The Mexican band Los Tucanes de Tijuana has entered a universe that is not typically associated with the norteño genre: the gaming universe.
Los Tucanes’ iconic hit “La Chona” was recently incorporated into Fortnite’s festival music mode, marking a milestone for Mexican regional music by bringing it to the video game’s global player base.
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Fortnite Festival, released in 2023, is an interactive mode of Fortnite that turns the survival game into a virtual stage where users can play digital instruments and compete in rhythmic challenges. Fortnite’s catalog includes global hits from various artists and genres, including recent additions like Simple Plan, Elton John, Fall Out Boy and Olivia Rodrigo, among others.
“La Chona” has been added as a Jam Track that users are now able to purchase and play on different virtual stages. This integration does not include skins (outfits) or a special visual package for the band, focusing the experience exclusively on the music and the challenge of playing the piece.
Since “La Chona” was released in 1995, it has become a staple at Mexican parties. However, it was recently reborn as a viral phenomenon thanks to choreographies, dance challenges and TikTok videos that accumulate millions of reactions.
A notable example of this is a Mandarin cover by the Asian TikToker DingDeDingDong, who garnered hundreds of thousands of views and global comments within just 24 hours.
Los Tucanes’ collaboration with Epic Games marks a new chapter in the career of the band led by Mario Quintero Lara, as they reach younger, international audiences who are discovering the genre in unexpected ways.
This isn’t the first time Los Tucanes de Tijuana have stepped out onto the world stage, however. In 2019, the band performed at the popular Coachella Music Festival, making history as the first norteño group to perform there.
In May this year, Los Tigres del Norte, another Mexican regional music band, also made international headlines after a street in New York City was named after them, highlighting the group’s influence on Latino culture in the United States.
