“I like to observe how my music is doing,” Diego Millán, who records under the name Calle 24, tells Apple Music. “I enjoy taking a break, assuming a third-person role, turning around and seeing what’s attracting new audiences. Not only for my own sake, but also in order to guide the younger people that I mentor.” One of the first things that the man from Chihuahua, Mexico, did the moment he signed his first recording contract with Street Mob Records was present a detailed plan to JOP, the label’s leader. In it, he proposed a novel way of tackling corridos: focusing on content and turning storytelling into the heart of the songs. His vision became a reality, and the genre evolved as a result of his efforts. Titled ONDEADO$, his third studio album offers a personal reinvention that expands the limits of traditional corrido even further. Following the resounding success of “QUE ONDA,” Calle 24 avoids repetition and divides the record into a collection of moods and sounds grouped in separate segments. “The first part is about partying and letting it all loose,” says Millán. “Then the songs focus on the process of overcoming adversity. Finally, we connect with sadness and the deeper feelings—hitting people where it hurts. The lyrics are explicit, but with a certain elegance. I cannot change that; it’s who I am.” Here, the Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua, native breaks down some of the project’s key tracks. “ONDEADOS” “I wanted this to be the opening track because I identify with it as a person—not Calle 24, but Diego. It’s a calling card, so that people can get to know me and the commotion that I bring along. We came up with the chords, and things were flowing, because everything that I say in the lyrics is true. We hadn’t even recorded it. We didn’t know if it was going to be part of the album, and we only had the first half. We were in the studio when, suddenly, I realized that my buddy was recording it. They asked me to do the voice, but I only had half of the lyrics. I went to the bathroom and improvised the rest. It was easy; it’s never a battle when I write about my life.” “TOTO” “I was in a state of euphoria when I worked on this song. It talks about myself, the evolution of my life, about how things before were so different. It was a process, going from my home in Chihuahua as an unknown to being here with brand-new cars and tons of cash. I’m also crazy about the rhythm on this track. When we did this, it was another song that we weren’t meant to record. I have tons of songs that are lying there.” “MI VIDA LOKA” “This is a banda song. It’s a corrido tune with a good story, the kind of stuff that I love. It’s the story of two friends who know each other from childhood, and the story is told from the perspective of one of them, after the other one was murdered. He says, ‘I remember when we walked together, when we did this or that, and since this thing happened, now I never leave the house without an escort.’ This is a song for drinking along and following the plot. It’s like a narcocorrido. It’s really personal—if you lost someone you cared for in the war, you can listen to it and relive the sadness.” “COME BACK” (feat. Imagine) “A friend of mine wrote this tune. It was playing in his room, and I asked him, ‘Who’s this? It’s really cool.’ And he told me, ‘It’s actually me.’ I asked if I could have it, because the verses were unfinished. It was halfway done. One day I took the speakers into the bathroom and played the beat at full volume. I always end up locking myself in the bathroom to write songs—must be my safe place. I came up with the rest of the lyrics, and he approved. I don’t know how, but a segment of the track was leaked out, and the fans were clamoring for it. I asked my buddy if we could release it, and he agreed. I like singing tracks that have some trap sonics in them. And the lyrics in English add an interesting touch.” “COQUETAS” “I’m crazy about this track; it was done by my friend Armenta. I love opening up my voice when I’m singing, going really high. This is a highly melodic tune—it lends itself to that, not to mention the raw quality of Armenta’s lyrics. He tells it like it is. I love the melody, and it has these high notes where I can show off my singing. Truth be said, my buddy Armenta surpassed himself on this one.” “ALUCINANDO” “I love this track because of the cello in it. The lyrics are out of control too. It’s one of the few that are not mine; there are about four songs by other people on the album. ‘ALUCINANDO’ is by a friend of mine named Billy Manhattan, and when I heard it, I asked him to let me record it. I love that it has such a melancholy quality to it. We added some cool effects; I took care of the production and tried to make it better by adding cello and stuff like that.”