The concert, released on October 15, opened with "Somos Más Americanos" and an introduction by Félix Contreras about the Latino community.
NPR Music released Los Tigres del Norte's Tiny Desk session on October 15, 2026. Tiny Desk is a series of short concerts the station records on an office desk. The performance is part of "El Tiny," NPR's annual series dedicated to Latin Music Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15. This year's edition featured ten artists, and the band was among them.
The Mexican group, which according to NPR has been performing for some 60 years, opened with "Somos Más Americanos" (We Are More American), an anthem about migration and identity. The EFE news agency, in a report published by the Salvadoran newspaper Diario El Mundo, stated that the performance lasted more than 20 minutes and was released a few weeks before the U.S. midterm elections.
Why it matters to Latinos in the U.S.
Los Tigres del Norte have a large audience comprised of immigrants. The California Museum, which inducted the band into its Hall of Fame in 2022, notes that their early performances included dances for migrant farmworkers and that the group has spoken out on issues such as immigration, racism, and farmworkers' rights. The fact that a group with this profile performed on NPR with a song about Latinos' sense of belonging to the country explains much of the attention the performance received.
The reaction on social media was widespread. According to EFE, the Instagram post of the concert garnered over 200,000 likes, and the YouTube video reached approximately 150,000 views. The agency also noted that the band participated in a 2024 campaign event for Kamala Harris, a fact that places the group within the current political debate.
The repertoire and the musicians
The setlist consisted of five songs in total. After "Somos Más Americanos" came "Golpes en el Corazón," "Quiero Volar Contigo," and "Ni Parientes Somos," and the last was "La Puerta Negra." The NPR page, reproduced by public broadcasters, lists four titles; the fifth, "Ni Parientes Somos," appears in the KQED review and in the EFE coverage.
The newspaper Récord described how the audience joined in singing "Ni Parientes Somos" after the musicians invited them to do so, and how the venue responded with shouts and applause during "La Puerta Negra." Another media outlet, N+, attributed phrases to Jorge Hernández in which the group defines itself as Latino and mestizo; the outlet does not specify whether these were spoken or sung.
The lineup combined accordion, bass, bajo sexto, alto saxophone, two drum sets, and percussion. Jorge Hernández played accordion and sang. Hernán Hernández played bass. Eduardo Hernández alternated between accordion, alto saxophone, and bajo sexto, and Luis Hernández played bajo sexto; all four sang. Óscar Lara and Giovanny Hernández shared drums, and Juan Salazar was in charge of percussion.
Background: The band and their music about migration
Los Tigres del Norte were formed in Rosa Morada, in the municipality of Mocorito, Sinaloa, by the Hernández brothers and a cousin. According to the California Museum, they settled in San Jose, California, where they have been based since 1967. KQED describes them as a group from that city with more than 60 years of history.
The same museum credits them with over 40 million albums sold and 66 songs on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart, more than any other artist or group. Their accolades include the Latin Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award, the Hispanic Heritage Legend Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2019, they released the documentary "Los Tigres del Norte at Folsom Prison" on Netflix, featuring a Grammy-winning soundtrack, and in 2021, they released "La Reunión," their first entirely new studio album in eight years. That album, in its expanded edition, earned them their tenth Latin Grammy in November 2022, in the Best Norteño Album category.
EFE describes "Somos Más Americanos" as one of the group's anthems in support of migrants. N+ highlighted the verse in which the band affirms that they are "more American than all the gringos," a phrase that summarizes the song's argument about Latinos' belonging to this country.
The Tiny Desk and "The Tiny"«
«"El Tiny" is produced by Anamaria Sayre and Félix Contreras, co-hosts of Alt.Latino, NPR's Latin music program. Contreras said that since 2021 the series has brought Latin music to new audiences. Remezcla reported that the team seeks out up-and-coming artists as well as established figures, and that, according to Sayre, the selection depends not on popularity but on honesty and authenticity.
The 2026 edition included Mon Laferte (Chile), Los Mirlos (Peru), Yendry and Alex Ferreira (Dominican Republic), Melissa Aldana and Gonzalo Rubalcaba (Cuba), Panteón Rococó (Mexico), Tim Bernardes (Brazil), Los Texmaniacs (USA), Draco Rosa (Puerto Rico), and Los Tigres del Norte. Previous years' lineups included Becky G, Omar Apollo, and Juanes, and the 2025 edition, the fifth, opened with Argentine singer-songwriter Fito Páez.
The reaction and controversy surrounding the introduction of Félix Contreras
Contreras introduced the session before the band played. In KQED, reviewer Anamaria Sayre describes him as a close friend and colleague and recounts that he spoke through tears. According to NPR's report, he said that the band members had restored the community's humanity for years. EFE and N+ also reported, in Spanish, that the Latino community is under attack and that this is not the first time.
The controversy arose later. El Imparcial reported on October 16 that social media users noticed the official video did not include the introduction, although the accompanying text did mention it. The newspaper cited an article by Armando Luna Franco in X and pointed out that the omission alone does not prove that NPR intended to censor the speech. According to that publication, Contreras linked the current situation to the 1848 border change and a campaign of mass deportations in 1954.
Other Mexican media outlets reported that the speech disappeared from the YouTube version and that NPR said it had restored it to its site, while YouTube was still pending. This has not been confirmed by official sources: the El Imparcial article does not include any statement from NPR or YouTube, and the concert page contains no clarification on the matter. The Latin Americans was unable to verify whether the video was modified after its premiere.
What's next?
The sources consulted do not mention a new album or another NPR session with the band. The group's public schedule corresponds to the "Los Tigres del Mundo Tour 2026," according to SDP Noticias. After October 19, that outlet lists a date in Bogotá on November 7 and the following dates in the U.S.:
- November 13, Palm Desert, California (Acrisure Arena, according to Uno TV).
- November 14, San Diego, California.
- November 20, Columbus, Ohio.
- November 21, Detroit, Michigan.
- November 27, Baltimore, Maryland.
- November 28, Long Island, New York.
- December 4, Nashville, Tennessee.
- December 5, Birmingham, Alabama.
Schedules are subject to change, and sources may not agree on all details. Tickets and times are confirmed on each venue's official sales platform.