DannyLux is an innovative singer exploring a plethora of musical references through the lens of his dual Mexican-American heritage. From making waves on TikTok to collaborating with regional Mexican group Eslabon Armado and opening for Coldplay, DannyLux has a rather stellar resume. This is alongside his creative musical inspirations and the exciting studio albums defining his unique sound.

DannyLux is a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and guitarist whose music infuses traditional Mexican folk with classic rock. He was born and raised in Palm Springs, California and received his first guitar from his father when he was seven years old.

In a 2021 interview, DannyLux recalled being “star-struck with the guitar”. His father, a refuse collector, picked up the second-hand guitar from the trash, allowing him to transform what someone else had discarded into treasure.

Over a decade later, the fast-rising star has nearly 2.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. DannyLux found fame due to social media, specifically TikTok. In DannyLux’s words, he “started a TikTok with the intention of posting videos of him singing”, and the platform was “just another social media account like Instagram”.

When DannyLux posted a viral video (resulting in over 100,000 views), he was motivated to keep uploading videos. His Instagram following (which currently sits at over 800,000 followers) also grew. At the time of writing, “his most popular video has over half a million views and over 220,000 likes”.

COLLABORATING WITH ESLABON ARMADO: ‘JUGASTE Y SUFRI’
After gaining a formidable social media following, DannyLux’s next major music breakthrough came in December 2020, when he featured on regional Mexican group Eslabon Armados’ track “Jugaste Y Sufri”.

The song charted number one on Billboard’s Latin Songwriters chart. Eslabon Armado soloist Pedro Tovar initiated the collaboration by reaching out to DannyLux through TikTok.

“I did a cover of one of his songs. And one day he asked me if I would like to participate in his next album. I was very excited. I was so happy that day,” DannyLux said. The two then on Facetime, and Danny Lux showed Tovar more of the songs he wrote.

“I decided to show him the song I was still working on as well. He really liked my song. I said I finished it, but I actually lied because I only wrote half of it,” DannyLux revealed.

“After we finished the call, I immediately went to finish the song and finished it the same night. Later we recorded it in the studio. And so a song called ‘Jugaste Y Sufri’ was born.”

Cut to the spring of 2022, Sierreno sensation DannyLux served as the opening act for nine nights of Coldplay’s extended Mexican tour. In an interview on the day of his last tour performance, DannyLux said that when Coldplay asked him to open for them, he was “so confused”.

He questioned whether they had the right artiste because DannyLux’s “music is so different in terms of sound from what they play”. But like indie luminaries Coldplay, DannyLux, who has “always wanted to just be able to change people’s moods or lives with my music”, also embeds a layer of emotionality into his offering.

DannyLux has shared how the experience helped him as a performer. “It’s been such a big step because, before the tour, my first headline show was with 500 people, which felt like so much. Fast-forward to where I’m at now while playing in front of thousands, just feels crazy,” he said.

In his 2022 interview with Spin, DannyLux recounted the first song he learned to play on guitar. It was Mexican-American legend Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba”. He emphasised how much Valens encouraged him to inspire others “to create their own sound that’s unique to them”.

Aside from Chicano rock pioneer Valens, DannyLux is influenced by British rock bands The Beatles (his favourite band as a child) and Pink Floyd, alongside American folk-rock artistes like The Eagles and Regional Mexican musicians including Ariel Camacho. DannyLux also cites Eslabon Armado as one of his contemporary musical influences, saying, “I have always been a fan of their music.”

He also thanked the band for helping him to reach music fans beyond TikTok. Drawing upon such a broad pool of references makes for a fluid listening experience. Thus, DannyLux’s sound is almost hard to define. In his own words during a 2021 interview with Mitu: “I always wanted to start something new, like a new wave. I don’t want to keep doing what everyone’s already doing. I like it when there’s like uniqueness to somebody. I don’t want to sound like anybody else.”

But, if one was to be so bold, DannyLux’s music is a sonic journey through genres like melancholic Sierreno, Indie, Corrido, Chicano, and classic-meets-alt rock. “Nuestro Pasado”, a track taken from the 2021 album Love </3 even adds reggae into the mix. Corridos are a traditional Mexican song style that uses storytelling, poetic metre and sentimental themes to form a ballad.

Corrido was popularised amid the historical context of the Mexican Revolution, but it’s still favoured in contemporary Mexican and Western music. The themes of traditional corridos often revolved around oppression and outlaw and vaquero life. DannyLux’s soulful lyrics imbued with storytelling about love and life, paired with his signature laidback requinto guitar and chord choices, all signify his corrido inspiration.

His breakthrough collaboration with Armado, “Jugaste Y Sufri”, is another example of how he is inspired by, yet also reimages, regional Mexican and corrido narratives through meaningful lyrics and vocal harmonies. Regarding his approach to contemporary corridos, DannyLux consciously takes the style beyond the connotations of corridos verdes and creates a further breakaway from Natanael Cano’s corridos tumbados.

DannyLux addressed this in his 2021 interview with Mitu, saying, “When people think of corridos, people automatically think of people talking about drugs in their songs. With my music, I feel like it’s just calmer. “You can listen to it and just like be vibing to it. Even if it’s my sad songs, you can still be vibing to those.” Indie record label VPS Music signed DannyLux in 2020 when he was 16. At the time of writing (December 2022), DannyLux’s catalogue includes three studio albums and one five-track EP.