Latin Music Songwriter’s Rise to the Top

In North Miami’s Electric Air Studios, surrounded by a collection of Gibson guitars, a grand piano and various percussion instruments, Edgar Barrera earlier in December found himself in an unusual position: in the spotlight.

“I’m not used to this,” Barrera admits, dressed in Prada shoes and a Chanel jacket. His voice carries a hint of vulnerability as he debates whether to smile or maintain a serious demeanor for the camera. This rare moment of hesitation from a man who is usually so sure-footed in the recording studio underscores the paradox of Edgar Barrera: a towering figure in Latin music who is most often behind the scenes.

This year, the 34-year-old further cemented his formidable impact in the music industry. He ends 2024 with 23 song credits as a songwriter and 19 as a producer on the Billboard Hot 100, with tracks ranging from pop stars like Maluma, Shakira and Karol G to música mexicana mavericks like Peso Pluma, Grupo Frontera and Carín León. He just secured his second consecutive nomination for the Grammy Awards’ songwriter of the year, standing out as the only Latino and only producer to achieve this distinction for two straight years. He also garnered three Latin Grammys, which included consecutive wins for songwriter of the year and producer of the year. Barrera, who topped Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs Producers year-end chart in 2023 and finishes 2024 at No. 2, is a key player designing the sound of modern-day Latin music.

“Edgar is someone who knows what he wants, and that, to me, is something that sets him apart from all other songwriters,” says Peso Pluma, who is with Barrera in the studio the day of this photo shoot. Barrera has collaborated with the música mexicana hit-maker on several tracks, including “14-14” and “Santal 33,” from Peso’s groundbreaking album Éxodo (2024), which debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. “He is someone very dedicated with a lot of values, a very educated person who respects you musically as an artist,” adds the “Vino Tinto” hit-maker.

Peso is one of the many artists who have praised Barrera’s steadfast work ethic and humility. “He is one of the most important producers of our time and yet he is one of the most humble human beings,” Maluma says. “He is the same person as the day he started and that’s an amazing quality to have.” The Colombian superstar attributed many of his hits to his collaboration with Barrera, including “Según Quién” with Carín León, “Por Qué Será” with Grupo Frontera and most recently “Cosas Pendientes.”

Over a decade into his career, Barrera’s adeptness in straddling diverse musical genres has rendered him one of the most coveted songwriters and producers in Latin music. His portfolio boasts extensive work with household names like Shakira (“Soltera”), Christian Nodal (“No Te Contaron Mal”), Grupo Firme (“Ya Supérame”), Camilo (“Vida de Rico”), Becky G (“Chanel”) and Marc Anthony (“De Vuelta Pa’ la Vuelta”), in addition to non-Latin stars such as Ariana Grande (“Boyfriend” with Social House), Madonna (“Medellín” with Maluma), XXXTentacion and Lil Pump (“Arms Around You” with Maluma and Swae Lee) and Shawn Mendes (his “KESI” remix with Camilo). In January 2021, he made history by topping four Billboard genre charts — pop, rhythm, tropical and regional Mexican airplay — with four different tracks, an unprecedented feat for a Latin songwriter.

But how did this “border kid” raised between Roma, Texas, and Miguel Allende, Tamaulipas, Mexico, harness his unique cross-cultural experiences to rise as one of the most in-demand songwriters and producers in Latin music?

Barrera grew up in a home filled with music. His father, a member of the 1970s grupera band Mister Chivo from San Miguel Allende, instilled in him a deep passion for music; and discovering his uncle’s songwriting credits on an Elvis Crespo album further fueled Barrera’s musical ambitions.

“In my house, there was always music playing all the time. All those nights I would see my dad listening and listening to vinyl because his band recorded a lot of covers,” Barrera says. “One time, my uncle bought an Elvis Crespo record that had one of his songs in the credits, and I realized that there is a part in music where you don’t have to be the artist but part of the artist’s career.”

