Christian Nodal

Christian Jesús González Nodal (born January 11, 1999 ) is a Mexican singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Sonora, he is mainly known for popularizing "mariacheño", a fusion genre between mariachi and norteño music. Nodal has won six Latin Grammy Awards, a Lo Nuestro Award, two Billboard Latin Music Awards, and a Latin American Music Award.

Nodal began his musical career at the age of seventeen when he signed with Universal Music Latin in 2016. He released his debut studio album, Me Dejé Llevar, in February 2017. The album was met with critical and commercial success, becoming Nodal's first and only top-ten entry on the AMPROFON Top 100 Mexico chart, peaking at number seven. The singles "Adiós Amor" and "Te Fallé" peaked at number one on the Monitor Latino Top 20 General Mexican Songs chart, while the singles "Probablemente" and "Me Dejé Llevar" peaked at number two and three respectively. He released his second studio album, Ahora, in 2019. It peaked at number nineteen on the Top 100 Mexico and scored three top-ten hits with the singles "No Te Contaron Mal", 'Nada Nuevo", and "De Los Besos Que Te Di".

In 2021, the single "Botella Tras Botella" with rapper Gera MX became the first regional Mexican song to enter the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 60. As of September 2023, the song is currently Nodal's most streamed song on Spotify. In February 2022, Nodal signed with Sony Music Mexico after being sued by Universal Music Latin; three months later, Nodal released the extended play Forajido, which peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. The EP spawned the single "Ya No Somos Ni Seremos", which topped the Billboard Mexico Songs chart. Over a year later in May 2023, Nodal released a follow-up EP, Forajido 2, which contained the top-ten singles "Quédate" and "Un Cumbión Dolido".

Early life
Christian Nodal was born and raised in Caborca, Sonora, Mexico, to musicians Cristina Silvia Nodal and Jaime González. According to Nodal in an interview with El País, his grandfather Ramón would teach him how to write rhyme poems on a napkin at a young age, stating, "he taught me to write rhymes. We read them out loud and then, when I started to understand, he said, 'Try to make sure that what you write is always as honest and pure as possible'".

Nodal started creating music at the age of four and later learned how to play the piano and guitar on his own by age thirteen. At the same age, he wrote his first song for a crush he had in middle school. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Nodal stated that "there was always music in my house... my neighbors, they took me house to house and taught me a little bit about how to play the guitar and the trumpet".

2016–2017: Early beginnings and Me Dejé Llevar
Before signing to a record label, Nodal would post videos on Facebook, which garnered him internet virality. In April 2016, Nodal signed to Universal Music Latin and released a cover of the song "Adiós Amor" as his debut single. The song quickly became a success in Mexico and the United States; it topped the Monitor Latino Top 20 General Mexican Songs chart and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs, becoming the first regional Mexican song to enter the top five since "Solo Con Verte" by Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizárraga. In June 2017, Nodal collaborated with Spanish singer David Bisbal on the single "Probablemente", which peaked at number two on the Monitor Latino charts. In an interview with Billboard, Bisbal said, "...not only is he [Nodal] a great interpreter but also a songwriter. I love what he's doing and it's an honor to be a part of the early stages in his career".

In August 2017, Nodal released his debut studio album, Me Dejé Llevar. It peaked at number seven on the Top 100 Mexico chart and the Billboard Top Latin Albums in the United States. Thom Jurek, a music critic for AllMusic, gave high praise for the album, particularly referring to the mariachi instrumentals as "lush and elegant". He further stated, "Nodal wrote seven of these 13 songs, but given his performances, he may as well have penned them all... in these songs and others, Nodal evokes traces of the great romantic singers like Vincente Fernandez, and Luis Miguel". In 2018, the album was nominated for the Latin Grammy Award for Best Ranchero Album at the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards, which ultimately went to Luis Miguel's ¡Mexico Por Siempre!, while "Probablemente" won Best Regional Mexican Song. Nodal was also nominated for Best New Artist but lost to Colombian reggaeton singer and rapper Karol G. Me Dejé Llevar was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in May 2018 and diamond by the Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas (AMPROFON) in July.

2018–2020: Ahora, Ayayay!, and La Voz Mexico
In 2018, Nodal accompanied Mexican performer Pepe Aguilar, his brother Antonio Aguilar Jr., his daughter Ángela Aguilar and his son Leonardo Aguilar on their Jaripeo tour, dubbed "Jaripeo Sin Fronteras". According to Ángela, Nodal was invited by Pepe to open the concert.

