Pesado

Formed in Nuevo Leon, Mexico in 1993 by accordionist and frontman Beto Zapata together with Pepe Elizondo on bajo sexto and vocals, the norteño act Pesado first operated under the name Grupo Pesado. Their opening release, Ayudame a Olvidar, came out on MCM. Gold certification arrived quickly for the 1994 follow-up Llego el Amor. A major commercial breakthrough occurred the next year with the single "Eso Me Gusta." In 1997 bassist Rodolfo Gajardo gave way to Juan Antonio Pequeño. Another personnel shift took place in 1999 when ex-Grupo Límite drummer Luis Mario Garza replaced Mario Padilla. By the issuance of their seventh album, 1999's A Tu Encuentro, the group had moved to the newly launched WeaMEX imprint, an affiliation that produced several greatest-hits packages at the turn of the millennium. Early 2001 brought Todo Tuyo, the first Pesado title to register on the charts. Further albums appeared, maintaining gold and platinum sales momentum, until Piensame un Momento surfaced in 2006, extending the run and earning a Grammy nomination for Best Norteño Album.

Gracias por Tu Amor followed soon afterward, an album whose lyrics confronted physical abuse and longstanding ideas of male machismo throughout Latin America. Both the record and its title-track single generated intense radio and television debate, yet the controversy expanded sales and airplay.

Marking their own fifteenth anniversary in 2008, Pesado issued the collection of classic corrido covers Corridos: Defendiendo el Honor, drawing material from Los Cadetes de Linares, Ramón Ayala, and Los Tigres del Norte. Several months later they released the new-material set Sólo Contigo.

Recorded live at Pico's Bar in Nuevo Leon, the second corrido tribute Desde la Cantina, Vol. 1 appeared in 2010 and spotlighted historic songs by Eliseo Robles, Lupe Tijerina de Los Cadetes de Linares, Don Cesareo Sánchez, and Los Cardenales de Nuevo León.

Una Historia para Siempre reached stores in 2011; its single "Mientras Dormías" alluded to Zapata's recent marriage, and the romantic tone propelled the track up the charts. A subsequent tour gave way to swift re-entry into the studio, producing Mi Promesa less than a year later. That album featured three charting singles—the title track, "Que Bonito Es el Amor," and "Le Creí"—and stood among the group's most romantic statements.

Pesado delivered the single "Mi Primer Amor," written by Zapata and dedicated to mothers, in January 2013; its video gained particular traction. Rather than follow immediately with an album, the band issued "Cuando Estas de Buenas" in August and "Por Ti" in September, both serving as precursors to the twentieth-anniversary concert at Arena Monterrey. Two retrospective live albums, Directo 93-13, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, documented the occasion and included guest appearances by Mariachi San Luis, Celso Piña, and Los Tigres del Norte's Raul Hernandez.

Four advance singles appeared in early 2015—"Que Aún Te Amo" in January, followed by "Te Quiero, Te Adoro" and "Pude Olvidarte" in March—building anticipation for Abrázame, whose title track surfaced the day of the album's April release. Four tracks occupied the airplay charts simultaneously, sustaining visibility through the remainder of the year.

Following their customary pattern, Pesado next issued a tribute album, this time devoted entirely to the historic norteño force Los Alegres de Terán. Released by Disa in February 2016, Tributo a los Alegres de Terán reached number two on the Mexican Regional Albums chart.

The pre-release single "Me Estorbas" arrived at the end of September and peaked at number seven on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart. Zapata later revealed that the full-length Los Angeles Existen had been slated for summer 2017, introduced by its title track, which climbed to number seventeen on Regional Mexican Airplay and remained on the chart for twenty weeks. A move to Remex Music and heavy touring postponed the project. "Yo No Tengo Remedio" appeared as a third single in October and reached number ten on Regional Mexican Airplay. Pesado and Remex finally released Los Angeles Existen in April 2018; alongside the singles, the album contained ten additional songs written by Zapata, Elizondo, Elías Medina, and Felipe.