The Life and Career of Adelaido Solís: A Young and Talented Singer
Adelaido Solís
Adelaido “Payo” Solís III was born on 23rd March 2003, in McAllen, Texas, USA, and is one-sixth of the popular American-Mexican group Grupo Frontera. As the lead singer of the band who also plays bajo quinto – a Mexican string instrument with ten strings, similar to a small guitar – Adelaido has proven himself to be an unstoppable force in the music industry, along with his groupmates.
Although Adelaido is believed to be single at the moment, he was previously in a relationship with Kaitlyn Rodriguez. When the couple split in May 2023, Mexican gossip blogs claimed that the singer had broken up with Kaitlyn due to his newfound fame – allegations which Kaitlyn herself didn’t deny.
During a TikTok Live stream, Kaitlyn and a friend discussed how Adelaido broke up with her out of the blue and presumably via text messages as she said he was unwilling to see her. When her comments began circulating online, Kaitlyn took to Instagram and told her followers: ‘Yes, Payo and I broke up, he was my first boyfriend, my first everything and I’ll admit that our relationship wasn’t perfect, but nobody’s is, and I didn’t know how relationships work.’ [Translated from Spanish]
Kaitlyn then added that their relationship soured when Adelaido began doing shows outside of Texas, as she feared that he might cheat on her with another woman. Accused of being a gold-digger by netizens, the blonde also defended herself, saying that she fell in love with Adelaido before his fame. More details came to light as time passed; according to the singer’s ex-girlfriend, he was jealous of his cousin, and feared that Kaitlyn would leave him. Meanwhile, Kaitlyn’s closest friends allegedly turned their backs on her after the split.
Musical Career
Recently described as one of the ‘it boys’ of Mexican music by none other than Billboard magazine, Adelaido formed the group in 2019, with his friends Juan Javier Cantú, Julian Peña Jr., Alberto Acosta, Carlos Guerrero, and Carlos Zamora. During the first few years, Grupo Frontera mainly performed at small local events such as birthday parties or family gatherings, and each of the boys had their own full-time job.
Although Grupo Frontera did release a few Latin pop and norteño covers in 2019, these didn’t go viral until their version of “No Se Va” began charting at the end of 2022, thanks to TikTok and YouTube. In December 2022, the group collaborated with Fuerza Regida for “Bebé Dame”, which reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs charts, and became its first top-40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Less than six months later, Grupo Frontera and Bad Bunny’s collaboration “Un x100to”, became the band’s highest-charting single to date, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Shortly afterwards, Adelaido and his bandmates announced their first tour, and began working on their debut album, “El Comienzo”, which was released in August 2023, and includes the hits “Que Vuelvas”, “Le Va Doler”, and “Ojitos Rojos”.
Grupo Frontera (and artists such as Eslabón Armado and Peso Pluma) are credited with the newfound mainstream popularity of regional Mexican music in the US, and many of the group’s singles have hit over 100 million views on YouTube. Although Grupo Frontera is mainly known for its norteño and cumbia style, “El Comienzo” explored a variety of genres and other regional Mexican sounds.
Speaking to Billboard magazine, Adelaido’s bandmate Julian said: ‘We’re creating music for people of all ages. We’re making romantic songs that you can dedicate… That’s why they want to work with us.’ Following the success of “No Se Va”, Grupo Frontera began a professional relationship with Edgar Barrera, a songwriter and producer who resides in Miami, and has won almost two dozen Latin Grammy awards. Edgar, who has worked with the likes of Madonna and Camilo, was fundamental in the making of “El Comienzo”.
Adelaido “Payo” Solís and Juan Javier Cantu from Grupo Frontera x #BillboardLatinWeek 📸
Check out more photos from the biggest week in Latin music: https://t.co/jekRCwYYZ7 pic.twitter.com/SLtteyJfdJ
— billboard latin (@billboardlatin) October 7, 2023
To date, Grupo Frontera’s career highlights include a sold-out show at the Auditorio Citibanamex in Monterrey, which has been graced by the likes of Juan Gabriel and Luis Miguel. At the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Adelaido and his bandmates were nominated in over a dozen categories and took home the Duo/Group Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year accolade. They have also own their first Latin Grammy and Premio Juventud for “Un x100to”, as well as a Latin American Music award for their live version of “No Se Va”.
Bandmates
Juan Javier Cantú has over 60,000 Instagram followers, but is one of the more reserved members of Grupo Frontera, preferring that Adelaido and the others to bask in the limelight. The talented singer and accordionist is in his mid-20s and celebrates his birthday on August 20th. In 2022, he thanked God for his family, other half, friends, and bandmates. Not much is known about Juan Javier’s wife, whom he married in March 2023, as she has no public social media profiles.
Next up is Julian Peña Jr, who is in his early 20s, and was born on May 22nd. In Grupo Frontera, Julian plays the congas (a tall, narrow drum from Cuba). Unlike his bandmates and their complicated love lives, Julian is happily married and celebrated his big day and the gender reveal for his first child in July 2023. It’s said that Julian’s wife, Daniela, will be giving birth near the end of 2023.
Alberto Acosta, who also plays bajo quinto, keeps things strictly professional on social media. Almost all of his Instagram posts, be it at sold-out shows or high-profile events, depict the musician with his bandmates or other industry figures such as Bad Bunny. Considered by many to be the most attractive member of Grupo Frontera, Alberto is believed to be single.
Carlos Guerrero, the drummer of the group, is a father with a young son and another baby on the way. In late May 2023, the musician proudly posted a themed photoshoot of himself with his pregnant other half and their adorable child. However, Guerrero’s partner is extremely private on Instagram, so much so we don’t even know her real name.
Lastly, Carlos Zamora is the bassist of Grupo Frontera and has no social media that we know of. His birthday, hobbies, and any information pertaining his private life are a mystery. However, as Grupo Frontera’s star rises – with collaborations with Arcangel and other musical superstars out on the market – it’s possible that Carlos will share more about himself in future interviews.
