These Are Gen Z’s Most-Streamed Corridos Legends on Spotify

It’s no surprise that Gen Z loves música mexicana. In 2022, Spotify revealed data about the generation’s love for specific subgenres like corridos and sierreño, which are still booming today. However, new Spotify data showed that Gen Z is not only listening to the newer generation of corrido artists but also routinely listening to corridos legends.

Though the new wave of artists is experiencing a peak, it’s not all about Peso Pluma, Natanael Cano, or Eslabon Armado. It turns out that the youth is also tuning into corridos icons. Per Spotify, the five most-streamed icons by Gen Z include Chalino Sanchez (No. 1), Los Tucanes De Tijuana (No. 2), El As De La Sierra (No. 3), Los Canelos De Durango (No. 4), and Valentín Elizalde (No. 5).

Surprisingly, the new data also revealed that Gen Z has a soft spot for romantic and nostalgia tracks. Though they’re not all specifically corridos — essentially storytelling folk ballads — Spotify grouped the most-streamed songs by the artists mentioned above as “corridos songs.” The 2023 list points out that the top traditional corridos songs with the most streams include songs like “Amor Platónico” by Los Tucanes de Tijuana (No. 1),  “Nieves De Enero” by Chalino Sanchez and Los Amables Del Norte (No. 2), and “Alma Enamorada” by Banda Brava and Chalino Sanchez (No. 3). It also features “La Chona” by Los Tucanes de Tijuana (No. 4), and “Baraja de Oro” by Chalino Sanchez (No. 5).

The list then continues with “Los Chismes” by Chalino Sanchez and Los Amables Del Norte (No. 6), “Espejeando” by Los Tucanes de Tijuana (No. 7), and “Secuestro De Amor” by Los Tucanes de Tijuana (No. 8). It wraps up with “El Centenario” by Los Tucanes de Tijuana (No. 9), and “Las Heladas” by Los Tucanes de Tijuana (No. 10).

Spotify points out that Gen Z in the U.S. listens to corridos for an estimated 347,000 minutes weekly. Worldwide, Gen Z spends “over 1 billion minutes taking in the música mexicana.” The streaming platform also cites that corridos account for 77 percent of música mexicana streaming this year. Moreover, Spotify curates playlists like Corridos de Antaño, La Tierra de Corrido, and  We Love Corridos Viejitos to continue elevating the trend. They also work on releasing special Spotify singles like “La Tierra del Corrido” by Edén Muñoz, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, and Fuerza Regida.