Diana Reyes

Though Duranguense remains a realm dominated by male performers and features only a handful of women, Diana Reyes has asserted her presence with assurance. Born in Puerto de la Paz, Baja California, she displayed an early musical aptitude. Performing under the name Diana Polanco, she appeared at local festivals and staged concerts at an age when most children were still in first grade. At eight she cut her debut norteño album in Guadalajara, which yielded the singles “Barrios y Escuela” and “Cristo Rey.” Throughout the early ’90s she kept appearing onstage, attracting notice from key figures in regional Mexican music; among them was Lola Beltrán, who took particular interest in the young singer. Several years afterward Reyes issued her first full-length project, A Todo Norte, an album that opened opportunities across Sinaloa, her family’s home state. She soon moved to Mexico City and signed with Azteca Music, where she achieved nationwide recognition. The 2000 radio smashes “La Joya Nortena” and “Querida Socia” earned her the enduring nickname “La Socia,” which also served as the title of her 2001 collection containing those tracks. When the Duranguense style swept across Mexico, Reyes felt compelled to reshape her sound and released La Reina del Pasito Duranguense, spotlighting the hits “Rosas,” “El Sol No Regresa,” and “Como una Mariposa.” That recording became her first gold-certified effort; it was followed a year later by her second, Las No. 1 de la Reina. Her third gold album, Te Voy a Mostrar, appeared in 2007.