Jenni Rivera

• Genre: Norteno
• Hometown: Los Angeles

About

Sister to singer Lupillo Rivera and daughter of impresario Pedro Rivera, Jenni Rivera is a new kind of diva. She may sing mariachi and corridos, but her lyrical subjects are anything but small-town. One of Rivera's early hits, "La Chacalosa," details the career of a drug-dealing teenage girl who builds an empire. Despite her family connections, Rivera came to narco-corridos late in life. She grew up in Los Angeles listening to Anglo pop music and speaking English when not at home, but when she started working at her father's record label, she began to take more of an interest in the music he was producing. She composed her first corrido in 1994, crafting a tough persona to go along with it. Though inspired by singers like Barbra Streisand, and very much a fan of romantic music, Rivera understands her fan base's attachment to her streetwise persona. Her music has made her beloved by a generation of fans who grew up in American ghettos but still connect with the music of their Mexican heritage. Despite a charmed career, Rivera's personal life has been touched by tragedy: Her ex-husband, Jose Trinidad Marin, was convicted in 2007 of molesting their two daughters and Rivera's sister.

- Sarah Bardeen