norteño

[ nawr-teyn-yoh; Spanish nawr-te-nyoh ]

adjective

1. of or relating to northern Mexico, the border area of Mexico and the United States, the people of this region, or their dialect of Spanish.

noun

1. Also called Tex-Mex,. a lively, polkalike folk music chiefly of southern Texas and northern Mexico, usually with Spanish lyrics and played on accordion and 12-string guitar, sometimes with fiddle and saxophone.

Word History and Origins

Origin of norteño¹

First recorded in 1950–55; from Spanish (Mexico, Texas): literally, “northern(er),” equivalent to nort(e) “north” + -eño a suffix forming nouns and adjectives from placenames; Madrileño ( def ); north ( def )

Example Sentences

Other wins for Mexican subgenres included Grupo Frontera’s “El Comienzo” for norteño album, Chiquis’ “Diamantes” for banda album and Alejandro Fernandez’s “Te Llevo En La Sangre” for ranchero/mariachi album.

From Los Angeles Times

The titans of Tejano music look back at three decades of hits, becoming a norteño powerhouse and the freedom of making music on their terms.

From Los Angeles Times

But Alejandro is attempting to reinterpret mariachi con románticas for a new, younger crowd much like Luis Miguel, who reintroduced American audiences to bolero, Cristian Castro with his blend of Latin ballad, or Christian Nodal, who mixed mariachi and norteño music.

From Los Angeles Times

Recently, they have focused on bringing together the styles of different kinds of música Mexicana such as corridos tumbados and mariachi — collaborating with Sonoran rapper Lefty SM and Norteño singer Adriel Favela.

From Los Angeles Times

Jorge Cardenas of the sierreño group Los Del Momento considers it the most “utilitarian” of all the música Mexicana instruments; it can be used in corridos, mariachi and norteño without the need for electric amplification.

From Los Angeles Times