By now, you’ve probably heard the name Peso Pluma. It seems as though the Mexican singer has taken over the entire world recently – he’s collaborated with some of the biggest musicians on the globe, he’s broken numerous records on the Billboard charts, and he recently dethroned Bad Bunny as the most-streamed artist on Mexico’s Spotify.
But who exactly is the new star – who seemed to pop up out of nowhere and has now become a massive sensation practically overnight?
Hailing from a family who was not artistic at all, Peso, 23, impressively taught himself to play guitar when he was only 15 by watching videos on YouTube.
He then started taking his diary entries and turning them into songs – and he soon realized that he was destined to become a musician.
It seems as though Mexican singer Peso Pluma has taken over the world recently – he’s broken numerous records and he recently became the most-streamed artist on Mexico’s Spotify
But who exactly is the new star – who seemed to pop up out of nowhere and has now become a massive sensation practically overnight?
He spent two years struggling to break into the industry – releasing two albums and an EP under a small label in Mexico – but he dreamed of making it big in America.
Peso didn’t give up, and his fierce determination paid off. After signing to a new label, he started teaming up with other popular artists to release a slew of super catchy hits – and it now seems like some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are lining up for a chance to work with him.
His songs have now completely flooded social media – specifically TikTok, where millions of people have shared clips of themselves dancing to the tunes – and he made history this week when a whopping five of his tracks appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at the same time.
He’s now set to embark on his first headlining tour – and he’s even rumored to make a surprise appearance at Coachella Music Festival.
As Peso continues his takeover, FEMAIL went ahead and rounded up everything you need to know about him.
From how he rose to fame and overcame bullies making fun of him for writing songs to all the impressive artists he’s worked with and what’s next for him, here’s a complete guide to Spotify’s most-streamed artist in Mexico.
Peso’s difficult rise to fame: The Mexican singer taught himself to play guitar as a teen and spent years struggling to break into the industry
Peso was born as Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija in Guadalajara. He taught himself how to play guitar when he was 15 and started writing songs
Peso was born as Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija in Guadalajara, in the west Mexican state of Jalisco. After falling in love with the idea of making music, Peso decided to teach himself to play guitar by watching YouTube videos when he was only 15.
While chatting with Billboard earlier this year, he explained that he was always writing down his thoughts in a diary as a kid – and after he learned how to play the instrument, he began turning his entries into songs.
But the singer explained that his peers often made fun of him for penning his emotions in the journal.
‘Ever since I was a kid, I would write down my emotions because it was like therapy for me,’ he explained.
‘I used to have a diary and my friends would make fun of me – because that’s considered “girly” – but it worked for me.
‘That’s where I’d write how I was feeling, then I realized some stuff would rhyme. I kept practicing and became better with time.’
He spent two years struggling to break into the industry – releasing two albums and an EP under a small label in Mexico – but he dreamed of making it big in America
Peso didn’t give up and his fierce determination paid off. Now seems like some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are lining up for a chance to work with him
At first, he and his cousins tried performing his songs together in a band called Tito Laija, but when that didn’t work, he decided to try again on his own.
He eventually caught the attention of the small Mexican-based label El Cartel De los Angeles Ent, who decided to sign him. He then released his debut album, Ah y Qué? in April 2020.
When it came time for Peso to drop his first LP, he decided to use the stage name Peso Pluma, which translates to ‘featherweight’ in Spanish after the boxing category.
He took on the moniker after Mexican boxer Marco Antonio Barrera referred to him as ‘Peso Pluma’ due to his small stature.
His second studio album, Efectos Secundarios, came out in March 2021, followed by an EP in April 2022, called De él Sembrando, but all of them failed to gain traction.
His breakthrough moment: Peso eventually switched labels and started teaming up with other artists – and he was soon propelled into the spotlight
In 2022, he teamed up with singer Raúl Vega to release the song El Belicón. He then dropped the song Siempres Pending with Luis R Conriques. He and Luis are seen together in 2022
Since then, Peso has dropped a slew of other big singles – and has collaborated with many artists like Becky G (left), Nicki Nicole, and Marshmallow (right)
Peso then switched to Prajin Records, and his career quickly took off. In 2022, he teamed up with singer Raúl Vega to release the song El Belicón, which was wildly popular – selling 480,000 copies in the US and getting certified eight times platinum in Latin America.
He then dropped the song Siempres Pending with Luis R Conriques. And while the tune did have some controversy surrounding it – it was temporarily removed from YouTube after it was brought to light that there were lyrics praising drug kingpin El Chapo – that didn’t stop it from becoming a huge hit anyway.
Peso also recently became the most-streamed artist on Spotify on Mexico, taking the title from legendary Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny
In February 2023, his track AMG with Natanael Cano and Gabito Ballesteros became his first single to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart, debuting at number 92.
Since then, Peso has dropped a slew of other big singles – and has collaborated with many artists like Becky G, Nicki Nicole, and Marshmallow.
He’s also broken numerous records – this week, he had five songs on the Billboard Hot 100, making him the Mexican artist with the most entries, and his song Ella Baila Sola with Eslabón Armado reached number 17 on the list, which is the highest position ever occupied by any Mexican artist.
Peso also recently became the most-streamed artist on Spotify in Mexico, taking the title from Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny – and his sudden success is something he still can’t wrap his mind around.
‘Everything is happening so fast,’ he told Billboard. ‘I’m as excited about everything as I am scared. I’m just enjoying the moment. I think I’m doing all right.
‘It took me a while to assimilate what was happening. To see my name on the charts, to see my name next to really important artists, I always dreamed with this.
‘I know it’s all happening so fast, but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to stop working hard. On the contrary, I feel obligated to continue delivering hits.’
Looking ahead: Peso is gearing up for his first headlining tour around the US, and is determined to make Mexican music more popular all over the world
As for what’s next for the star, he hopes to make Mexican music more popular all over the world
He also recently announced that he’ll embarking on his first headlining US tour this summer. The tour will kick off in Bakersfield, California on July 7
As for what’s next for the star, he hopes to make Mexican music more popular all over the world.
‘I feel like Mexican Music has come close to really going international, but it hasn’t fully happened yet,’ he explained.
‘The United States isn’t everything. I want to go to Brazil, Spain, Argentina. I’m up for the challenge.
‘The regional Mexican artist is emerging – we’re growing within the industry, you can’t deny that anymore.’
There’s been rumors that Peso will make a guest appearance at Becky G’s upcoming Coachella performance after he revealed he had been ‘invited to a very special event’ on social media.
He also recently announced that he’ll embarking on his first headlining US tour this summer.
‘It has always been a dream of mine – and the whole Peso Pluma family – to go on tour in the US and I definitely didn’t expect it to happen so soon,’ he said in a statement to Rolling Stone.
‘I am looking forward to connecting with my fans in every city and getting to experience every moment of this with them.
‘We have a great show planned, lots of new music on the way, exciting collaborations, and showing everyone what the Double P is made of.’
The tour will kick off in Bakersfield, California on July 7, and will stretch across 22 cities before concluding in Anaheim, California, on October 6.
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