Lupita Infante Esparza is an American singer-songwriter. She sings traditional

mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two ...

, norteño, and

ranchera Ranchera () or canción ranchera is a genre of traditional music of Mexico. It dates to before the years of the Mexican Revolution. Rancheras today are played in the vast majority of regional Mexican music styles. Drawing on rural traditional fo ...

music. Infante's debut studio album ''La Serenata'' (2019) was nominated for a

Grammy Award for Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano) The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

. In 2020, her song "Dejaré" was nominated for a

Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from any ...

. Infante advocates for

women's empowerment Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several method, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy, equal status in society, ...

through her music.

Early life

Lupita Infante Esparza is the daughter of Marisol Esparza and actor . Her paternal grandparents are Mexican performers and

Pedro Infante Pedro Infante Cruz (; 18 November 1917 – 15 April 1957) was a Mexican ranchera singer and actor whose career spanned the golden age of Mexican cinema. Infante was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, and raised in nearby Guamúchil. He died on 15 Apri ...

. Infante's mother moved to the United States from

Zacatecas Zacatecas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 31 states of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Zacatecas, 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas City, Zacatec ...

when she was 16. Infante was raised in a

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

family in

Downey, California Downey is a city located in Southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. It is considered part of the Gateway Cities. The city is the birthplace of the Apollo space program and Taco Bell. It is ...

. While in college, Infante worked at a senior and community center where she would sometimes sing. She completed a degree in

ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the multidisciplinary study of music in its cultural context. The discipline investigates social, cognitive, biological, comparative, and other dimensions. Ethnomusicologists study music as a reflection of culture and investiga ...

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

, in 2017. To pay for school, Infante was a driver for

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...

and

Lyft Lyft, Inc. is an American company offering ride-hailing services, motorized scooters, and bicycle-sharing systems in the United States and Canada. Lyft sets fares, which vary using a dynamic pricing model based on local supply and demand a ...

and worked as a music teacher.

Career

In 2017, Infante was a finalist on ''La Voz''. On the show, she chose

Carlos Vives Carlos Alberto Vives Restrepo (born 7 August 1961) is a Colombians, Colombian singer, songwriter and actor. One of the List of best-selling Latin music artists, best-selling Latin music artists of all time, with over 20 million records world ...

as her vocal coach. Infante was an opening act for

Shaila Dúrcal Shaila de los Ángeles Morales de las Heras (born 28 August 1979), better known as Shaila Dúrcal, is a Spanish singer and songwriter. Her parents are singers Rocío Dúrcal and Antonio Morales ("Junior"). Biography She was born in Madrid, d ...

and

Beatriz Adriana Beatriz Adriana Flores de Saracho (born March 5, 1958), commonly known as Beatriz Adriana, is a Mexican singer of ranchera. Beatriz Adriana was born on 5 March 1958 in Navojoa, Sonora, and moved to Mexico City in 1970. She appeared in her first ...

. In June 2018, Infante performed at the Mariachi USA festival. In 2018, after releasing a cover of "Flor Sin Retoño", Infante signed with

Peermusic Peermusic is a United States–based independent Music publisher (popular music), music publisher. History Ralph Peer, a field recording engineer and Artists and repertoire, A&R representative for Victor Records, went on a scouting trip to Brist ...

. During the

COVID-19 pandemic in California The COVID-19 pandemic in California began earlier than in some other parts of the United States. Ten of the first 20 confirmed COVID-19 infections in the United States were detected in California, and the first infection was confirmed on Janua ...

, Infante recorded music videos in her front yard. She released her debut studio album ''La Serenata'' on September 27, 2019. It contains thirteen traditional

and norteño songs including "Sabor a Mí", "Dejaré", "Ya Ni Me Acuerdo" and "Yo He Nacido Mexicano". In the album, she advocates for

. In September 2020, Infante and

Frankie J Francisco Javier Bautista Jr. (born December 7, 1975) better known by his stage name Frankie J, is a Mexican-American singer and former member of the musical group Kumbia Kings. Born in Mexico, he grew up in San Diego and became a freestyle art ...

covered and released a music video of " Buenos Amigos" for his album, ''Canciones Que Recuerdo''. In 2020, at the

21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards The 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held on Thursday, November 19, 2020 and broadcast on TelevisaUnivision. The 2020 Latin Grammy ceremony was anchored from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, though the health protocols enacted due to the ...

, her song "Dejaré" was nominated for a Best Regional Mexican Song. At the Latin Grammy Awards, Infante and José Hernández covered "Amorcito Corazón" as a tribute to her grandfather, Pedro Infante. In 2021, at the

63rd Annual Grammy Awards The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 201 ...

, her album, ''La Serenata'' was nominated for the Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano). Infante was inspired by her father and grandfather to pursue singing traditional Mexican music. Her

music is influenced by

Chavela Vargas Chavela Vargas (; born María Isabel Anita Carmen de Jesús Vargas Lizano; 17 April 1919 – 5 August 2012) was a Costa Rican-born Mexican singer. She gained widespread recognition for her distinctive interpretations of Mexican rancheras. Howev ...

Aida Cuevas Aída Cuevas (; born Aída Gabriela Cuevas Castillo; September 24, 1963) is a Mexican singer and actress. Affectionately known as "The Queen of Ranchera Music”, Cuevas has recorded 40 albums, selling 10 million copies worldwide. Her work has ...

, and

Amalia Mendoza Amalia Mendoza García (10 July 1923 – 11 June 2001), nicknamed ''La Tariácuri'', was a Mexican singer and actress. "Échame a mi la culpa" and "Amarga navidad" were some of her greatest hits. Her best friend since her youth was Martha de Mi ...

Discography

Studio albums

* ''La Serenata'' (2019)

Singles

* "Luna de Octubre" (2018) * "Flor Sin Retoño" (2018) * "Dejaré" (2020) * " Buenos Amigos" (2020) with

* "Amorcito Corazón" (2020) with José Hernández

Awards and honors

In 2020, she was listed as one of the 100 Latina Powerhouses by ''Hola! USA''.

Personal life

Infante's father acted in over 80 films. On April 1, 2009, he died in a Los Angeles hospital as a result of 12 self-inflicted stab wounds. He is buried in a cemetery in

Querétaro Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Querétaro, 18 municipalities. Its capital city is Querétaro Cit ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Infante, Lupita Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Musicians from Downey, California 21st-century American women singers American women singer-songwriters American musicians of Mexican descent Singers from Los Angeles Hispanic and Latino American women singers University of California, Los Angeles alumni American ranchera singers American norteño musicians 21st-century American singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from California Latin music songwriters Women in Latin music Sony Music Latin artists