Neto Bernal
Música Mexicana
The next Neto Bernal concert is scheduled for Friday, July 18, 2025 at BMT Event Center in Baton Rouge, LA, United States. See all 2 upcoming concerts
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About Neto Bernal
Hometown
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
Born
October 1, 1997
Genre
Música Mexicana
With his slightly reedy, emotive tenor voice, Fonovisia recording artist Ernesto "Neto" Bernal is a standout among the millennial generation of Mexican Regional singers. Devoted to interpreting romanticos, rancheras, and mariachis by celebrated singer/songwriters who include Juan Gabriel, Marco Antonio Solis, Rigo Tovar, and José Alfredo Jiménez, he eschews trendier corridos. Bernal's prolific use of the music video form -- including for his 2018 hit "Si Quieres" -- have registered tens of millions of views, pushing his singles and albums onto the international streaming charts.
Bernal was born Ernesto Bernal Contreras in Mexicali, BCN. His father was from Navojoa, Sonora and his mother from Mexicali. From the age of five, young "Neto" began singing and was single-minded in his pursuit of music. He sang from dawn until dusk. With the constant support of his parents, Bernal began entering singing competitions in Mexicali and won several. At 12, he went to Tijuana and auditioned for Univision's Pequenos Gigantes reality show competition. He was selected to compete in Mexico City. Unfortunately, by the time it rolled around, he had turned 13; the age limit was 12. As a courtesy, the program's producers invited him to sing twice during the season as a special guest; he stood out for his interpretations of Vicente Fernandez's "De un Rancho a Otro," and Pedro Fernandez's "La de los Oyitos.
Back in Mexicali, Bernal continued to compete in local and regional talent contests and to release amateur videos of his performances and homemade recordings about his family and life in Mexicali. Those seemingly humble entries were seen by U.S.-based producer and A&R man Gabriel Alcocer, who contacted the singer. Bernal, by then 17, was initially worried because as he aged, his voice had changed, but Alcocer convinced him to send two more videos in his adult voice via his cell phone. Impressed by what he'd heard, he invited Bernal to Reynosa, Tamaulipas to record and hone his music. They issued a couple of homemade videos to see if Bernal's deeper voice would still register. They cut him singing Lola Béltran's "Paloma Negra" to a backing track. Inside of two hours, he got more than 300 shares and at least as many new followers. After two more experimental posts garnered more shares and followers, Alcocer signed Bernal to Universal's Fonovisia and began a Facebook fan page. They issued a streaming single and video for a cover of Mariano Barba's "Es Virgen Tu Corazon" and garnered a million views in a month. They continued recording as the video and single climbed the charts. Two weeks later they had completed his debut album, 2016's Dey Mexicali Hasta Reynosa. While the album didn't chart, all four of its video singles did. Bernal took his music on the road regionally. His welcoming, dignified, and passionate stage presence succeeded in building a following. 2018's Con Una Sonrisa, his second full-length, he'd followed a smash hit video cover of Juan Gabriel's "Si Quieres." It registered more than 30 million views all on its own and received airplay across Mexico, the Caribbean, and the United States, prompting an international tour.
The album reached the Mexican Regional Airplay and Albums charts, prompting Bernal and Alcocer to continue issuing videos at a rate of nearly one a month -- including one of him serenading a star-struck teen at her quinceañera, followed by him introducing and singing to her parents. He performed on television and radio and continued to record, informing fans of his progress with videos. In late 2019, Bernal released a video and streaming single of Alexander Rangle's and Horacio Palencia's "Escondidos. It registered two million views inside of a month while the song ran up the audio streaming charts. In early May of 2020, Bernal released Despues de Hoy, his third album for Fonovisa; it was produced by Alcocer. ~ Thom Jurek
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