After making waves with his most recent album, DEPR3$$ED MFKZ, his fifth release to reach No. 1 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart, Junior H joined the Billboard House @ SXSW on Saturday (March 14) to talk about vulnerability, his chart success and his future ambitions. The event — held at Mohawk Austin as part of the South by Southwest festival, where he sat down with Billboard‘s co-chief content officer Leila Cobo — served as a prelude to his headlining concert at the Moody Amphitheater for THE STAGE x SXSW, presented by Billboard.
Junior kept things laid-back, donning a striped, red-and-white long sleeve shirt paired with white sneakers, exuding his signature “sad boy” charm. “A ‘$ad Boy’ is practically the meaning behind all the music we’ve shared,” he explained. “It doesn’t mean I’m sad all the time, but that’s how my fans identified me… That’s how they made me, how they labeled me. You could say I’m the godfather of sad kids.”
That melancholic but honest identity has captivated fans across borders, making Junior H a voice for a new era of Mexican music. Yet fame did not come easy for the young artist. He recounted how his journey started in solitude, in his childhood closet, where he would record music unbeknownst to his busy parents.
“I worked, went to school, was busy all day, and still managed to save up some money to buy my first guitar, which I learned to play through YouTube. There are no excuses […] If you don’t put yourself out there, if you don’t do it, nothing will happen. You have to make it happen.”
Since those days of secret closet recording, Junior H’s music has become a very personal form of creative expression. He shared that many of his songs function as an emotional “diary” — reflections of his own experiences, an ode to love and heartbreak, and stories of those close to him. “I write and sing for myself. They are events that have happened in my life, my friends’ lives, anecdotes.”
The artist has become a prominent voice in conversations around vulnerability and masculinity in modern Mexican music, breaking away from the traditional “macho” stereotype often associated with the genre. When Cobo asked about the impact of his songs, Junior H was candid about the messages he receives from his followers.
“I feel like my fans have a strong connection with me. They open up, they share personal stories with me. There are a lot of people who need support. But the beautiful thing is seeing them embrace these kinds of feelings. There’s nothing wrong with feeling. Just because you’re a man, there’s nothing wrong with crying, you know. We all feel, we’re not made of plastic.”
Aside from his “$ad boy” identity, Junior H showed off his lighter side during the conversation, shedding light on a surprising obsession: Disney. “I’m always watching Disney, I’m a Disney fan. My favorite character is Mike Wazowski,” he revealed. “A lot of people think I’m emo… but if they knew how I am with my close friends, I’m very cheerful.”
While he’s busy leading $ad Boy Records and launching Gael Valenzuela’s career, Junior H remains laser-focused on his own artistry. With vaults of unreleased music — particularly corridos currently shelved due to government restrictions in Mexico — Junior H sees his career as fluid and adaptive. He also teased several possibilities for his next release, from a solo album to collaborations or even a covers project. “I have so much music saved […] about two albums, they’re practically aging, but I’m also working on new things. Very interesting new projects are coming.”
In addition to panel conversations all weekend, Billboard House is also hosting daily performers, with Karina Galicia, EddyJae, Mosmo, Oscar Ortiz, Lena Dardelet, Sofish, BrunoOG and Hermanos Espinoza taking the stage on Saturday’s day 2. DJ Cortez also provided daytime sounds for the space.
Read Billboard‘s Junior H recent cover story here, and catch Junior H’s full conversation with Leila Cobo at the Billboard House @ SXSW in the video above.