In May 2019, Nodal released his second studio album, Ahora. The album was a commercial success, although less so than Me Deje Llevar, peaking at number nineteen on the Top 100 Mexico chart and at number seven on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart in the United States. Sami Drasin of Billboard gave the album a positive review, stating "Despite having similar ranchera melodies and mariachi tunes throughout the production, each track tells its own heartfelt story and demonstrates Nodal's mature sound". The lead single "No Te Contaron Mal", which peaked at number four on the Monitor Latino charts, won Regional Mexican Song of the Year at the 2021 BMI Latin Awards. The singles "Nada Nuevo" and "De Los Besos Que Te Di" peaked at number eight and number three respectively. Nodal initiated the Ahora Tour in 2019 to promote the album, which terminated in Miami prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In May 2020, Nodal released his debut extended play, Ayayay!, which peaked at number eight on the Top Latin Albums chart. In November, Nodal released the single "Dime Cómo Quieres", a duet between him and Ángela Aguilar. According to Ángela, Nodal had previously sent the song to her father Pepe Aguilar, stating that "something was missing from his [Nodal] album and that he believed that something was me". The song peaked at number one on the Monitor Latino charts. Full-length deluxe and super deluxe versions of Ayayay! were released in September and November respectively. The EP was nominated for Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album at the 21st Annual Latin Grammy Awards and later nominated for the same award as the super deluxe edition. The EP and super deluxe versions were also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Regional Mexican Music Album (including Tejano) at the 63rd and 64th Annual Grammy Awards, becoming Nodal's first Grammy Award nominations. The single "Aquí Abajo" won the award for Best Regional Mexican Song.

From June to September 2020, Nodal was featured as a coach on the ninth season of La Voz Mexico. His final contestant, Fernando Sujo, won the season making Nodal the winning coach.

2021–2023: "Botella Tras Botella" and Forajido EPs
In April 2021, Nodal released the single "Botella Tras Botella", in collaboration with Mexican rapper Gera MX. The song peaked at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 and made history as being the first regional Mexican song to enter the chart. It also became Nodal's highest-peaking entry on the Hot Latin Songs and the Billboard Global 200, peaking at number three and nine respectively.

In May 2021, Nodal recorded a version of José Alfredo Jiménez's "Si Nos Dejan" with singer Belinda, to whom he would later be engaged to. Nodal's version of the song was later used as the main theme for the telenovela of the same name. In September 2021, Nodal released the single "La Sinvergüenza", featuring regional Mexican banda group Banda Sinaloense MS de Sergio Lizárraga, which peaked at number two on the Monitor Latino charts and at 20 on the Billboard Mexico Songs chart, part of the Hits of the World series. In January 2022, he released a re-recording of the single "Te Lloré un Río" with Mexican rock band Maná, which became his eighth entry to top the Monitor Latino charts. In the following month, he released the single "Ya No Somos Ni Seremos". Although the single did not enter the Monitor Latino charts, it became Nodal's first number-one entry on the Mexico Songs chart.

In May 2022, Nodal released his second EP, Forajido, which peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. It consisted of six songs, with "Ya No Somos Ni Seremos", "La Sinvergüenza" and "Vivo en el 6" being released as singles. Over a year later in May 2023, a follow-up EP, Forajido 2, was released and peaked at number forty-two on the Top Latin Albums. The EP spawned the singles "Por el Resto de Tu Vida" with Argentine singer Tini, "Un Cumbión Dolido" and "Quédate". In September 2023, Nodal released his fourth EP, México en Mi Voz. Consisting of five popular regional Mexican songs, it was released in celebration of Grito de Dolores. In an interview with Billboard Argentina, Nodal stated "This EP means a lot to me. I am from Sonora, and on the 16th of September, in every house, you listen to Mexican music".

Artistry and public image
Nodal is often recognized for his unique blend of mariachi and norteño music, dubbed "mariacheño". In a YouTube interview with Amazon Music, Nodal cited Ariel Camacho – whose band, Los Plebes del Rancho, would later collaborate with Nodal – as one of the main influences in his musical style: "I was inspired, from the beginning of my career, by Ariel Camacho [...] He was at the top of regional Mexican music, because he was very young, and went through the same thing I went through". In a Rolling Stone interview, he cited Joan Sebastian and Marco Antonio Solís as inspirations in his music.

J Balvin controversy
In June 2022, Colombian singer and rapper J Balvin posted a photograph on Instagram, which showed himself and Nodal both with their hair bleached blond and wearing sunglasses, captioned "find the differences." Nodal would repost the image with the caption "[The difference is] that I have actual talent and can proudly sing my compositions, how I want to, [and] wherever with pride"; Balvin would later post a video apologizing but controversially filtered the word "Belinda" on his post.