While he was raised in Mexico, he regularly crossed back into the United States for schooling — a common occurrence in border towns. However, Barrera’s passion for Latin music often put him at odds with the school’s more rigid musical curriculum. “I remember that in school I was scolded all the time. It was forbidden to play grupera songs or any other type of music other than the classical music they taught us, or jazz,” he recalls. Yet, this didn’t deter him, and together with like-minded classmates, they indulged in the joys of playing songs like the Mexican ska-punk track “Pachuco” from Maldita Vecindad y Los Hijos del 5to Patio, “Carnavalito” or the Mexican cumbia of “Juana La Cubana” by Fito Olivares y Su Grupo. During these school years, he played the saxophone. (As a preteen, he had already learned both bass and guitar.)

“All these young musicians from across the Rio Grande Valley would gather to compete and form a unified band made up of the most talented musicians from each school,” recalls Marco Roel Rangel, a fellow bandmate from McAllen, Texas, who remembers Barrera as a standout musician nearly 20 years ago. “Once a year you’d get to play in a band comprised of all the other top musicians from other schools for one weekend. The Roma [Edgar’s school] kids, who were formidable competitors, would walk into the rehearsal space playing a synchronized song they had prepared called ‘Carnavalito.’ Almost like [saying], ‘Hey, we’re from Roma and we’ve entered the building,’ ” Roel Rangel says. “It was unusual to hear this Latin tribal sound. But Roma brought that Latin flavor; going from Tchaikovsky and Pavel to ‘El Humahuaqueño’ is a vibe.”

“I remember we were the rebels at school when we played those,” Barrera says. “We felt like we were playing the forbidden, and at the end of the day it was what I liked to play.”

When it came to college, Barrera initially enrolled as an electronic engineering student and took a classical guitar class. “That’s when I started studying music more seriously.” His guitar teacher urged him to audition for the Berklee College of Music. Instead, he took a detour to the Miami music studio of Colombian songwriter-producer Andrés Castro, a revered figure in Latin music known for penning some of Carlos Vives’ greatest hits.

“I met Edgar through a friend of mine, Luigi, who worked with A.B. Quintanilla. He was 18, 19 years old and was studying electronic engineering. He wanted to do an internship because it was going to be worth it for his career. They were deciding whether he should study that or music,” Castro recalls.

Castro, almost offhand, told Barrera he was welcome to come work in his studio. Barrera took him at his word and drove from Texas to Miami. “Obviously, it was a life change to come to live here. He was committed to his career to the fullest. And the first thing I can highlight about him was his attitude of service.

“He arrived and instead of thinking, ‘Well, it’s an internship, I’m not getting paid, I’m going to stay put,’ he was looking to see who he could make a coffee for. If he had to take an artist and pick them up at the airport, he would pick them up,” Castro continues. This eagerness to serve, learn and genuinely connect with others in the industry rapidly transformed Barrera from a hopeful intern to a respected collaborator.

“I started from the bottom, being the one who went and brought everyone’s food, the one who served the coffee,” Barrera says. “But thanks to that I also learned to never look down on anyone’s work, much less the one who serves me coffee, because maybe tomorrow he could be the next producer of the year, or songwriter of the year, as it happened to me. I had the opportunity to meet many artists and industry executives.”

Castro remembers the bonds that were nurtured in the studio. “When an artist like Carlos Vives came to the studio, we would do more than just make music. We discussed life, what he desired, what he was searching for, his thoughts, the moment he was living, the music he was listening to and things that had caught his attention. That’s where the creative process began. Edgar saw a lot of that in the studio.”

The Colombian producer also vividly recalls a defining moment early in Barrera’s career. During a session with the renowned Panamanian singer-songwriter Omar Alfanno, the young Barrera, who was typically expected to just observe, proposed an idea for a song that Castro and Alfanno were struggling with. Initially surprised, Alfanno cautioned him, “Young man, that’s not how things are done,” Castro remembers, highlighting the respect required during songwriting sessions. However, impressed by Barrera’s insight, Alfanno gave him a chance, marking Barrera’s official entry into the world of professional songwriting.

