Recommendations of the Editorial team
Carlos Santana and Becky G want to show the world with their new song “Mi Gran Amor” demonstrate the brutal reality of ICE raids.
“I believe music has the power to humanize conversations that people too often reduce to politics. There are real families and real victims behind every headline,” Becky G tells Rolling Stone. “I hope this song makes at least one person feel seen and inspires more compassion.”
On the rock-tinged track, the Mexican-American musicians detail the horror stories that hard-working immigrants in the United States are facing amid recent tightening immigration policies. “Migra, mi gran amor se fue por culpa de la migra,” sings Becky G – “Migra” is the slang Spanish term for immigration officials – while Santana contributes masterful guitar riffs.
Music as the voice of migrants
Becky G recently highlighted the importance of immigrants in the world of work as part of ROLLING STONE’s American Icons package. “My other grandfather was the man in the background washing dishes and flipping burgers. And my grandmothers were the women who toiled in the factories. For me, it’s all very close. It’s a part of me,” she says in her post, adding: “There is a lot that divides us as a country today and, unfortunately, always has. But when we remember that we are part of something much bigger, it unites us.”
“Mi Gran Amor” was written and produced by Grammy-winning producer Edgar Barrera, who is also of Mexican-American descent. According to Billboard Español, Barrera wrote the song after a friend was arrested by ICE. He plans to donate his royalties from the song to families affected by ICE detentions in the southern United States. “The world needs more songs with attitude right now…that’s why we wrote this song…to help the people who don’t have a voice,” Barrera told the magazine.
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Why does Campino think that sometimes it’s good to just keep your mouth shut? Why does he sometimes feel like a drinks delivery man? He provides the answer in our cover story about the Toten Hosen’s big farewell, exclusively in issue 06/26. And that’s not all: the magazine includes the world exclusive 7-inch single “Always just loved” – on which Sven Regener from Element of Crime also contributed. You can easily order the ROLLING STONE edition here.
