“This is quite an experimental record,” Eden Muñoz tells Apple Music about the songs on Eden, an album that both celebrates and reinvents the rulebook of música mexicana. “I had already experimented with unusual sounds before, but this is the first time that I ventured so close to my own limits. At the end of the day, I just love music and always experience it to the fullest. From the moment I wake up in the morning, the speakers are on and I listen to everything—from whatever the streaming algorithm may throw my way to my trusted favourites. All those elements coalesced into the fusion that you will find on this album, which cherishes my identity as a producer.” From the soulful cumbia of “No Sabes La Que Te Espera”—a duet with Argentine vocalist Luck Ra—to the reckless passion of the traditional banda tune “Traigo Saldo y Ganas de Rogar” and the tropical shimmer of “Bailando Bien”, the tracks on Eden find the former Calibre 50 singer enjoying the artistic freedom that results from taking full control of a solo career. “Like we say in Mexico, you can’t deny the cross of your own parish,” he quips. “I spent 15 years with Calibre singing the music that people wanted to hear, and we did well. But there was a limit, a self-imposed circle that we couldn’t escape, because people back then weren’t open like today to accepting different sounds. I’m discovering new paths of expression, and feel that if I don’t have fun, then my listeners won’t be entertained either. I had never felt this happy making an album. I’m not trying to change the world or anything like that. My objective is to make music with my friends and have a good time.” Here, Muñoz talks in depth about some of the key tracks on Eden. “No Sabes La Que Te Espera” “The only feature on the album is a collaboration with Luck Ra, an Argentine artist who belongs to the cumbia villera style—the kind of songs that you chant along at a soccer stadium. I may not belong to that genre, but we knew we could come up with a good cumbia together. I was inspired by what A.B. Quintanilla did in the ’90s with Selena y Los Dinos; all those pads, and the norteño touch on the accordion. I’m intimately familiar with those instruments—that’s why the song has its own identity.” “Traigo Saldo y Ganas de Rogar” “This song is just the opposite: good banda music, the roots that I grew up with, the sound that sums up the place where I live. I wanted to follow a more progressive concept, since banda music tends to be conservative. I didn’t want to stray away from its essence, though; that would be like taking the eagle off the Mexican flag. We tried to update it, flirting with different guitar textures and fusing the tololoche with the tuba. The lyric stems from a TikTok that was trending and said: ‘Not that one, because I bring a bargain and the desire to pray’ (esa no, porque traigo saldo y ganas de rogar). I loved that expression, and putting it in a song came easy to me.” “Me Rento” “I wrote this one with Edgar Barrera. Its origin is quite remarkable, as this album was experimental not only in sonic terms, but also the tools that we used as artists in order to open up the gates of inspiration. I rarely look for ideas in the use of narcotics, but sometimes they can provide the kind of jolt that you can’t find in your everyday life. In those specific instances that we shared, a new style emerged. We focused on a more mainstream American sound, like rock ’n’ roll from New Orleans or Nashville—something that Juan Gabriel had already done before. ‘Me Rento’ is a flirtatious little tune that fits in a variety of moods. It’s funny, and it balances the album just fine.” “Bailando Bien” “When I was very young, in the ’90s, my parents sold cassette tapes, and there was always plenty of music at home. When we moved, we went from a village in the northern side of Sinaloa to Mazatlán, where I discovered banda and a lot of new music; there is a wide variety of culture in my state. We listened to this tune on a cassette that was stuck in my father’s car. I thought of recording a cover because it evokes beautiful memories of road trips with my family. There were six of us in a Volkswagen sedan, and I remember my mom, and the smell of the burritos she would give us, with a little Coke bottle. We were really happy then.” “Mi Momento Más Ex-Quizofrénico” “This song emerged from a bad trip. During this spell of experimenting, I had a trip that was anything but enjoyable, and it stems from that. First I came up with the music and that 6/8 rhythm. I thought that the lyric should be a little more party-friendly, so it wouldn’t scare people away. You don’t need to go crazy over it—it’s not Pink Floyd. I came up with a regional-heavy lyric of empowerment: You will be left pining for more, because this is about me now, it’s my turn. So you have this amazing music—chaotic and experimental—but when you listen to the lyrics, you can also identify with the message, and the balance is re-established.”