Days after the Instagram posts, Nodal released the diss track "Girasol" aimed at Balvin. Nodal would, however, later retract his statements by stating that he "forgave him for his lack of consciousness", stating further, "maybe if they would've asked me if I was ok with him posting that photo to his 50 million followers it would have been different. But on the contrary, I was hurt by the taunts and being exposed". Balvin would as well post to Instagram, acknowledging that Nodal was undergoing a difficult period of time and that they had privately come to a settlement. In an interview with ¡Hola!, Nodal clarified that he was at a difficult stage of his life, further stating, "there was a more private context in the messages, so I think he probably wanted to make a duet or something, and it was the way. I was coming from 'I will not be anyone's meme,' and especially not with someone with millions [of followers]".

Universal Music lawsuit
In November 2021, a leaked letter from Universal Music Latin, Nodal's record label at the time, advised relevant parties against distributing Nodal's music. Three months later, Nodal's parents, Silvia Nodal and Jaime González, were sued by Universal Music for fraud. The lawsuit alleged that Nodal's parents, who signed him to Universal Music, had presented falsified documents of Nodal's proof of ownership of his discography. Nodal later dropped Universal Music as his record label, stating on an Instagram livestream, "I don't have a contract with Universal. Universal didn't want me to leave but I've given them five years of my work and I did what I was supposed to do". Nodal would later sign with Sony Music Mexico in late February.

Personal life
In May 2021, Nodal announced his engagement with singer and actress Belinda, whom he met on the set of the reality television series La Voz.  The two would later separate in February 2022 as announced on social media, with Nodal stating, "I want to share that we've decided to end our engagement and our relationship as a couple, taking with us the best of each other... I ask that the decision we've taken is met with respect, where each of us will live the separation process in their own way, always wishing the best to the other for the happy times together as well as the trying times. All speculation is false. To the media, with much respect, I will not be speaking about this topic anymore".

Shortly after ending his relationship with Belinda, Nodal began dating Argentine singer and rapper Cazzu. However, the two kept their relationship private until sometime during 2023. Their reveal followed Cazzu confirming rumors that Nodal had moved to Argentina, which circulated after it was discovered that he had purchased a lot in Buenos Aires. In April 2023, she confirmed her pregnancy during one of her concerts, with Nodal disclosing the due date to be sometime in September. He later mentioned the sex of the baby to be female. Two months later, Nodal and Cazzu went to France for unknown reasons, starting online speculation of a proposal. The baby, named Inti, was born on September 14, 2023, in Argentina; Nodal and Cazzu officially announced her birth on social media the next day. After ending his relationship with Cazzu, Nodal confirmed on June 2024 via his social media, his relationship with the Mexican and American singer Ángela Aguilar.

Tattoos
Over the course of his career, Nodal has accumulated a number of tattoos on his arms, hands, body, and face, with Nodal referring to himself as "addicted". Nodal has never explicitly stated how many tattoos he has, although some fans estimate that he has around 30 in total. Some of the tattoos, mainly his facial tattoos, have had their meanings revealed. Notably, Nodal has a flower, representing love; a cross, representing his faith; the moon, representing inspiration; a moneybag, which represents the Forajido EP; and a cactus, which represents his hometown of Caborca, Sonora.

Nodal previously had several tattoos for his ex-girlfriend Belinda, including her eyes on his chest, a heart with the words "utopia" written aside it, and the words "Beli" written next to his right ear. Following his break-up with Belinda, Nodal removed some of his tattoos, and apparently modified the "Beli" tattoo into the four playing card suits. In 2023, Nodal revealed that he would have his facial tattoos removed, stating, "I want my daughter to meet me... I want her to see my face without them". Nodal later stated that he would not be removing all of his tattoos, stating "It's a very painful and tiring process... It's complicated because you have to put on creams and you need to be careful with the sun, and I'm not the type of person who takes care of their face". ,

Tours

 * Ahora Tour (2019-2020)
 * Ayayay! Tour (2021)
 * Botella Tras Botella Tour (2021)
 * Forajido Tour (2022)
 * Foraji2 Tour (2023-2024)

Awards and nominations
Christian Nodal has won ten Lo Nuestro Awards, ten Latin American Music Awards, seven Billboard Latin Music Awards, five iHeartRadio Music Awards, six Latin Grammy Awards, three Premios Juventud, two Heat Latin Music Awards, and a Premio Tu Música Urbano.