The Warning (band)

The Warning is a Mexican rock band from Monterrey, formed in 2013 by the Villarreal Vélez sisters: Daniela (guitar, vocals, piano), Paulina (drums, vocals, piano), and Alejandra (bass guitar, backing vocals, piano). They have released four studio albums, two EPs, and fifteen music videos. Their most recent studio album, Keep Me Fed, was released on June 28, 2024.

Early years
The Villarreal Vélez sisters were raised in Monterrey, and all received training on various instruments at an early age. At some point in their childhoods, Daniela and Paulina selected guitar and drums as their primary instruments, respectively. After the youngest of the three, Alejandra, selected bass guitar as her primary instrument at about age 7, the sisters decided to form a power trio in 2013. They learned to play rock songs, often via the Rock Band video game series, and posted videos of their performances to YouTube.

In 2014, 12-year-old Paulina was profiled in the women's drumming publication Tom Tom Magazine. The band first gained widespread notice later in 2014 when, at ages 9 through 14, their YouTube video in which they performed Metallica's "Enter Sandman" went viral among rock fans, eventually earning more than 20 million views. The video received attention from Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, who offered particular praise for Paulina, saying, "The drummer kicks maximum ass!"

As independent artists (2015–2020)
Due to the recognition gained from their "Enter Sandman" video, The Warning decided to seek a record deal and develop their own songs. They raised money through a GoFundMe appeal to record the six-song EP Escape the Mind, released in 2015. During production of the EP, the band met producer Jake Carmona, who went on to contribute to Escape the Mind and their next three albums. In April 2015, the band appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. During this period the sisters raised funds, including a donation from DeGeneres and the Target Corporation, to attend a five-week training program at Berklee College of Music in the United States.

They also gave two presentations at the TEDx conference at the University of Nevada in 2016 and 2017. The band was known for practicing with the Rock Band video game series early in their history; designers returned the favor by including several songs by The Warning in Rock Band 4.

The Warning's first full-length album, XXI Century Blood, was released in 2017. The music video for the title track won several awards at film festivals. During this period they were invited to perform at the Mother of All Rock Festival in Monterrey, and also opened a show for The Killers in that city.

Their second album Queen of the Murder Scene was released in 2018. In 2019 The Warning performed on Rock al Parque , the biggest rock festival in Latin America. At the end of this year they announced an extensive upcoming tour throughout North America, though it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With Lava Records (2020–present)
In August 2020, The Warning signed a five-album deal with Lava Records and began work on a new album with producer David Bendeth. The song "Choke" was released in May 2021. Later that year, The Warning appeared on the Metallica tribute album The Metallica Blacklist, performing another cover of "Enter Sandman", this time with singer Alessia Cara. This version of the song was featured as the background music for the video game Marvel's Midnight Suns and the Netflix series The Imperfects.

The six-song EP Mayday was released in October 2021, and The Warning embarked on a tour of North America in early 2022, performing more than 30 dates as headliners plus opening for Foo Fighters, Sammy Hagar and the Circle, and Stone Temple Pilots.

They released the single "Money" in March 2022, and the song reached no. 31 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart. The full-length album Error, comprising the six tracks from the Mayday EP plus "Money" and seven new songs, was released in June 2022. In July they embarked on a U.S. tour supporting Halestorm and The Pretty Reckless and appearing at festivals like Burlington's Sound of Music Festival, Iceberg Alley, Summerfest, and Upheaval, before resuming their headlining tour in August. Later that year they toured Canada while supporting Three Days Grace and opened a show for Guns N' Roses in their home city of Monterrey, Mexico.

In the first half of 2023, the band supported Muse during several dates on the Will of the People World Tour in both Mexico and Europe. It was The Warning's first visit to Europe. In September 2023, they performed at the MTV Video Music Awards and, in the same month, they opened for Guns N' Roses again on two dates of the We're F'N' Back! Tour.

At the end of 2023 one new single, in the Spring 2024 five more new singles from the upcoming album were released: "More", "S!CK", "Hell You Call a Dream", "Qué Más Quieres", "Automatic Sun" and "Burnout". The official music video for "Qué Más Quieres" debuted on MTV Live. The release of "Automatic Sun" was timed to coincide with the 2024 solar eclipse. In April 2024, they gave a second concert tour in Europe, this time as the main performer; all 19 stops of the tour were sold out. In June 2024 The Warning completed a Japanese tour at the invitation of Band-Maid.

The 4th studio album Keep Me Fed, including the six singles and six new tracks, was released on June 28, 2024. Promoting their album release, The Warning appeared at Jimmy Kimmel Live. In July they are featured as artists of the month on MTV Push – it's a promotional event that includes exclusive videos of performing songs and also interviews. Extensive touring to support Keep Me Fed was announced for the remainder of 2024.

Influences and musical style
The Warning said they listen to "every type of music there is, from classical music to pop". They named Metallica, Muse, My Chemical Romance, Pink Floyd, Queen, Paul McCartney, Neil Peart, David Gilmore, Placebo, Badflower, Paramore, K-pop and J-rock as musical influences. Their female artist inspirations include Hayley Williams, Esperanza Spalding, Sheila E., and Lzzy Hale.

The Warning have been described as a rock and hard rock band.

Band members



 * Daniela "Dany" Villarreal Vélez, 24 (born January 30, 2000) – guitars, lead and backing vocals, piano (2013–present)
 * Paulina "Pau" Villarreal Vélez, 22 (born February 5, 2002) – drums, backing and lead vocals, piano (2013–present)
 * Alejandra "Ale" Villarreal Vélez, 19 (born December 13, 2004) – bass, piano, backing and occasional lead vocals (2013–present)

Studio albums

 * XXI Century Blood (2017)
 * Queen of the Murder Scene (2018)
 * Error (2022)
 * Keep Me Fed (2024)

EPs

 * Escape the Mind (2015)
 * Mayday (2021)

Awards
! scope="row" | 2019 ! scope="row" | 2023 ! scope="row" | 2023
 * Independent Music Awards
 * Rock / Hard Rock
 * Queen of the Murder Scene
 * Nominated
 * Modern Drummer's Readers Poll
 * "Up and Coming"
 * Paulina Villarreal
 * Won
 * Drumeo Awards
 * Rock Drummer of the Year
 * Paulina Villarreal
 * Won