A Mexican musician uses a contentious genre to sing of women imprisoned for killing their abusers

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two days before her new album was launched, musical icon Vivir Quintana was behind barbed wire at a women’s prison in Mexico. The singer had spent the past 10 years visiting women incarcerated after defending themselves and, in doing so, killing their abusers.

Their stories became part of “Cosas que Sorprenden a la Audiencia” (Things that Surprise the Audience), Quintana's latest album, released Thursday.

It tells the story of 10 such women but in a first, Quintana does it through “corridos,” a typically male-dominated and controversial Mexican music genre that’s soared into the spotlight in recent years.

The album, Quintana explained, was born out of her desire to dive into the more complicated aspects of gender-based violence.

“This album has a different heart,” Quintana, 40, said in an interview, donning bright red boots, her signature streak of gray slicing through her black hair. “This album wasn’t made to sell, it’s to change minds.”

The songs are meant to raise awareness about soaring levels of violence against women across Latin America — human rights groups estimate that an average of 10 women are killed in Mexico every day — and a justice system that many believe protects abusers and silences women's voices.

In many cases, women like the ones in Quintana’s corridos are charged with “excessive legitimate self-defense," charges that have fueled outrage among many in Mexico.

“So many times I feared for my life. So many times I didn’t defend myself,” Quintana crooned, cradling her guitar as her booming voice echoed through the halls of her record label building on Wednesday. “Now I live locked up in a prison, and I feel more free than I did in my own home.”

Amplifying women’s voices has been a hallmark of Quintana’s career, and rocketed her to fame in Mexico and beyond.

In 2020, her “Canción Sin Miedo” (Song Without Fear) became an anthem for Mexico’s Women’s Day march and the feminist movement in Latin America.

In 2022, she co-wrote a melancholy hymn about healing and freedom for the album of the Black Panther sequel. And last year, she was recognized at the Latin Grammys as one of four Leading Ladies of Entertainment.

Quintana's new music goes further. She uses “corridos,” a type of northern Mexican ballads that has seen both an international renaissance and a backlash, with critics claiming that “narco corridos” — songs that glorify cartel violence and use misogynistic lyrics – have dominated the form.

The topic has grown so heated that the United States even revoked the visas of members of one band who projected the face of a drug cartel boss onto a large screen during a performance.

Instead of banning the corridos as a growing number of Mexican states have done, the country's first woman president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has proposed that the government promote a new style of corridos that avoid glorifying violence and discrimination against women.

“We’re not banning a musical genre; that would be absurd," Sheinbaum said recently. "What we’re proposing is that the lyrics not glorify drugs, violence, violence against women or viewing women as a sexual object.”

Quintana's corridos turn the genre on its head, paying tribute not to violence or criminals, but to women who have been criminalized for defending themselves.

The first song on her album, “Era Él o Era Yo (It Was Either Him or Me) tells the story of Roxana Ruiz, a Mexican woman sentenced to six years for killing a man who was raping her and threatened to kill her in 2021.

“This isn’t justice,” Ruiz said after the court ruling. “Remember, I am the one who was sexually assaulted by that man, and after he died because I defended myself … because I didn’t want to die by his hands.”

Mexican prosecutors later withdrew the case against her after a countrywide outcry.

One song tells of a 14-year-old girl in the southern state of Tabasco who killed her father when he was abusing her mother. Another tells of Yakiri Rubio, who was kidnapped by two men, taken to a hotel and raped. After killing one of the men, she was taken to prison and charged with "homicide by excessive legitimate self-defense."

With each song, Quintana would follow local news reports, interview the women in prisons and spend time with their families, hoping to capture their personalities — and not just the violent act that transformed their lives.

“It’s something painful that the state tells you that if you defend yourself, we’re going to punish you,” Quintana said. “It’s like up until what point do we care about women’s life?”

Quintana's inspiration stemmed from a childhood memory of a classic corrido she first heard at the age of 5, played at parties and on the radio in her native northern Mexican state of Coahuila.

The ballad is about a woman named Rosita Alvírez, violently killed when she tried to go out to dance. Later, when she was 15, Quintana's best friend was murdered in a femicide, the slaying of women because of their gender. It was then that the brutality of the lyrics sank in.

Quintana's album seeks to shift the tone of the corridos to capture the harsh realities Mexican women face, she said, and explore ongoing violence against women and other kinds of “machismo” with nuance.

Her purpose, she added, is to lift up survivors of gender violence and to provide a point of connection for incarcerated women like those in her ballads.

“They tell these women, you defended yourself, you killed someone and you're in prison, you don't have the right to feel joy, enjoy life, you don't have the right to anything,” Quintana said.

“But it's important to dance to these things, no?" she added. "Because people have to understand that they have the right to music, the right to art, and more than anything, the right to beauty.”

