A P.F. Changs fortune cookie predicted Deyra Barrera’s Friday: “Tomorrow will be a very important day for you.”
That morning, the 49-year-old mariachi singer from Tucson, Arizona, woke up to a text from a friend, telling her that Kendrick Lamar had surprise-released GNX — and Barrera’s vocals opened the album. Barrera was shocked.
“My skin gets goosebumps because all of this happened so quickly for me,” she tells Rolling Stone, minutes after Lamar dropped the project.
“I felt your presence here last night,” she sings in the first few seconds of the album, channeling her ranchera bravado over an operatic choir. “And we start to cryyyy.”
By then, Barrera had only listened to the LP’s track “Wacced Out Murals.” During our call, she learned that her vocals were also featured elsewhere on the album including Tupac tribute “Reincarnated” and the SZA-assisted closer “Gloria.”
“I want to cry. This is taking me by surprise,” she musters in response.
Barrera thinks it was a baseball-playing angel that got her here.
Several weeks ago, the mariachi singer was tapped by the Dodgers to perform a tribute for late legend Fernando Valenzuela at Game One of the World Series. She took the stage to perform “El Corrido de Fernando Valenzuela,” and a medley that included “Yo Te Extrañaré,” a powerful farewell song.
“I was in tears, singing for my friend who died, at a packed stadium,” Barrera says. “And, El señor Lamar was there. He listened to me sing.”
Aside from the Dodgers ultimately winning the game, and the World Series overall, Barrera thinks that moment was a “blessing” sent by Valenzuela. She and Valenzuela became longtime friends after meeting at the Tepeyac Café in L.A., where she used to perform on Sundays, and the late singer was a fan of her voice.
“I believe in angels,” Barrera says. “And he is an angel for me.”
Within days of the World Series game, Barrera was in Lamar’s studio. His team played her the beats they’d use on the album, and gave her a description of the emotions Lamar wanted to evoke. Using a pen and paper she brought with her, Barrera scribbled a few lines to match what Lamar was looking for. (Lamar’s own vocals had yet to be placed in the song.)
“I had no idea what I would record. I make mariachi, not rap,” Barrera says. “They told me they wanted my style, my voice. I had no idea how it was going to end up on the record.”
At one point, Lamar stopped by to meet Barrera, and thanked her for being part of the project. She says Lamar lingered to hear some of her takes, but they didn’t spend much time together. “He welcomed me and was so kind. He said, ‘You have such a powerful voice. Thanks for coming.’ I had no idea what to say,” Barrera recounts. “Lamar is a genius, a maestro. Everything he makes is magic.”
Barrera hopes the Lamar collaboration “opens doors” for her. Barrera has been hustling as a singer across Los Angeles County ever since she immigrated to the U.S. from Villa Juárez, Sonora in 1993. Following in her mom’s musical footsteps, Barrera was inspired by ranchera greats like Amalia Mendoza, Lucha Villa, and Lola Beltrán.
“Ever since I can remember, we’ve sung to pay for rent and to make enough money to eat,” Barrera says. “It’s been many years of highs and lows, but I haven’t thrown the towel in because this is what I love.”
While she cites this Lamar collaboration as her greatest accomplishment, Barrera has taken a shot at singing competition shows on Spanish-language TV. She first competed on Mexico’s La Academia in 2010, and reached third place on Univision’s Reina de la Canción in 2017. She then returned to Mexico where she was praised for her evocative vocals on Mexico’s The Voice in 2021.
Along with making music as a soloist — she has only two of her many recorded albums on streaming platforms — she makes a living by performing at restaurants, weddings, and quinceañeras as part of the group, Trío Corazón.
“I hope this helps me. This industry is really difficult,” Barrera says. “I need to take advantage of this God-given moment to grow as a singer. From now on, I need to work a lot to have more people listen to my music, and learn who I am.”
Barrera has her eyes set high on what she hopes will come from this. After all, she’s fought hard for what she’s earned.
“I know Kendrick is going to do the Super Bowl Halftime Show… imagine if he invited me to sing with him? That would be incredible,” she says. “I hope people know that it’s Deyra Barrera who is on these songs.”