The truth is that we’ve missed Peso Pluma’s public appearances in recent weeks, but his sudden disappearance didn’t surprise us. Following his controversial breakup with Argentine trap star Nicki Nicole after the viralization of a video showing the Doble P with a woman in Las Vegas, the «LADY GAGA» singer has been keeping a low profile. Until now.
Peso Pluma granted an interview to Rolling Stone in early March, resulting in an extensive feature that the Mexican artist used to announce his upcoming album, Éxodo, which also coincides with the name of his next tour in the United States. But that’s not all; Hassan Emilio (the Jalisco-born artist’s real name) also took the opportunity to break the silence about his split with Nicki Nicole.
🇲🇽 @_PesoPluma is the biggest new artist on the planet — and the #RollingStoneFutureofMusic cover star
The música mexicana star talks his upcoming album ‘Éxodo,’ the hectic (sometimes tumultuous) side of life in the spotlight & more.
Cover story/Photos: https://t.co/dTNWsEFo4x pic.twitter.com/fV3q7b70qd
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) March 11, 2024
Peso Pluma officially unleashed the fever of Mexican music (a term that, after its breakthrough in the industry, seems to have finally defeated the criticized term «regional mexicano» to describe the broad umbrella of styles in the country) with the release of his Grammy-awarded ‘Génesis’ (2023). A studio work that delved into luxury and vice, with rhythms from traditional Mexican music, but fused with aesthetics and rhymes more characteristic of hip-hop and trap.
Although the fleeting success of the young Mexican has been attributed to the existing narcoculture that exploded other genres in its time, such as hip-hop or Latin trap, Peso Pluma has managed to leave an unparalleled mark on the industry. In 2023, the Doble P and his band also became the first performance in the history of Mexican music to appear on the VMAs. The artist had surpassed Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny as the most viewed artist on YouTube, with explosive collaborations in different styles and registers ranging from Anitta’s Bellakeo to Kali Uchis’ disco-pop.
However, as narrated in his profile in Rolling Stone, this process of creating the new album, while seemingly enjoyable (he recounts how he takes shots of tequila with high-level composers like Edgar Barrera during his writing camps), is not entirely easy. Although the Mexican artist declined from the beginning to answer questions about his relationship with Argentine artist Nicki Nicole, it is inevitable that the issue of media pressure did not emerge in Peso Pluma’s first interview after the scandalous controversy.
In this context, Peso Pluma also presents Éxodo as a more direct response to the negative press that seems to surround him, according to the magazine.
«[On Génesis] people already saw the good side, the superhero side. But I think this year, they’re going to know a darker side- There’s going to be a lot of things about why we do what we do, and why we sing what we do, why people pit us against each other, why media always look for bad things, why people focus more on the negatives than the positives,» he reveals to the magazine. «I think it’s 10 times more convenient for the media to have bad news than good news. People talk more about the bad stuff than the good stuff. No, it’s not easy, but I think day to day, I’m learning to not give a shit about everything, you know? And to just do what I like. If they like it, good. And if they don’t like it, again, good.»
For all those who have wondered where Peso Pluma has been hiding these weeks after the notable breakup with Nicole, Hassan has also used the interview to answer this question. The answer is in his Orange County home, barricaded in his game room, playing PlayStation and smoking weed, as well as binge-watching Disney movies like Lilo & Stitch or Ratatouille.
Peso Pluma is currently about to perform his first concert after the breakup with Nicole and the cancellation of several consecutive dates in Latin America, including his headlining appearance at the Viña del Mar festival, where he was replaced by Argentine singer Trueno.
To our delight, we’ll be able to see the Doble P perform at ACL Live at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas, starting at 10:55 pm. A musical showcase by Rolling Stone and SXSW, where the Mexican artist will share the stage with Young Miko, Kevin Kaarl, J Noa, Pink Pablo, and DJ Gabby Got It, among other artists.
Next Week ‼️ @_PesoPluma takes the stage at the @rollingstone x @sxsw #RollingStoneFutureOfMusic showcase
📅 March 13
🕠 Doors open 5:30PM
📍 ACL Live at The Moody TheaterDetails/RSVP: https://t.co/DNm2xOxVvn pic.twitter.com/7ZUgWJaPXy
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) March 6, 2024
Additionally, Peso Pluma is already closer to finishing his next album. «I want it to be a surprise for everyone. I’m focusing on fine-tuning all the details, but there’s going to be a lot of flavors, not only of regional Mexican music,» he says. «From the beginning, I’ve liked doing things to get out of my comfort zone. I know everything goes great with corridos, but I also don’t pass up opportunities to do other stuff I like. I couldn’t have imagined doing the type of genre I did with Kali, but I think it’s a chance to show what Mexicans are made of and what we can do.»
Although there is still no release date for his upcoming studio work, Éxodo, these words reveal that his next studio work could be closer than we think. And it may also tell us more than we thought, more than what we had seen so far from the Doble P.