Regional Mexican music star Carín León has said that Mexican artists' growing embrace of their own cultural identity, rather than imitating foreign styles, is behind the genre's surge in global popularity. Speaking to Rolling Stone Japan at Summer Sonic 2026, he argued that acts such as Peso Pluma have succeeded by leaning into Mexican sound rather than looking abroad, contrasting this with an earlier era when many Mexican musicians tried to copy international trends. His comments carry weight given his own rising international profile, including a landmark residency at Las Vegas's Sphere.

León described Regional Mexican music as the "street music" of his generation, citing early influences ranging from Tupac and Dr. Dre to Chalino Sánchez and Sergio Vega. He is set to become the first Latin artist performing Mexican music to headline the Sphere, opening a seven-show residency there on 4 September as part of a year-long production featuring a 32-song set drawn from his career; the wider tour also includes dates across the US and Mexico through to late November.