really affect us. The fact that television and internet celebrities, as well as norteño singers, know us and like what we do is heartwarming. We were delighted to be asked to collaborate with Playstation to provide part of the soundtrack for Final Fantasy XVI.
But the most impressive thing has to be that at an event organized by the Mexico-Japan Association, our friend Shinji Hirai (the event organizer) mentioned to us that the people at the Japanese Embassy in Mexico knew us and they liked our idea and were excited to welcome us at their event. Without a doubt, the ultimate goal of all otaku bands is to perform in Japan.
Q: If you could collaborate with any Japanese artist, who would it be?
Lalothing A: It would be Yoko Takahashi, Ikimonogakari or Baby Metal.
Q: We have to ask: what are some of your favorite Japanese shows, manga, and artists?
Diego: Inuyasha
Lalothing: My favorite anime is Evangelion, and my favorite artist is Baby Metal
Marcos: Sword Art Online
Fer: Hajime no Ippo
Erasmo: Dragon Ball
Q: Finally, can you tell our international fans anything about norteño music, culture or Mexico as a whole. What would that be??
D: We want to thank our fans for embracing and celebrating our culture, while acknowledging that in Mexico, we value fun. We appreciate bold efforts and seek to explore new experiences. You are welcome to visit our country anytime to dance to some great cumbia music. We love you all and appreciate your support. Thanks to you we can represent Otaku/Friki culture. Thank you for promoting the Nortaku movement and get ready for new music!
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Watch Los Shinigamis del Norte above X, Facebook and Instagram.
Listen to their music on YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.