Duelo Talk Kicking Off Gravedad Tour Across the U.S.: ‘Norteño Music Will Continue to Be a Core Part of Regional Mexican’

Duelo, one of the most influential Tejano norteño music groups, kicks off its Gravedad Tour this Friday (May 1) across 25 cities in the United States, a journey that will keep them on the road until November 28.

Promoted by Live Nation, the trek begins at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio and includes stops in cities across California, Florida, Nevada, Tennessee, North Carolina, Arizona, Illinois and Texas, where they’ve surprised fans with a third date added at the Toyota Center in Houston due to high ticket demand.

“With Live Nation, we are working together for the first time. It’s a source of pride that such an important company is focusing on us to accomplish big things like this tour,” Oscar Iván Treviño, vocalist and leader of the group, tells Billboard Español.

Along the way, Duelo will also perform at key venues in Mexico, such as the Palenque de Aguascalientes (May 4), the Palenque de León (May 9), and the Arena Ciudad de México (October 20).

In January of this year, the group signed a partnership with Warner Music México after being independent for more than a decade. That same month, they released their first single under this agreement, “Te Cura El Tiempo,” which last week climbed to the summit of the Billboard Regional Mexican Airplay chart (dated April 24), marking their fifth No. 1 on the ranking.

“A milestone like this after two and a half decades of career is very important to me. We’ve had strong chart positions over the years, but after many years without a No. 1, it finally came,” adds Treviño, who founded the group in Roma, Texas, in 1996.

Known for hits like “Puño de Diamantes,” “Malabares” and “A Mí Me Gustas Tú,” Duelo is preparing to release its first album under their new label at the end of May, continuing the streak of good news in this stage of their career.

Preceded by bands like Intocable, and with Grupo Frontera as the leading representative of the new generation, Treviño reflects on the future of norteño music: “It will continue to be a central part of regional Mexican music, but I do think there should be a lot more young artists making this music, not just Grupo Frontera.”

He adds: “There’s an opportunity to grow within the genre. It’s a matter of working hard and giving it your all, just like institutions such as Ramón Ayala, who is one of my greatest idols, have done.”

For the full dates and tickets for Duelo’s Gravedad Tour, visit the group’s official website.