Esaú Ortiz had already penned important songs for Luis R Conriquez (“De Fresa y Coco”) and Grupo Firme (“Tronando Ligas” with Junior H) when he had a thought: “If I’ve written hits for other artists, how could I not write one for myself?” Then, it happened. The 27-year-old artist from Monterrey, Nuevo León released his biggest hit to date, titled “Triple Lavada” — which also includes a remix featuring Conriquez, Alemán, Óscar Maydon and Victor Mendivil.
The remix — released in May, two months after the original one — earned Ortiz his first top 10 on any Billboard chart when the song peaked at No. 9 on the Hot Latin Songs chart. It also peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and at No. 17 on the Billboard Global 200 chart. The plan was to only release the remix version, not two separate ones. But, he had to pivot quickly when, earlier this year, a part of the song was leaked on TikTok and gained momentum.
“It took time to get everyone on board, so I had to release it on my own, and besides, it had been leaked, so I had to release it right away,” Ortiz says over Zoom. “The leaked version was already at the top of the [TikTok] charts, so I had to request for it to get taken down and release my own version. I couldn’t wait for the remix.”
Still, the spunky retrobélico stands as Ortiz’s biggest milestone yet since launching his career over 10 years ago, mainly as a songwriter, and the song has now cemented his status as a Latin artist on the rise in a crowded field of new música mexicana acts.
Ortiz may have had his major breakthrough as a songwriter, but his dream was always to be a performing artist. He began performing in Kindergarten singing Pedro Fernández songs and later, in his teens, transitioned into rap. He was motivated by his mom, who also sings and performs at parties doing tributes to stars like Gloria Trevi.
“Then I started singing reggaetón, banda, grupero, corridos tumbados, I think I performed in every genre,” Ortiz says. He joined a few local bands and also started writing his own songs because, “the music I was listening to didn’t say what I experienced exactly, so I had to write it myself.” He began uploading videos of him performing his songs on Facebook and eventually promoters and even local bands began reaching out to him.
“I wanted to be an artist, but it’s really difficult, it takes time,” Oritz says. “I thought, I’m going to sneak in this way and make a name for myself as a composer, then I’ll make money for everyone and then, when I decide to be an artist, I’ll already have superstar friends I’ve written for that I can collaborate with. When you start as a songwriter, you’re already on the other side and there are people who like what you do and how you write. You’ve already proven yourself.”
This year, “Triple Lavada” marked the launch of his career as an artist, and earned him a distribution and marketing deal with Sony Music Latin. His first big deal in the industry after experiencing a few heartbreaks early on in his career when other companies “stole” from him, he explains. “I was just doing deals how I thought I should but no one was guiding me, I was on my own.” Today, he’s releasing music under his own self-titled label.
“‘Triple Lavada’ was that change from composer to artist, that watershed moment, where there is a before and after,” Ortiz says. It also served as an introduction to the subgenre he pioneered, retrobélico — which came to him when he was listening disco music at a party. It was also the perfect set up for his latest album Discontrol, released Oct. 10. The album cover, inspired by Michael Jackson’s Thriller, is enough indication that Ortiz is offering something different, a more nuanced approach to regional Mexican music.
As a self-declared fan of The Weeknd, Sabrina Carpenter and Post Malone, his music is a fusion of disco, rap, cumbia, pop and ballads powered by Mexican music instruments. “I wanted people to realize that I can do many genres,” he says. “I don’t want to limit myself to just one genre, that’s why I made the album super varied. I consider myself regional, but as a variation, as a branch of regional music.”
Below, learn more about this month’s Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise:
Name: Esaú Ortiz Anzuara
Age: 27
Recommended Song: “Triple Lavada” or “Discontrol”
Biggest Accomplishment:
“Launching my career as an artist and pioneering retrobélico.”
What’s Next:
“I’m working on my next album, which will drop next year. Discontrol didn’t really have collaborations because I wanted to showcase my essence what I represent as a retrobélico artist. But I have collaborations coming up with Lit Killah, Xavi and Alemán, and I want to save them for the next album.”
