By Vanessa Torres – Editor-In-Chief | Exclusive
The night the helicopters came to South Sacramento, Moreno X4, [Jesús Moreno] knew he had officially arrived. It was a “Project X” style event on 10th Street—a free, all-ages neighborhood block party intended to expose his music to his community— that grew so massive it was eventually shut down by a fleet of law enforcement aircraft.
“It was totally free. All ages, you know, BYOB, all kinds of stuff like that,” Moreno recalls of the 2020 foundation of his career.
“A complete success, got shut down by the city, because so many people showed up that helicopters came, and man, it was insane.” For the 22-year-old singer and composer, the chaos was the ultimate market research. While singing unreleased tracks, the crowd’s reaction confirmed he was sitting on something the industry hadn’t seen yet. “I sang so many songs, and after people were asking me, ‘Hey, is that song out yet?… I was like, you know what? It’s not out yet – so that sounds like ‘hey, you gotta record that.'”
This era birthed the “Drilla Corridos” sound—a subgenre Moreno pioneered by fusing traditional regional Mexican instruments with the dark, atmospheric 808s and syncopated hi-hats of American drill. The move was driven by a fundamental career choice: a stable paycheck or a legacy. “I was at a point in my life where I had a decision to make: either work, you know, and just find a stable 9 to 5, or just fight for my dreams,” he says. Unfortunately, during that phase in my career, I wasn’t able to fully please the crowd- I was limited.” That fight led to the formation of Grupo X4 a name that paid literal homage to his neighborhood on 10th Street and the four original members. Without a major label, they built a global empire through 100% organic marketing and viral Facebook videos, spearheaded by “En El Refuego,” which eventually amassed over 82.6 million streams on Spotify.
“I have a daughter back at home, and I have a family that depends a 100% on me. So when it comes to my career and my freedom, I take that very seriously.”
Moreno x4
However, as the group’s success scaled, so did the internal friction. In January 2026, the group released DESTIERRO, an album Moreno describes in stark, surprisingly honest terms. “I wouldn’t consider it a thank you,” he admits. “Because unfortunately, while I was on that, I would say phase, in my career, I wasn’t able to fully please the crowd the way I wanted to. I was limited.” 1 He reveals that he had no control over the title or the project’s direction, viewing the release not as a celebration, but as an exit. “To me, it was a relief,” he says of the transition to his solo career as Moreno X4. “That’s a tag that I have in all my songs, I kid you not. I was like, “You know what?” Maybe there is no group anymore, but I can definitely use Moreno X4, which is the name everybody knew me by.” This freedom is critical for a man whose family depends on his stability. “I have a daughter back at home, and I have a family that depends a 100% on me. So when it comes to my career and my freedom, I take that very seriously.”
The move to solo artistry was a calculated, business-minded shift—what Moreno calls a “negociante” move. Despite the format change, he fought to keep the “X4” tag that had become his signature. “That’s a tag that I have in all my songs, almost, I kid you not… I was like, ‘You know what? Maybe I can’t use Grupo X4 anymore because, unfortunately, it’s no longer a group. But I can definitely use Moreno X4, which is why everybody knew me.'” This branding allows him to maintain a direct connection with his audience, whom he treats differently from typical fans. “I call my fans’ jewels’ instead of ‘fans’ or ‘audience’ because of how people connect with me; they know the things I’ve gone through. This is my community.”
Now operating under the FONO imprint of Universal Music Group, Moreno X4 is finally scaling his sound with a professional infrastructure. “I need to be able to say that I’m on a label that is one of the big, big big fishes in the league… to know that I have that kind of support, it’s honestly amazing,” he says. This support has empowered him to work with older, wiser songwriters and focus on technical fidelity, releasing his new singles like “Estrategia” in 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution audio. “There has to be no fear in investing in your sound,” he insists. “I used to record just in a garage… but today, to make it to radio play, it has to be a certain time limit and also a certain quality. To get on certain charts, you have to have good sound quality. It is what it is.”
His recent performance at the SXSW “Música No Borders” showcase in Austin, Texas, was a symbolic bridge for his bicultural upbringing. “I think it’s honestly something that at least in my world, and I feel like in all the other artists in the world as well, it’s going to change the future for us,” Moreno explains. He notes that Latin culture is “popping,” and festivals like SXSW allow him to connect with new crowds who might “automatically think, ‘oh, you know what? ” I fell in love with the Latin artist.” But even as he reaches global stages, his message remains grounded for the youth in neighborhoods like South Sacramento. “The music is one thing… but once you release music, the least you can do is give a good message,” he says. “Let the people know that, ‘yeah, that’s my music and that’s what the people consume, but make the right decisions. Don’t make something dumb.'” 1
As he prepares for a major summer album release, Moreno believes he is in his prime. “If you’re gonna go in, you’re gonna go all in or go home,” he declares. “I’m gonna get it done the right way, and with the right people on my team.” If he could go back to the 10-year-old Jesús who was starting to write songs, his advice would be rooted in the hard-won wisdom of the last five years. “Read everything before you sign… and I’ll also tell myself: don’t ever forget what your mom told you. Don’t listen to what people say if they criticize it, because you’re doing something good. Stay strong, fight through it. I promise you at the end, you’re gonna be smiling about it.”
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