As Barrera’s career flourished, Latin music also underwent dynamic shifts. In the late 2010s, while música urbana’s popularity soared — with reggaetón’s commercial growth eclipsing other Latin genres — regional Mexican music began to carve out a new and thrilling identity. While the south-of-the-U.S.-Mexico border genre had remained an enduring force within Spanish-speaking communities in the United States and Mexico for decades, a regional Mexican-urbano hybrid began to ascend Billboard’s U.S. Latin charts, led by Natanael Cano, Junior H and Fuerza Regida, followed by Peso Pluma.

Parallel to this movement was the music of Christian Nodal, a Sonoran superstar who innovates within the confines of música mexicana with his unique blend known as “mariacheño,” a fusion of mariachi and norteño music. His groundbreaking approach reached a new height in 2021, when “Botella Tras Botella,” a collaboration with Mexican rapper Gera MX — co-written and co-produced by Barrera — became the first regional Mexican music track to enter the all-genre Hot 100 chart.

Nodal praises the creativity and connection present in his work with Barrera: “Working with Edgar was always a lot of fun. There was always an instant connection on the songs. He came from the urbano school, and bringing him into my world was always a challenge,” Nodal explains. “I think that’s why we were able to reach a middle ground between urbano and regional. We always had very good chemistry, and we found the lyrics and melodies that could touch the heart so that people could enjoy it and feel it. It was always genuine.”

Among Barrera’s major bets was the 2022 signing of Grupo Frontera, a popular six-piece band from Edinburg, Texas, to BorderKid Records — an imprint the songwriter had launched earlier that year. Grupo Frontera was fresh off its first major hit, “No Se Va,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Hot Latin Songs chart.

“He took a chance on us when we were just starting out,” Grupo Frontera says in a statement. “We didn’t even know what we were doing and he has been with us every step of the way. Our bond with Edgar is extra special because we are from the same town. We have similar values and traditions, and he really understands us. That’s reflected in the music we make together.” Barrera adds: “They share with me a very similar growth because we grew up on the border, we have many friends in common, they are from my town. We have the same values, and we understand each other very well when we work.”

“Aside from being technically one of the best and very detail-oriented — everyone who works with me knows I am, and he is always up to the task — the amazing thing about Edgar is his ability to bring together artists, composers and producers and always make sure that things get done with the right team to achieve the best result,” says Shakira, who collaborated with Barrera on her latest hits such as “Soltera,” “El Jefe” with Fuerza Regida and “(Entre Paréntesis)” with Grupo Frontera. “Many songwriters do not combine all the elements and ensure the ideas are carried out, but he has as much of a business mind as he does an artistic one.”

“I’m a creative before I’m an executive, and I give a lot of freedom to artists,” Barrera adds, emphasizing his commitment to his relationships with them. “When it comes to business, I try to educate the songwriter,” he says. “I help them make their own publishing company, and then we make a business together — your publisher with my publisher. I try not to be their owner but partner. We [at BorderKid Records] are a tool for them, to help them make more money, and that they own their music always.”

Within this framework of mutual growth, Barrera continues to push musical boundaries. “A lot of new experiments with artists are coming; we’re experimenting with new things,” he says about upcoming music.

Barrera’s role fluctuates between mentor and musical collaborator and innovator. Recently, for example, he spent time with Shakira as she prepares for her 2025 Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran stadium tour, making new arrangements for her live band. He’s been working on new music with Peso Pluma, and, also, with Karol G. “The day after [working with Peso], I worked with Karol another three days in a row, and it’s always a breath of fresh air making corridos with Peso one day to then doing another kind of music with Karol,” Barrera says. “I like it because I don’t get to do the same thing with one artist and then the other.”

However, despite the exhilarating pace of his professional life, Barrera is embracing a new personal development: fatherhood. “I just became a dad,” he says proudly. “I’m in another stage for the first time in life looking for that balance.”

I asked Barrera if his songwriting process has changed since. “Yes, a lot,” he says. “Now I’m thinking, like when I write a lyric, ‘When my daughter hears it, she’s going to think this was her dad.’ You think twice. But I’ve always tried to give a good message in the songs.”