There are songs that no matter how much time passes: just listen to the first chords to return to a stage of our life. To our parents’ house, to a road trip, to any afternoon with music playing in the background. Cachas de Oro knows that power well. With Lost & Found, the group took five songs that marked their own history and took them to their Sierra world. The result: more than a million streams and a new generation discovering songs they may have heard for the first time in another voice.
But the history of Cachas de Oro goes far beyond reproductions. There is friendship, loss, memories and a decision that forever changed the direction of the group: to continue making music after the death of its founder and vocalist, Joel Espinoza-Lira. Today, Juan Ricardo Cermeño Hernández, Kristian Espinoza Lira and Ángel Muñiz “Rayo” celebrate what they have built and, at the same time, prepare for a new stage with their Sierreño Sax proposal.
We talked to them about the songs that made them look back, what keeps them together, and what they dream of finding in music. Here, their stories, in first person.
They just surpassed one million streams with Lost & Found. What does it mean to you to see that these five songs, which are part of your memories, are now also connecting with a new generation?
I think it’s something very nice because that was precisely the purpose of the EP: to bring nostalgia to people with songs that were very popular at the time and that today are perhaps no longer listened to as much by the new generation. I do feel that it was something very nice to see how two generations, so to speak, crossed paths and managed to connect. It was something very cool.
How did the idea of bringing together songs from artists as different as PXNDX, Shakira, Jesse & Joy, Ana Bárbara and Julieta Venegas on the same EP come about? What did they have in common for you?
We rely a lot on nostalgia and finding songs that we listened to during our childhood, when we were kids and our mom was mopping and listening to music, for example. They are songs that bring back memories of our childhood.
“Los Malaventurados No Lloran” went viral on TikTok in 2025 and exceeded 700 thousand views. At what point did you realize that the song was taking on a life of its own and what did that success mean for the group?
What happened is that we saw on TikTok how it started to gain strength because there were three things that made it striking. One, which was a song from the 2000s, by Panda, and which was part of that whole emo movement. Two, it was done in regional, in Sierreño, in a corrido style. And three, there were also many editions of the song in which they added a Japanese voice.
They were like three very different things and, specifically, it was a Panda song, in a corrido version and in Japanese. There were videos with things like “my dreams when I’m sick” and so on. They were three very bizarre elements, to say the least, and we began to see that there was a very good response from people.
More than doing covers, you seek to bring these songs to your own Sierra universe. What changes when they take a song that the public already knows and turn it into a Cachas de Oro song?
Well, whenever we record a cover we try not to lose what the original song is. However, what we do is mix our style as much as possible, so that the difference is noticeable and people can say: “This is Golden Scales.” I think it’s about leaving our presence reflected without repeating the original song too much.
The group has undergone an important evolution since its formation in San Antonio, including the loss of Joel Espinoza-Lira and the decision to continue his legacy. How has all that history influenced the music you make today and the way you see the future of Cachas de Oro?
I think it has been something very important in the lives of each of us, both as individuals and as a group. We decided to move forward to continue the legacy of our friend Joel, Kris’ brother. He left us this group and I believe that there is no better way to honor his memory than to continue with music, to continue with our group and, above all, to remain united.
Because before being colleagues in the group or the project as such, we are friends, we are very close, like brothers. And I think that’s the beautiful thing: to continue making music, to remain united and, well, yes, I think there is nothing more important than to continue making music together.
After this million streams, they are also exploring the concept of “Sierreño Sax”. What can you reveal about this new stage and what do you hope the public will find in the coming sound?
I feel that I am very excited and happy with this new stage that we are beginning. We are going to start releasing some songs from this Sierreño Sax. Like the name explains itself. It is, more or less, a mix of norteño sax with requinto and guitars. It’s something… I don’t know, I’m very excited. It’s a very good mix.
If you could go back to when you started Cachas de Oro and tell those first musicians that one day they would surpass one million streams, what do you think you would tell them?
I think I would tell them not to give up, to stay together and to do everything with our hearts. Let us not despair, because in this it is very easy to get angry or desperate. There are many things that do not depend on you. There are quite a few factors that are taken into account to ensure that music is heard.
I think it’s about having patience, doing everything with your heart and staying united as friends. That’s what I would tell you on my part.
