Sheinbaum’s mañanera in 60 seconds
- 📍Mañanera focuses on México canta: President Sheinbaum’s Thursday press conference centered on the second edition of México canta, a binational singing competition promoting peace and rejecting the glorification of cartel violence in music.
- 🎤 16,000+ auditioned for second edition: Culture Minister Claudia Curiel de Icaza said more than 16,000 young people — 10,528 from Mexico and 5,761 from the U.S. — took part in initial auditions, calling the response “extraordinary.”
- 🌟 14 semi-finalists selected: The Mexican Music Council picked seven U.S.-based and seven Mexico-based semi-finalists. The seven U.S. artists, from California, Arizona, Colorado, New York, Oregon and Illinois, performed at today’s mañanera; the Mexican finalists will be announced next week.
- 🏆 Semi-finals set for L.A. and Mazatlán: Curiel announced the semi-finals will be held Aug. 23 at the Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles and Aug. 31 at the Ángela Peralta Theater in Mazatlán, with three winners ultimately earning recording contracts via public vote.
- 🤝 Sheinbaum cuts mañanera short for Greer meeting: Sheinbaum ended her press conference early to prepare for a 10 a.m. meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, coming three weeks after Greer said Washington would not renew the USMCA in its current form.
- 💭 Sheinbaum on México canta’s impact: Asked to quantify the competition’s effect on youth violence, Sheinbaum said it’s hard to measure but described a “virtuous circle” where participants influence friends and family, adding: “If we only influenced one person, it would be worth it.”
Why today’s mañanera matters
Today’s mañanera focused on the México canta (Mexico Sings) binational music competition, whose second edition is underway.
Sponsored by the federal government, the competition aims to promote peace, combat addiction and foster a culture that rejects the glorification of violence.
The competition, which is open to young Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, has one overriding rule: Songs that glorify the lives of cartels, violence or drug trafficking are not allowed.
On Thursday morning, President Claudia Sheinbaum was accompanied at her press conference by Culture Minister Claudia Curiel de Icaza, seven México canta participants from the United States and the Mexican singer and rapper known as El Bogueto (real name Armando Antonio Toledo Rosas).
The mañanera was important as it underscored the government’s commitment to steering young people away from a life of crime and violence. The México canta competition is, in effect, part of the government’s strategy to address the root causes of crime.
The main element of the strategy is the provision of work and education opportunities for young people, especially those who may be vulnerable to recruitment by criminal organizations.
Those opportunities are provided through programs such as the Youths Building the Future apprenticeship scheme, through educational scholarships and via the opening of new public university campuses.
More than 16,000 participants in second edition of México canta
Curiel told reporters that more than 16,000 young people — 10,528 from Mexico and 5,761 from the U.S. — participated in the initial auditions for the second edition of México canta.
The culture minister described the response to the call to participate in the competition as “extraordinary.”
Curiel announced that 14 semi-finalists had been selected by the Mexican Music Council — seven from the United States and seven from Mexico. The seven U.S.-based artists were present at today’s mañanera, while the seven Mexican semi-finalists are to be announced next week.
The seven U.S.-based semi-finalists include four women and three men from six different states: California, Arizona, Colorado, New York, Oregon and Illinois.
Curiel announced that the semi-finals of México canta will be held at the Million Dollar Theater in Los Angeles on Aug. 23 and at the Ángela Peralta Theater in Mazatlán on Aug. 31. Six finalists will subsequently perform live during four television transmissions. Via a public vote, three winners will be selected and they will receive recording contracts as prizes.
The seven U.S.-based semifinalists got a chance to show off their talents at today’s mañanera ahead of their performances in L.A. next month. El Bogueto, who hails from Nezahualcóyotl, México state, also performed, singing his song “Mi barrio” (My ‘hood).
Silencio en la mañanera por el asesinato del periodista Alejandro Leyva
Tampoco hubo una palabra por el homicidio del alcalde Valentín Lavín en el palacio municipal de Temoac
En Palacio Nacional el tema fue otro: El Bogueto y el concurso México Canta pic.twitter.com/d19g0nL4Rp
— Manuel Lopez San Martin (@MLopezSanMartin) July 23, 2026
Sheinbaum holds mañanera ahead of meeting with Greer
After the update on the second edition of the México canta competition, Sheinbaum told reporters that her mañanera would be ending early at 9 a.m. as U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer was scheduled to arrive at the National Palace at 10 a.m.
“We’re going to welcome him and we’re going to have a wide-ranging meeting with Economy Ministry colleagues and guests from the United States,” she said.
Sheinbaum’s meeting with Greer and other officials on Thursday will take place three weeks after the U.S. trade representative announced that the U.S. government had declined to renew the USMCA in its current form. Mexico-U.S. trade talks have been taking place in Mexico City this week, and Greer is now set to join those discussions.
Sheinbaum: México canta creates a ‘virtuous circle’
Asked what impact México canta has had on young people in terms of steering them away from violence, Sheinbaum responded that “it’s very difficult to measure the impact in numbers.”
She noted that it’s just the second edition of México canta that is underway and highlighted that some 16,500 young people participated in the auditions for the competition.
Those 16,500 people — who are presumably opposed to the glorification of violence in music and other forms of cultural expression — “influence their friends and influence their family,” Sheinbaum said.
“In other words, it’s a virtuous circle and that keeps growing,” she said.
“If we only influenced one person, it would be worth it,” Sheinbaum said. “But of course we want the influence to be massive.”
Sheinbaum also reiterated her view that “music mustn’t glorify violence.”
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
