A P.F. Chang’s fortune cookie set the tone for Deyra Barrera’s day: “Tomorrow will be a very important day for you.”
The next morning, the 49-year-old mariachi singer from Tucson, Arizona, awoke to a shocking text—Kendrick Lamar had surprise-released GNX, and her voice opened the album.
“I still get goosebumps. Everything happened so fast,” Barrera tells Rolling Stone minutes after the release.
Her powerful ranchera vocals lead the opening track: “I felt your presence here last night,” she sings over an operatic choir. “And we start to cryyyy.” She’d only heard one song, “Wacced Out Murals,” but during the call, she discovered her voice also featured on the Tupac tribute “Reincarnated” and the SZA-assisted closer “Gloria.”
“I want to cry. This is overwhelming,” she says, struggling to contain her emotions.
Barrera believes a baseball-playing angel brought her here. Weeks earlier, she performed at a Dodgers tribute for Fernando Valenzuela, singing a medley including “Yo Te Extrañaré.”
“I was in tears, singing for my late friend in front of a packed stadium,” she recalls. “Señor Lamar was there. He heard me.”
Days later, she was in Lamar’s studio. His team explained the album’s emotional themes, and she quickly jotted down lyrics to match his vision. She had no idea how her mariachi style would fit with rap.
When Lamar stopped by, he thanked her for her powerful voice. “He’s a genius, a maestro. Everything he touches is magic,” she says.
Barrera hopes this collaboration opens doors. She’s hustled in the U.S. since immigrating from Sonora in 1993, performing at restaurants, weddings, and quinceañeras. Inspired by legends like Amalia Mendoza and Lola Beltrán, she’s never given up.
“This industry is tough,” she admits. “I need to seize this moment, work hard, and let people know who Deyra Barrera is.”
Dreaming big, she envisions joining Lamar on a Super Bowl stage. “That would be incredible. I hope people recognize my voice and my story.”