On Saturday, the heartbreaking news was announced that Yeison Jiménez, one of the biggest stars of the música popular genre, died at age 34. His death shocked his home country of Colombia and left the music world in mourning. He leaves behind a large collection of songs that have been part of Spanish-language homes in Colombia and beyond for years.
“With our hearts in our hands and an indescribable pain, the organization and work team of Yeison Jiménez deeply regrets to inform you of his death,” reads a statement posted on his official Instagram account. “Yeison was traveling with members of his work team, who also died: Jefferson Osorio, Juan Manuel Rodríguez, Óscar Marin, and Weisman Mora, as well as Captain Fernando Torres.”
By the age of 34, Jiménez had already risen to the top of Colombian popular music, or “música popular,” a genre that fuses the soul of Mexican ranchera with Colombian tradition and has its roots in the country’s coffee-growing region, which includes Caldas (where Jiménez was born), Quindío, Risaralda and Tolima. In 2024, he achieved a career-defining feat, selling out Bogotá’s Movistar Arena three times and drawing more than 40,000 passionate fans to the venue.
Yeison connected with his fans not only through his numerous hits, but also with his inspiring life story of struggle and big dreams. Last year, he fulfilled another dream: selling out Bogotá’s El Campín Stadium, becoming the first Colombian regional artist to do so. He had been gearing up for a second show at El Campín, scheduled for March 28.
While most of Yeison Jiménez’s songs became anthems, here are five emblematic ones (in no particular order).
-
“Aventurero”
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
pmcCnx({
settings: {
plugins: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
}
}
},
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘754a4017-7528-4527-93f2-2227cb408d6e’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
});
} else {
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
}Undoubtedly a turning point in his career, this 2018 release captures the spirit of an adventurer who savors every joy life has to offer. Turning every verse into a hymn of joy and celebration, inviting you to live with each lyric in a mood spice for living, echoing the sentiment: “I like life, I love love/ I am adventurous/With my heart.”
Listen to the song here
-
“MLP”
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
pmcCnx({
settings: {
plugins: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
}
}
},
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘754a4017-7528-4527-93f2-2227cb408d6e’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
});
} else {
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
}Yeison Jiménez had a special way of saying things; he was straightforward and direct, and in some ways never held back his thoughts. This song reflects his most honest way of expressing things, of knowing how hard he had worked to achieve each of his dreams. From the moment the song opens with: “They say it’s luck/But they don’t know all that I’ve been through/Some say that I’m conceited
I understand them and I know there are many offended,” para cerrar en verso diciendo: “I am the youngest, and they seem like my children.”Listen to the song here
-
“Por Qué la Envidia”
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
pmcCnx({
settings: {
plugins: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
}
}
},
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘754a4017-7528-4527-93f2-2227cb408d6e’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
});
} else {
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
}This song is part of his first album, Con el Corazón, released in 2015. It carries a traditional, more folkloric sound, accompanied by acoustic guitars, and his voice and lyrics tell the story of his life of struggle and progress, and how some people are not happy about others’ achievements. “If you had seen/ How many nights on my knees in front of my bed/ I prayed to God and begged Him to help me
With my eyes closed,” he says in two of his verses.Listen to the song here
-
“Ya No Mi Amor”
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
pmcCnx({
settings: {
plugins: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
}
}
},
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘754a4017-7528-4527-93f2-2227cb408d6e’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
});
} else {
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
}This is one of his great anthems of spite. This heart-wrenching ballad, guided by Yeison’s vocals and an acoustic guitar, shows him vulnerable, singing to a love that is tired of being humiliated; he closes the doors and turns away because he doesn’t want to continue suffering.
Listen to the song here
-
“Tu Amante”
Trending on Billboard
if ( !window.pmc.harmony?.isEventAdScheduledTime() ) {
pmcCnx.cmd.push(function() {
pmcCnx({
settings: {
plugins: {
pmcAtlasMG: {
iabPlcmt: 2,
}
}
},
playerId: ‘4057afa6-846b-4276-bc63-a9cf3a8aa1ed’,
playlistId: ‘754a4017-7528-4527-93f2-2227cb408d6e’,
}).render(“connatix_contextual_player_div”);
});
} else {
// This should only be get called when page cache is not cleared and it’s event time.
window.pmc.harmony?.switchToHarmonyPlayer();
}With this song, Jiménez reached No. 16 on the Regional Mexican Airplay ranking with “Tu Amante” in 2021. This ranchera song sings about those forbidden loves in its lyrics, also earning him his first and only entry on the all-genre Latin Airplay chart, peaking at No. 48 that same year.
Listen to the song here
Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox
Sign Up
