Kevin Ortiz

Born in Pasadena, California, Kevin Ortiz works as a Latin pop singer and shares a sibling bond with songwriter and performer Gerardo Ortiz. The youngest of five children, he grew up with first-generation American parents whose own parents hailed from Culiacán, Sinaloa, anchoring him deeply in regional Mexican musical traditions. Formal training began early when, at age five, he took up the accordion to study polkas, rancheras, and conjuntos, though singing stayed limited to time spent with friends. That private habit expanded once Gerardo broke into the industry and built a dual reputation as songwriter and recording artist, inspiring Kevin to follow suit. Gerardo supplied the material for Kevin’s debut single, “Un Minuto,” issued in July 2013, which earned substantial airplay. Both brothers later received honors at Univision’s Youth Awards, where Gerardo presented Kevin with the Youth Revelation Award. Their paths diverged most clearly with Kevin’s first album, Con la Misma Sangre, released in November 2013: instead of gritty corridos, it centered on romantic ballads. The set reached number five on the Hot Latin Albums chart and simultaneously topped the Regional Mexican Albums list. A full year of nonstop touring followed, carrying him throughout Mexico and across the United States. He returned to the studio in 2015 and delivered Mi Vicio, Mi Adicción in February 2016. That project featured Gerardo on the corrido “Volverá,” Beto Vega on the corrido “A Los 18,” and a surprising cumbia, “Que Sí, Que No,” with Colombian reggaetoñero Maluma. It entered the Mexican Regional Albums chart at number two and landed in the same position on the Hot Latin Albums chart one month later, then climbed back to second place on the Mexican Regional Albums chart fifteen months after release. A third album, Aqui Sigo Todavia, appeared in 2018.