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Articles

Vol. 9 No. i (2021): Spring 2021

The Latinx Immigrant Experience as Depicted by Los Tigres Del Norte's Music

Submitted
November 21, 2023
Published
2021-01-01

Abstract

The objective of this research paper is to explore ways in which Los Tigres Del Norte’s music depicts the Latinx immigrant experience in the United States. Los Tigres Del Norte (LTDN) are one of the most celebrated norteño bands on both sides of the U.S. border. They have received numerous awards for more than fifty years in the business, cementing themselves as cultural icons for millions of people across the American continent. Their music offers a look into the overlooked world of Latinx immigrants and their daily struggles. A non-obstructive content analysis method was used to gather and analyze LTDN’s music. The data was made up of thirty-two individual songs from different albums, all of which made some reference to immigrants and their experiences. Three reoccurring themes emerged when analyzing their music. They describe the Latinx immigrant experience as: (1) painful and unjust; (2) stressful; (3) and contextualized by a Pan-American identity. LTDN’s music takes on an ethnographic role within the Latinx community that has earned the group the title of la voz del pueblo, vox populi, or the voice of the people. The immigrant experience remains complex and often misunderstood by outsiders; however, LTDN’s music offers insight into the lives of millions of Latinx immigrants living in and making their way into the U.S.