Biography

Fronted by sisters Vicky and Marisol Terrazas, Chicago's los Horóscopos de Durango did for the duranguense style what Jenni Rivera and Yolanda "La Potranquita" Pérez did for Sinaloan banda: They brought a female perspective to what had historically been a male-dominated form of regional Mexican music. Duranguense -- a popular, easily recognizable style that is similar to banda but uses fewer horns, more keyboards, and is more percussive -- is an extremely competitive genre in Mexico and the United States. No matter, the award-winning Los Horóscopos de Durango have always stood out in the crowded field. When a style has been traditionally dominated by males, a band fronted by two outspoken women is bound to stick out, and in the 2000s, los Horóscopos became one of duranguense's best-selling acts. Albums such as 2004's Puras de Rompe y Rasga won multiple Billboard Music Awards. 2008's Desatados took home a Latin Grammy for Banda Album of the Year, and the band won a Lo Nuestro award for Best Artist in 2008. 2010's La Guera y La Morena was celebrated by critics on both sides of the Mexico-U.S. border. 2013's "Nos Acostumbramos" single racked up over 17 million views, while its host album, Las Chicas Malas, charted across Latin America. Los Horóscopos spend most of their time touring across the Americas. In 2016, they collaborated on the single "Diselo Tiu" with Edwin Luna y La Trakalosa de Monterrey. The video propelled the album Vivir en Pecado to gold status. But the Terrazas sisters weren't always frontwomen; actually, the group were around long before their arrival. The original lineup of los Horóscopos de Durango was assembled by founder Armando Terrazas (Vicky and Marisol's father) in 1975 in Chicago, a city that boasts one of the largest Mexican-American populations in the Midwest. Los Horóscopos de Durango means "Horoscopes of Durango" (as in Durango, Mexico) and the group were a local attraction long before they became international stars. Under Armando Terrazas' leadership, los Horóscopos had their share of lineup changes over the years -- and for a long time, it was male-oriented, but eventually, Armando decided to revamp his group and put Vicky (vocals, trumpet) and Marisol (vocals, accordion, keyboards, sax) right up front, which proved a bold move that paid off commercially for los Horóscopos. Signed to Disa Records (one of the top companies for regional Mexican music) in the 2000s, the Vicky/Marisol edition of los Horóscopos found their albums and singles soaring to the top of the Latin charts (including the group's 2004 arrangement of "Dos Locos," a song originally recorded by Dominican bachata duo Monchy & Alexandra). Musical director Armando was the only member of los Horóscopos' original 1975 lineup who still had any connection to the group; most of their 2000s participants weren't even born in 1975. 2005's Y Seguimos con Duranguense set the charts on fire and won the group a Billboard Music Award. That same year, Locos de Amor was nominated for multiple Latin Grammy and Lo Nuestro awards and achieved platinum sales status. 2007's Desatados won a Latin Grammy, and in 2009, the group won another for Best Artist of the year in the aftermath of Ayer, Hoy y Siempre's success. At the end of 2010, the group temporarily changed their name to la Guera y la Morena de los Horóscopos de Durango to issue their first banda single, "Considera Que Te Amo"; they followed it with "No Me Dejes con las Ganas." To close out 2011, the sisters recorded the single "5 Minutos" in duet with Gloria Trevi, and it charted across Latin America. After releasing a cover of the folk song "La Mosca" in duet with Chuy Lizárraga in 2012, los Horóscopos issued a full collection of covers on Viejitas Pero Buenas Para Pistear. 2014's Chicas Malas netted a pair of hit singles with "Dejame Amarte" and the title track, resulting in the album placing inside the Top 20 on Mexican Regional digital charts. A third single, "Nos Acostumbramos," landed inside the Top 15 and remained there for a month, propelling the album to gold certification. Los Horóscopos continued to tour almost incessantly. They sold out theaters in the United States and larger venues in Mexico. After a three-month break, the group returned to the recording studio. For the first time they opted to work in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, under the direction of arranger and producer Adrián Tostado ("El Tesoro"). They commissioned songs from a treasure trove of award-winning songwriters including Horacio Palencia, Joss Favela, Espinoza Paz, Omar Tarazón, Luciano Luna, and José Juan Segura. A promotional first single, the Paz-penned "Estoy con Otro en la Cama," was launched in the summer of 2015. Its video garnered over seven million views in its first month and the song charted inside the Top 20 at streaming. The subsequent album, Vivir en Pecado, was deemed provocative but was extremely popular. Later that year, the duo issued the collaborative (non-album) single "Díselo Tu," with Edwin Luna y La Trakalosa de Monterrey, which became their highest-charting video. Los Horóscopos toured behind Vivir en Pecado for two-and-a-half years, ultimately releasing five of its tracks; all were charting singles. After a break they re-entered the studio in 2018 and emerged with Entre el Amor y la Aventura, co-produced by Armando and Vicky Terrazas, with songs by Salvador Aponte, Luciano Luna, José Alfredo Jiménez, Manuel Acuña, and others. Issued in November, it was initially a sleeper, but its single, "Me Dejé Querer," picked up chart traction at streaming and radio throughout the next calendar year. ~ Alex Henderson, Rovi