After nearly five years of not making music and almost three years of not performing together onstage due to focusing on personal projects, the members of the Mexican rock band Zoé admit that they felt a fear of having lost their magic. “You feel very fragile,” drummer Rodrigo Guardiola tells Billboard Español.
“These are things you obviously question,” adds lead singer León Larregui. “Does the magic still exist? Will we get along? Will we be happy together? But when we got together and started playing again, we realized that we were still connected and that the magic remained intact.”
The band’s musical hiatus ended in March with their performance at the Vive Latino festival, where they delivered a show that was initially planned as their only one for the year. However, the turnout exceeded their expectations, confirming that not only had they kept their longtime fans captivated, but they had also gained a following among members of Generation Z. Young fans had discovered some of the band’s older hits, some even posting their own covers on social media.
“We realized that, thanks to TikTok, there’s a very engaged generation of 15 to 25-year-olds who are devouring Zoé’s songs, regardless of the album,” Guardiola says. “They’re creating their own interpretations and messages that resonate with them deeply, and that’s very meaningful.”
The success of their Vive Latino performance led them to announce an initial show at the GNP Seguros Stadium in Mexico City. When tickets sold out in a matter of minutes, additional dates were added, bringing the total to five shows. The concerts — scheduled for Sept. 27-28, Oct. 1-2, and Nov. 13 — made Zoé the first Spanish-language rock band to achieve such a feat at the venue, which has a capacity of 65,000 people and has hosted megastars such as Shakira, Metallica, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, and Coldplay. The band will also perform at the Pulso GNP Festival in Querétaro on Oct. 25.
And the band’s current streak of success goes beyond their five sold-out stadium shows. The quintet — which also includes bassist Ángel Mosqueda, keyboardist Jesús Báez, and guitarist Sergio Acosta — has released two new singles in recent weeks, “Campo de Fuerza” and “Rexsexex,” reaffirming their commitment to creating music together. Both tracks showcase a revitalized band with their signature blend of powerful guitars and mystical lyrics, a hallmark of their 30-year career.
“We don’t know exactly when we’ll return with a new album and tour. For now, it’s just these two tracks,” Guardiola says. “In the case of ‘Rexsexex,’ we were excited about the idea of creating something new. León [Larregui] came up with the title. The song didn’t exist. We brought it to life and ended up recording two tracks while taking advantage of our time in the studio together.”
The drummer notes that it was thrilling to reunite with his bandmates to create music without the pressure of a formal project. “We’ve never had the freedom to work on just one or two songs before. We always felt the pressure of finishing a complete album.”
Craig Silvey (known for his work with Arcade Fire and Arctic Monkeys), who had previously produced Zoé’s albums Aztlán (2018) and Sonidos de Karmática Resonancia (2021), was also behind the production of the two new songs. “Everything has been surprisingly genuine,” Larregui says. “It sounds like the early Zoé, but very fresh.”
Their new show will partly focus on their iconic 2006 album Memo Rex Commander y el Corazón Atómico de la Vía Láctea, which will reach its 20th anniversary next year. The LP includes some of the band’s biggest hits, such as “No Me Destruyas,” “Vía Láctea,” and “Paula.”
“Memo Rex was an album that marked a before and after for the band,” Larregui recalls. “It’s the most emblematic record, full of hits. The audience received it so warmly, and that’s when the ‘Zoémania’ began.”
While fans await news of a potential commemorative Memo Rex concert or a new album next year, Larregui is planning to release a solo LP, and Mosqueda and Báez will continue working on their project Astronomía Interior.
“It was wonderful to work on new songs,” Larregui says. “It was about rediscovery, awakening, and a revival for Zoé.”