K-Paz de la Sierra

by Evan C. GutierrezDuranguense superstars K-Paz de la Sierra are a product of, and perhaps pacesetters in, the regional Mexican music boom that has hit the city of Chicago and since spread throughout the U.S. and Mexico. Thanks to the enormous and regionally diverse Mexican population in Chicago, the city has become a hotbed for musical creativity, and hence a recording industry hub for the genre. K-Paz de la Sierra burst onto the scene in 2003 with their first single, "Con Olor a Hierba," which was quickly followed up by the radio hit "Jambalaya." Just a few singles had stirred up so much attention that when their debut record hit the shelves, Arrasando con Fuego sold better than 32,000 copies in its first week. It was not long before the record went gold. Signing with Mexican music superpower Univision has gone a long way to guaranteeing their success. K-Paz then recorded six more records, consistently reaching number one on Billboard's regional Mexican charts. The group also made two appearances on the Billboard Top 200, for the hits "Mas Capaces Que Nunca" and "Pensando en Ti," an impressive achievement for a group playing a style that the industry barely recognized ten years before. Tragedy struck the group in late 2007, however, when lead singer Sergio Gomez was tortured and killed after a concert in Michoacan.