It's easy to forget how young some of our favorite performers are when they enter the music world. From Michael Jackson's Jack 5 debut at the age of 11, to Lorde's chart-topping single "Royals" at the age of 16, it doesn't take much life experience to make a splash in the music industry. Tuesdays Under 21 is a Music Times feature dedicated to bringing attention to talented musicians and performers under the age of 21. Who knows? They just might be the next big thing.
WHO: 3Ball MTY (pronounced Tribal Monterrey)
WHERE: Tijuana, Mexico
AGE: 19, 20, 21
WHY: Although clubs in the United States might be able to draw in European performers for lengthy residencies, a majority of the world's top DJ's come from foreign territories. Mexico features an EDM scene of its own, and a trio of youngsters has risen to the top of it.
3Ball—the collective of Erick Rincon, Sergio Zavala, Alberto Presenda—is among the biggest names in Trival-Guarachero, a popular dance form along the border and in cities such as Houston and Dallas. The music mixes more familiar subgenres such as house with the rhythms and backing tracks of traditional Mexican cumbia music.
The formula seems to have worked. 3Ball was invited to play at the Worldtronics Festival in Germany during 2010, and its single "Inténtalo" topped the Latin Songs chart for two weeks. That success led to the group winning the Best New Artist award at the Latin Grammys.
3Ball is best in its native Spanish ("Inténtalo"), but a few English language tracks are available for haters (see "Tipsy").
