Why Kendrick Lamar Got A Mariachi Singer On ‘GNX’: Meet Deyra Barrera

A PF Chang’s fortune cookie predicted Deyra Barreras on 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 been released. GNX – and Barrera’s vocals opened the album. Barrera was shocked.

“My skin gets goosebumps because all this happened to me so quickly,” she says Rolling Stoneminutes 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 chorus. “And we start to cry.”

At the time, 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 the Tupac tribute “Reincarnated” and the SZA-assisted closer “Gloria.”

“I want to cry. It surprises me,” she musters in response.

Barrera believes 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 to 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 in a packed stadium,” says Barrera. “And, El señor Lamar was there. He listened to me sing.”

Aside from the Dodgers ultimately winning the game, and the World Series in general, Barrera believes that moment was a “blessing” sent by Valenzuela. She and Valenzuela became longtime friends after meeting at Tepeyac Café in LA, 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 to me.”

Within days of the World Series game, Barrera was in Lamar’s studio. His team played her the beats they wanted to 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 wrote a few lines to match what Lamar was looking for. (Lamar’s own vocals were not yet placed on the song.)

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“I had no idea what I wanted to record. I do mariachi, not rap,” says Barrera. “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 a part of the project. She says Lamar lingered to hear some of her recordings, but they didn’t spend much time together. “He welcomed me and was so kind. He said, ‘You have such a strong voice. Thank you for coming.’ I had no idea what to say,” says Barrera. “Lamar is a genius, a maestro. Everything he does is magic.”

Barrera hopes the Lamar collaboration “opens doors” for her. Barrera has been busy as a singer in Los Angeles County ever since she immigrated to the United States from Villa Juárez, Sonora in 1993. Following in her mother’s musical footsteps, Barrera was inspired by ranchera greats such as Amalia Mendoza, Lucha Villa and Lola Beltrán.

“Ever since I can remember, we’ve been singing to pay the rent and to make enough money to eat,” says Barrera. “It’s been many years of ups and downs, but I haven’t thrown in the towel because this is what I love.”

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While citing this Lamar collaboration as her greatest achievement, Barrera has tried her hand at singing competition shows on Spanish-language television. She first competed at Mexicos La Academia in 2010, reaching 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 performing at restaurants, weddings and quinceañeras as part of the group, Trío Corazón.

“I hope this helps me. This industry is really difficult,” says Barrera. “I have to take advantage of this God-given moment to grow as a singer. From now on, I have to work hard to get more people to listen to my music and learn who I am.”

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Barrera has her eyes set on what she hopes will come of this. After all, she has fought hard for what she has earned.

“I know Kendrick is going to do the Super Bowl Halftime Show … what if he invited me to sing with him? That would be incredible,” she says. “I hope people know it’s Deyra Barrera, who is on these songs.”