By: Ashmar Mandou
Profoundly immersed in tradition, Mexican American singer-songwriter Lupita Infante is making sure she’s preserving history while paving her own path. The granddaughter of Mexican legend Pedro Infante, the singer developed her own spin on traditional mariachi music while evoking the sounds of her grandfather’s music. Two-time Grammy nominee Infante has put out several albums, including La Serenata, Amor Como en las Películas De Antes, and her latest La Corona Es Mía. She is currently opening as a special guest for the world-renowned Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán where fans will spend a night steeped in the tradition and beauty of mariachi music, and relish in Infante’s powerful vocals. Infante spoke to Lawndale Bilingual News about the show and the importance of preserving her legacy, history, and paving a new path for herself.
Lawndale Bilingual News: You are coming to Chicago at the start of Mexican Independence Day and Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations as a special guest with Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán as part of their 2025 El Legado Tour. How does it feel to be in Chicago during that time?
Lupita Infante: You know it’s been interesting since I’ve started this music career, obviously I started off locally in Los Angeles because that’s where I grew up and I thought we were proud of our heritage, proud of our Mexican roots here. But there’s been times I’ve visited Chicago, and I am surprised by the amount of pride. There’s so much pride displayed. There is a strong love for Mexican culture. To see the cars wrapped in Mexican flags, to see the pride…it’s impressive.
LN: Is there a certain energy when you perform in places like Chicago?
LI: Yes, most definitely. The whole area there…I do become emotional. More than anything because the audience gives so much energy. I feel that recharged and I want to give all that energy back. I also have such an incredible base of fans where we have even done meetups. There were so many people who were amazing, and we had a little fan club meet-up a couple of years ago. It’s a totally different vibe and it’s very special and I feel lucky and blessed that I can tap into that energy. It’s part of my culture, too because I’m of Mexican roots, but I was born in the U.S., and I’m sure that the fans who come out and see the concert and enjoy this music, I’m sure there are a lot like me, too.
LN: How do you honor your grandfather’s legacy while also paving your own path?
LI: I think it’s special, and the way I’m seeing it…I see myself as a bridge where people, like me, who grew up in the U.S. really appreciate and want a connection to their heritage and to their roots. One of the best ways to do it is through music. Of course, food [laughs], but music is also a great mode of transportation to really take you through this part of Mexico that maybe we once knew or maybe we want to reconnect with, so I like to see myself as a bridge to connect those two worlds. I think at one point my grandfather was connecting with people in his day and age and meeting them where they were at. There was once a moment where a man in Chicago who told me this great story about how he knew my grandfather. His name was Rodrigo Meza, and he was a background singer who knew all my grandfather’s songs and knew all his keys. So, he was at one of my shows and he stopped me. I was singing one of my songs and he stopped me, and he was like, “I knew your grandfather and all the songs and all the keys,” in the middle of the show. And he told me this incredible story about being a musician; he had this amazing history. And then a week or two later he passed away. I thought every time one of these historical figures, keepers of history, when they pass away pass away, we lose a bit of that history.
LN: Is that also your motivation as a singer to help reconnect people with their roots? Do you see yourself as a keeper of history?
LI: I think in some sense I feel like a preserver, but at the same time even talking about past artists, they were different than I am because they were born in Mexico and they were really born into that culture. And as Mexican as I want to feel, I am also very American because I grew up here. Even my frame of culture and society is going to change who I am. So, at the same time, I think I’m going to be building something new even through the expression of this music and the culture that I know or that I feel was instilled by my parents. So, at the same time, yes, I try to be a keeper in some ways. But then I’m sure I’m infusing something new into the song just because of the nature of how I grew up.
LN: Do you remember the pinpoint moment you were inspired to begin your musical career?
LI: Oh, yea and it ties back to what we were talking about earlier. My dad passed away in 2009, when I was 22 years old. I was already singing and in community college taking courses in a music program. When he passed away, I really felt a calling…a void and a calling. One towards healing, because his loss was tremendous and it affected me in a lot of ways. I was healing through music in some ways. And in other ways, it felt like the passing of the torch where if I can do this, I feel like I can continue the beautiful story that started “once upon a time” with my grandfather and is now gone with my father. No one else from my father’s kids pursues music like this, and I thought it was special. And it has brought me closer to my history, my roots, my Infante legacy where I feel like I am connecting the dots and really learning about what could be lost history.
LN: What can people expect from El Legado tour?
LI: They should be prepared for mariachi music! My ensemble, my band is very different from Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán because I’m a solo artist. I also write original music which I perform, and my original music is in the tradition of mariachi music and Mexican music, but it’s new. It’s a little bit of a different experience. I also have an accordion in my band so it’s going to sound a little bit different. To me, the accordion feels a lot more contemporary so there’s that sound difference. They will enjoy my personal artistry and songwriting, and we will get the crowd pretty pumped up. It’s going to be a spectacular show.
LN: What advice do you have for young Latinos interested in following in your footsteps?
LI: I would let them know that they are incredible people that have a rich history. That they should be proud of where they come from and if they don’t know where they come from, they should really learn about it because our culture is strong, we are resilient people. I hope that they really follow their passions and know that everything good is going to take time. Nothing happens overnight. We’ve been working so hard for so many years, over 15 years now and it feels like we are barely scratching the surface, so it takes time. You must be patient and just follow your dreams.
The 2025 El Legado Tour will take place at The Auditorium, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, on Friday, September 12th at 7pm. Tickets start at $60.00 and are available at auditoriumtheatre.org or by calling The Auditorium’s Ticket Service Center at 312.341.2300.
