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-Editorial
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo has called on young people from Mexico and the United States to participate in México Canta por la Paz y Contra las Adicciones, a binational music contest aimed at promoting peace and reducing drug use through music. Registration for the contest will be open from April 28 to May 30, 2025.
Announced during the president’s morning press conference, the initiative seeks to achieve two main objectives: to promote Mexican music that avoids glorifying violence or drug use, and to foster the growth of Mexico’s creative industry as part of the broader Plan México.
“This festival, México Canta y Encanta, is part of our national campaign for peace and against addictions,” said Sheinbaum. “We want to encourage young people on both sides of the border to embrace music as a tool for positive change, while also bringing elements of the U.S. creative industry to Mexico.”
The contest will be broadcast through public media channels and aims to create a cultural shift away from music that glorifies violence. The broader goal is to build a youth identity rooted in art, culture, sports, and access to rights such as education and employment. The initiative also includes efforts to establish choirs in all Mexican public schools to encourage music participation.
Sheinbaum emphasized that all young people between the ages of 18 and 34 can participate, including those from Indigenous communities. Participants may submit original songs or interpret existing ones, as long as they align with the contest’s themes. Submissions are allowed in Spanish, Indigenous languages, or Spanglish, and must be no longer than three minutes.
Registration and submission details are available at www.mexicocanta.gob.mx. After registration closes on May 30, a panel of judges will select 10 contestants from each Mexican state and 15 from each of the three U.S. regions: West (Los Angeles), Central (Houston), and East (Chicago). A total of 365 participants will advance to the second phase, held from July 5 to August 8.
The third phase will be held in person from August 17 to September 21, featuring live performances in six cities: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Tijuana, Mexico City, and Oaxaca. The final will take place on October 5 in Durango. Performances will be broadcast on public media and judged 70% by experts and 30% by public vote.
Claudia Curiel de Icaza, Secretary of Culture, described the initiative as a historic alliance between government and private industry, supported by the Mexican Music Council (CMM). Contest genres include mariachi, norteño, banda, corrido, tropical, duranguense, campirano, bolero, and various fusions with rap, rock, pop, and hip hop.
CMM Director Miguel Ángel Trujillo praised the contest for promoting values-based content and creating space for new talent outside of violent narratives. Guillermo González, director general of AMPROFON, highlighted the strength of Mexico’s music industry and its global investment potential.
Artists and industry leaders attending the announcement included singer-songwriters América Sierra and Horacio Palencia, and Jesse Martínez of the Legado de Grandeza collective, who emphasized that success in music can be achieved without glorifying violence.
Also present were Alfredo Delgadillo, CEO of Universal Music Mexico and Fonovisa US Mexico; radio host Oswaldo Díaz Grimaldo; Juan Carlos Hidalgo, CEO of Monitor Latino; Martín Urieta, president of the Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico; and various other figures from the entertainment and music industries.