Yakiri Rubio attends a performance of Mexican corridos singer Vivir Quintana in Mexico City, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

Mexican corridos singer Vivir Quintana prepares to perform her new album, about violence against women, in Mexico City, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

Mexican corridos singer Vivir Quintana gives an interview before performing her new album, about violence against women, in Mexico City, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

Mexican corridos singer Vivir Quintana, right, performs her new album, about violence against women, in Mexico City, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

Mexican corridos singer Vivir Quintana joins hands with her band before the introduction of her new album, about violence against women, in Mexico City, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

Mexican corridos singer Vivir Quintana, center, performs her new album, about violence against women, in Mexico City, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

Mexican corridos singer Vivir Quintana performs her new album, about violence against women, in Mexico City, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario)

NEW YORK (AP) — Make no mistake, New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has heard all the harsh criticism this offseason.

There's no way to duck that much heat — especially when some of it's coming from your own kitchen.

But after saying goodbye to popular slugger Pete Alonso, star closer Edwin Díaz and two other Mets stalwarts before Christmas, a steadfast Stearns remains confident in his vision for 2026 and beyond.

“Clearly, this has been an offseason with a lot of change. Some of that change has been really tough," Stearns said Tuesday at a Citi Field luncheon with Mets beat reporters.

"I certainly understand that there have been points in this offseason that have been frustrating for our fan base. We’re not blind to that at all. I’m certainly not blind to that. I hear it. I recognize it. I hear it from my friends and family, at times. I’m also very convicted that what we are doing is the right thing for our franchise going forward to accomplish our goals of creating a consistent playoff team. A team that year after year is a true World Series contender.”

In addition to letting Alonso and Díaz leave as free agents, Stearns traded outfielder Brandon Nimmo and versatile veteran Jeff McNeil — both homegrown Mets.

New York signed closer Devin Williams to a $51 million, three-year contract, infielder Jorge Polanco to a $40 million, two-year deal and reliever Luke Weaver to a $22 million, two-year agreement. With the club intent on improving its defense, Gold Glove second baseman Marcus Semien was acquired from Texas in the trade for Nimmo.

“It has not been hard for me to stay patient and stick to my principles,” said Stearns, raised in New York City. “I grew up a Mets fan. I love the Mets. I am committed to doing this job in a way that I think truly sets us up for success for a sustained period of time. That’s why I want to be here.

"And so I think that end goal and that end desire and that motivation makes it much easier for me to not be swayed by some near-term sentiment. As difficult as near-term sentiment can be, and certainly in this town as loud as it can be, I understand ultimately what our task is, what our mission is, and I believe we’re on our way to achieving it.”

Looking for a big bat in the outfield to pair with Juan Soto, the Mets are believed to be pursuing free agent Kyle Tucker, who batted .266 with 22 homers, 73 RBIs and an .841 OPS in 136 games for the Chicago Cubs last season.

Last year’s World Series teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays, are thought to be the other finalists for Tucker.

New York finished 83-79 last season and missed the playoffs even though owner Steve Cohen was on track to be baseball's second-biggest spender at $431 million in projected payroll and luxury tax.

“What we’ve done previously has not been good enough. We all know that. I certainly know that. And we’ve got to do better,” Stearns said. “We have elite talent at the top of our major league roster. We’ve got a very good farm system. And we’ve got a very good present-day major league team as we sit here today that’s going to get better before we get to opening day.”

Stearns, a small-market success while running the Milwaukee Brewers, pointed to young Mets players like catcher Francisco Alvarez, third baseman Brett Baty and pitcher Nolan McLean as reasons for both immediate and long-term optimism.

“We do think we’ve got a really special crop of young starters,” Stearns said. “I think to this point we’ve yielded really good prospects, and the next challenge for us is let’s turn them into really good major league players.

"I think we’re going to be able to be a good team and win games in somewhat different ways than maybe we have over the past couple of years, and the roster we’re putting together I think will reflect that.”

Top prospect Carson Benge will get a chance to make the big league team out of spring training, possibly in center field.

“We think this is going to be a really good player who’s going to be good here for a long time. Whether that begins on opening day, I’m not sure yet,” Stearns said. "There’s not a lot that we don’t like.”

Left-handed reliever A.J. Minter, rehabbing from surgery for a torn left lat muscle, probably won't be ready for opening day. "But it shouldn’t be too far into the season,” Stearns said.

Christian Scott is expected back following Tommy John surgery in September 2024.

“He’ll be fully ready to go. Exactly how we ramp his season, I think we still have to determine that,” Stearns said.

Third baseman Mark Vientos is expected to get playing time at first along with Polanco.

Stearns said Soto has “worked incredibly hard” on improving his defense this offseason in the Dominican Republic.

“I think Juan can get materially better and I think Juan is the type of person and player when he puts his mind to something, generally achieves it,” Stearns said. “We have to be better at keeping runs off the board. Our pitching and defense has to be better."

McLean and fellow right-hander Clay Holmes are set to pitch for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic in March.

“We are having conversations with both of those guys about workload,” Stearns said.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

FILE - New York Mets' Pete Alonso gathers his belongings in the dugout after the Mets lost to the Miami Marlins in a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky,File)

FILE - New York Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns responds to questions during a news conference about MLB trade deadline deals, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith, File)