MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Mexican singer and songwriter Humbe has been busy. He's put out three albums in the last three years. His latest is "Dueno Del Cielo," or "Owner Of The Sky." The first two in the trilogy were about losing faith after a catastrophic event. He says the latest is about renewal. NPR's Lilly Quiroz has more.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FANTASMAS")
HUMBE: (Singing in Spanish).
LILLY QUIROZ, BYLINE: Humbe's song "Fantasmas" means "Ghosts" in Spanish. It's about losing someone. He sings, in this house, ghosts don't exist - only the memories. In 2021, Humbe, short for Humberto Rodriguez Terrazas, was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the best new artist category. But it was the success of this Mariachi-inspired song, first released in 2023, that cemented his arrival in the Spanish-language music scene.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FANTASMAS")
HUMBE: (Singing in Spanish).
ANAMARIA SAYRE, BYLINE: The thing that I found really exciting when I first heard "Fantasmas" was it's so deeply yet subtly Mexican. It's there in the instrumentation, which is both pop R&B but also has these very clearly Mexican-infused sounds, as well as in the concept and the lyricism.
QUIROZ: That's Anamaria Sayre, the co-host of NPR's music podcast Alt.Latino.
SAYRE: In Mexican culture, ghosts and spirits are things that are widely understood and known and looked to. And so to invoke that kind of imagery in a love song is something that feels really geared towards a Mexican audience.
QUIROZ: It was as if "Fantasmas" was made for one of the country's most celebrated dates - Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. The song became viral on TikTok, with 1.2 million videos of people using the song to show cherished memories with their loved ones.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "FANTASMAS")
HUMBE: (Singing in Spanish).
QUIROZ: But that's just one song out of the 90-plus songs the 25-year-old artist has released since his debut album in 2017.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DUENO DEL CIELO")
HUMBE: (Singing in Spanish).
QUIROZ: I recently spoke with Humbe about his latest.
HUMBERTO RODRIGUEZ TERRAZAS: If you want to put it visually, I like to put it like coming from a planet in ashes, since Armageddon comes from a planet being destroyed - this planet representing oneself and being destroyed by an asteroid that represents a relationship towards a person, towards addiction, towards anything, you know? So "Dueno Del Cielo" is kind of a glimpse into how hope is the last thing that should be lost.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DUENO DEL CIELO")
HUMBE: (Singing in Spanish).
QUIROZ: To work on this album, he traveled far from his hometown of Monterey, Mexico, to a remote location in Iceland.
RODRIGUEZ TERRAZAS: And we chose Iceland because if you heard, like, the core song, "Dueno Del Cielo," that was kind of what I was aiming for for the sonic part of this album. I was aiming for something more, like, ethereal and, like, Bon Iver-style, you know?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ASHWAGANDHA")
HUMBE: (Singing in Spanish).
QUIROZ: Sayre says she sees growth across his three latest albums.
SAYRE: This third album is really interesting to me because I think he's really unafraid to play with the boundaries of life, unafraid to play with withering and loss and maybe even death in a way that he's also looking at renewal from that perspective. And I think that's a really - despite his youth is a really mature perspective to have.
QUIROZ: Now, releasing three albums in three years may sound like a feat, but Humbe says some songs were years in the making. And becoming an independent artist in 2024 helped his pace and process.
RODRIGUEZ TERRAZAS: I love taking my time on my - on the craft because that's when even oneself flourishes, you know? Like, I always look for, like, utility in music, not just, like, comfort.
QUIROZ: And if the 22 tracks on "Dueno Del Cielo" weren't enough, Humbe is now working on the next thing - an upcoming tour in the U.S.
RODRIGUEZ TERRAZAS: So I've been working it all myself this past month, and it's been like creating a whole new sound.
QUIROZ: Sounds like we should be getting ready for more from Humbe.
Lilly Quiroz, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ASHWAGANDHA")
HUMBE: (Vocalizing). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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