“Have you gone to therapy today?” Latin Mafia asked in a recent Instagram story post with a link to their album. In addition to becoming the most exciting post-genre act out of Mexico City, the trio of brothers is removing the stigma against mental health in their songs. By being transparent about their own struggles in their debut LP Todos Los Días Todo El Día, Latin Mafia has forged a strong emotional bond with their fans.
“We’re not Latin Mafia without the people that listen to our music and connect with us,” Latin Mafia’s Emilio de la Rosa says. “I believe we’re openly explicit about what we feel in our music. We express ourselves in a very powerful way.”
Emilio is one of the singers in Latin Mafia alongside his twin brother Milton de la Rosa. Their older brother Mike de la Rosa, who serves as the band’s producer, rounds out the trio. Last October, Latin Mafia jolted new life into Latin music with their avant-garde album, seamlessly blending genres like R&B, trap, hyperpop, rock, flamenco, EDM, and more. The brothers also opened up about their anxieties with sudden fame in the frenetic “Siento Que Merezco Más.” Latin Mafia aren’t afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves. The music video for “No Digas Nadas” shows them supporting each other through an emotional episode.
With machismo [toxic masculinity] rooted in Latinx culture, tears and talking about feelings can be seen as a weakness. For Latin Mafia, it’s a strength of theirs. This past year, the trio has performed sold-out concerts across the US and Mexico on their Te Odio y Te Extraño Mucho Tour. Uproxx caught their concert at the Palacio De Los Deportes in Mexico City on June 1, which included surprise guests like Omar Apollo. Latin Mafia brought the emotions behind their music to life and let the tears fall when they revealed that their grandmother had passed a few days prior. After the show, they caught up with Uproxx to talk about mental health, the importance of being vulnerable, and what’s next.
Why is it important for you guys to talk about mental health with your music and platform?
Milton de la Rosa: There are a lot of people who don’t talk about it. There are a lot of people who don’t talk about how they’re feeling. There are a lot of people who don’t ask for help, and that never ends well. If we can do something in one way or another, it’s to simply show what we’re going through. You can’t ask people to talk about what they’re going through, but we want to let them know they can do that if they want to and that it’s okay. Mexico is a country with a very high suicide rate among adolescents and adults. It would be illogical for us to not talk about that or to not give visibility to that issue. We want to try to do something or make a difference in whatever way we can. We’re showing that we’re human and that we feel things and that it’s okay to feel those things. You don’t have to hold that in or keep it to yourself. Vulnerability is a part of the human experience, and it’s okay to be vulnerable.
What would you recommend to anyone who is experiencing issues with mental health?
Emilio de la Rosa: The first step to getting help is talking about it. That really helps.
Milton: I’ve definitely felt that I couldn’t cry enough about my grandmother because I felt a lot of pressure from these Palacio De Los Deportes shows. I didn’t have time to allow myself to feel or to give myself a pause from everything. That led to the ocean of tears at last night’s show. Yesterday, I was like, ‘Okay, I have to let this all out.’ Honestly, I believe yesterday’s show was like therapy for me.
Emilio: The difference between the shows yesterday and today is that yesterday’s show was very sad, knowing that my grandmother wasn’t here to see that show. Today, the show was a lot happier because I knew that she was watching us and that she was happy to see our show.
Milton: Today’s show was f*cking awesome! I’m sure that she would be upset that I took off my shirt and that I was jumping from many high places. [Laughs.] I’m sure she loved it.
How therapeutic of an experience was it for you guys to create your album Todos Los Días Todo El Día?
Mike de la Rosa: That album came from a very cathartic place, just like these shows. The album includes a lot of the emotions that we felt at the time, a lot of things that we wanted to talk about, and a lot of things that we wanted today. Today’s show was the perfect example of what we want to give and what we want to show with our music.
What do guys like to do to take care of yourselves and your mental health?
Milton: We go to the gym every day and I’m eating a balanced diet. We eat a lot of vegetables and protein and that’s it. I’ve gone a month without eating anything with sugar, so that’s why I’m eating these cookies in front of me right now. I’m a person who’s very vulnerable on a mental level. Since I was a child, I’ve had to get used to keeping my mind busy. I’m a person who loves to have a routine. In a way, having a routine gives me peace of mind. I feel like being disciplined with doing exercise and eating healthy every day is not only helping me with my body, but also with my mind. I believe that’s why I like to take care of my body and mind. To be disciplined is never a bad habit. I want to be disciplined with my work, my mental health, my body, and my mind. That’s why I say, ‘Long live having a routine!’ [Laughs.]
Emilio: The crazy thing is that I’m doing the same routine as him and my body hasn’t changed.
At these Palacio De Los Deportes shows, you guys debuted an upcoming cumbia song with Omar Apollo. What was the experience like to work with him on music and now perform live with him?
Emilio: It’s an honor for us. We said during the show that we admire him so much. Mike and I saw him a few years ago at the House of Vans concert here. To share the stage with people at the level of talent that he has is incredible. That goes for all the artists we shared the stage with today [Akriila, Jesse Baez, and Rusowsky]. Up until the day I die, I’ll always carry with me those experiences of sharing the stage and music with my favorite artists.
Mike: There was a moment that I told my brothers, ‘Take this moment in and take a mental snapshot of it.’ It’s very impressive everything that we’re going through together at this moment. It’s been very cathartic. It’s been two days that we’ll never forget. We know that our grandmother Guadalupe is very proud of us and that makes us very happy.
This month is also Pride Month. I was wondering if you guys had a message for your fans that belong to the LGBTQ+ community.
Emilio: As Latin Mafia, we’ve always said to feel what you want to feel and experience what you want to experience. Live your life and do what your heart desires. Be happy and don’t care about what other people think. We know that this month is very important for our fans who belong to the LGBTQ+ community. Embrace who you are and love everything that you do because that’s what makes you incredible and real. We admire all the people who belong to that community so much. They’re very strong people.
What more can we expect from you guys this year?
Milton: There’s a lot more music, collaborations, and music videos coming. This year, we want to start working on our second album. We want to get into that exploration mode again to be able to do even more things.
Mike: We haven’t started on our second album yet, but we have some ideas in mind.
What do you want to achieve next with Latin Mafia?
Milton: In a year or a year and a half, Latin Mafia will perform at the Estadio GNP Seguros.
Emilio: Latin Mafia mundial [worldwide]. Latin mundial. Mundial Mafia.
Milton: This year, we’ll win our first Latin Grammy and then our first Grammy. To win those awards would be a dream come true and if we get both of them, let’s go!
