Victoria La Mala: The Fearless Voice Redefining Mexican Music

Imagine a woman who looks like she just stepped out of a superhero comic book: fierce, confident, and unapologetically herself. Dressed in her signature Mexican baquera style, she carries the energy of someone who knows exactly who she is and where she’s headed. Her name is Victoria La Mala, and her story is just as bold as her name.

The Girl Behind “La Mala”

Behind the powerful stage persona is Victoria Ortiz, a woman who grew up surrounded by music, passion, and strong family roots. Her father is from Culiacán, Sinaloa, and her mother from Tonaya, Jalisco,  two worlds that shaped her love for Mexican culture from the start.

At home, her mother would blast ranchera music and sing her heart out, while her cool tias, who lived in the U.S., introduced her to R&B. Those contrasting sounds, from mariachi to R&B, became the soundtrack of Victoria’s childhood and the foundation of her unique sound today.

By high school, Victoria knew music era lo suyo. So, after graduation, she packed her dreams and moved to the U.S., first to New York, chasing the vision of making pop and R&B music in a unique splanglish way. 

But as time went by, something started to pull at her heart. The nostalgia for her homeland, her people, and her traditions reminded her of what truly moved her. She realized she didn’t just want to make music, she wanted to represent su cultura.

So, she made a decision that would change everything: to dedicate her career to Mexican music and to show the world how beautiful, emotional, and cool the genre can be.

Haters are gonna hate

“You shouldn’t be trying to make Mexican music; no one wants to hear a woman. You should just marry a rich man.” That was the comment that catapulted her to make things happen. Nada es más poderoso que un “no”.

That comment could have crushed anyone, but not Victoria. Instead, it lit a fire in her. She decided to prove that a talented and passionate woman doesn’t need permission to take space.

Determined, she began studying other powerhouse women in Caribbean music, like Puerto Rican icon e irrepetible Olga Tañón, whose strength and presence inspired her. One day, she came across Olga’s hit “Ahora Soy Mala.” The title spoke to her. She recorded her own version in Guadalajara and sent it to every industry contact she could find.

Months later, opportunity knocked. Mexican music executive Pepe Garza invited her to compete on a TV talent show in Los Angeles. Victoria packed her bags again, this time for La Ciudad de Los Angeles and this time, she wasn’t coming to blend in. She came to make history.

Her first album, released under her full name Victoria Ortiz, included “Ahora Soy Mal”, and because fans started calling radio stations asking, “Can you play the La Mala song?”, Victoria La Mala was born, so her fans have been part of her career since the beginning. 

Victoria La Mala’s unique sound

Empowerment is the heartbeat of her music. Through every lyric and every performance, Victoria celebrates individuality, strength, and authenticity. She blends her influences: ranchera, banda, cumbia, R&B, into something that feels fresh and fearless—Ella es unica. 

As she puts it, her sound is “a mix of Mexican mainstream culture, good energy, empowerment, and good vibes.”

She is a Mommy, “Mamacita”

Becoming a mother changed Victoria’s rhythm but never her purpose. When she decided to start a family, she fully embraced motherhood, stepping away from the spotlight for two years to focus on her son.

She’s honest about the pressures women face, especially mothers in the entertainment world, and speaks openly about learning to give herself grace. And good for her! Because for Latino moms, that pressure applies even more because of the high expectations society has of women being in control of the household, careers, and the families.

“Nothing is ever perfectly balanced,” she says. “The important thing is to focus on what matters most in the moment and be kind to yourself through it all.” 

Now, with her new music on the way,  her first album since becoming a mom, Victoria is ready to show the world a more powerful, more grounded, and even more authentic version of herself.

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Victoria La Mala isn’t just making music, he’s making a statement: that tradition and modernity can coexist, that Latinas are unstoppable, and that being “mala” sometimes just means being fearless. ¡Así que malas, somos todas!

Catch our exclusive interview with Victoria La Mala on Storyteller’s Hispanic Heritage Month special.