Chiquis reigned at the 2022 Latin Grammys. Getty Images
Chiquis completely stepped out of her mother Jenni Rivera’s shadow and surpassed her. It’s a feat that was accomplished on the night of the 2022 Latin Grammys when she won her second award for her album Abeja Reina in the Best Banda Album category, in which the diva de la Banda also competed a couple of times, but never succeeded.
“My mother is very proud of me. I feel it in my heart,” the Mexican-American artist said on the red carpet before entering the Michelob ULTRA Arena at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, where the Latin Grammys would be delivered. “My mother never gave up (of her goals), despite the criticism, and I have, and here I am,” Chiquis added while reminiscing about the late Jenni Rivera.
A few hours earlier he had thrown himself on the ground when he saw on the computer while it was being repaired that he had won that dream Latin Grammy. “We worked a lot on it,” he had told Yahoo Vida y Estilo. “We (she and her team) made the record with the goal of winning another Latin Grammy,” she confessed while discussing her fourth studio album, Abeja Reina.
She was so sure of how good the album had turned out that she refused to even consider showing up empty-handed and planning a concert at the legendary House of Blues minutes after the awards ceremony had ended. “I’m a businesswoman and I knew whether I win or not, it would be a great opportunity to reach out to the fans, but I will win,” she predicted.
Chiquis, the queen of endurance
The artist was already in Las Vegas when she found out that she was also nominated for the Grammys, which she never even dreamed of. “I feel like they’re sending me all these blessings from heaven,” Chiquis said. He knows that he worked tirelessly during the eight years of his artistic life. However, sometimes you want to pinch yourself. “I know what I’ve worked for, what I’ve invested in and I finally believe in myself, but it’s a battle with insecurities,” she admitted.
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That insecurity, rather than crippling her or turning her into mindless arrogance, became the engine that got her where she is now. Gasoline was the example of her mother, who would not let her give up when criticism of her voice made her consider “quitting singing” several times.
“The worst thing is that they were right,” admits Chiquis. That was clear to him and he began to study singing. Hours of teaching turned into weeks, months, and years of voice training. Listening to the songs from the first album and ‘Abeja Reina’ it seems impossible that they are by the same artist. He’s also educated himself in production, surrounding himself with a team he trusts and who “feel like my best interests come first.” Oh! and he got rid of “what was wrong with me”. The list was long, but it started with an ex-husband who sapped her energy, she said.
Chiquis on the red carpet at the 2022 Latin GRAMMY Awards (Image: Mindy Small/WireImage)
Chiquis at the Latin Grammys
When she reached the red carpet, the artist was already calm. He just had to focus on his presentation. Yes, the Latin Grammy production found her good enough to take the stage accompanied by Los Recoditos. Not everyone sings on the so-called most important night of Latin music.
It would have been better if she had let her sing: “If you hadn’t gone, I would be so happy”, the song that opened the show and that the conductors Thalía, Luis Fonsi and Laura Pausini had already rehearsed. “I would have loved it, but I’m happy I recorded it for the ‘Mas 2’ album,” Chiquis said, referring to a second installment of duets by Marco Antonio Solís, who was that year’s Latin Grammy nominee .
However, he doesn’t complain. Rather thank you.