Eslabón Armado

Biography

Eslabón Armado is an American regional Mexican group from Patterson, California, formed in 2017. The group's lineup was originally consisted of Pedro Tovar (lead vocals), Brian Tovar (bass), and Jesse Vargas (backing vocals and acoustic guitar) until 2020, when Vargas departed to form his own group. Ulises González (acoustic guitar) and Damián Pacheco (twelve-string guitar) later joined in 2022, with González departing in March 2025.
The group was formed by brothers Pedro and Brian Tovar, along with their friend Gabriel Hidalgo, inspired by their father, who introduced them to sierreño music from northwestern Mexico. Pedro started writing songs at just 10 years old, drawing from his father’s passion and his own love of romantic movies. Despite recording their first album under less-than-ideal garage conditions, Tu Veneno Mortal×Tu Veneno Mortal6 April 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Catorce de Febrero3:362Tentacion4:023Tres de la Mañana3:374Baby4:385Una Cervecita3:506La del Insta4:097Me Prendes3:378Bitch!2:479Noches Frias3:4710Con Tus Besos3:47 reached No. 9 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart, marking their breakthrough. Their single "Con Tus Besos", which Pedro almost left off the album, became their first entry on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart, proving their raw, traditional sound resonated widely. The name "Eslabón Armado," meaning "a united chain," or reflects their bond and collaborative spirit from the start of the band.
For most of their career, the group had a three-piece lineup, consisting of brothers Pedro and Brian Tovar, and their friend Gabriel Hidalgo–all natives of Bay Area, California–while they attended Patterson High School. They graduated to concentrate on the group. They have released seven studio albums and have received several awards and nominations including two Billboard Music Awards, two Billboard Latin Music Awards and two Latin American Music Awards. The Tovar Brothers have been the only two constant members. Hidalgo remained until 2021, when he was replaced by González after deciding to leave after moving to Los Angeles and pursuing other musical projects, with Pacheco joining in 2022.

Career

The group started as a trio in 2017 in Patterson, California, composed of brothers Pedro Tovar and Brian Tovar, alongside their friend Jesse Vargas until 2020, when Vargas departed to form his own group. Shortly after Vargas' departure, Gabriel Hidalgo joined to fill his place . All three still being teenagers, the three began to study and play sierreño music, as well as other regional Mexican genres like norteño. Being influenced by the music listened to by their parents, the trio released several videos of live performances to social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok, gaining attention from record labels. The trio was later discovered by Ángel del Villar and signed to DEL Records, where they released their debut EP Navegando y Flotando in 2019.
In 2020, they released their first singles "Con Tus Besos" and "La Trokita". Both songs entered the Hot Latin Songs chart, peaking at No. 15 and No. 37, respectively. Their debut album Tu Veneno Mortal×Tu Veneno Mortal6 April 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Catorce de Febrero3:362Tentacion4:023Tres de la Mañana3:374Baby4:385Una Cervecita3:506La del Insta4:097Me Prendes3:378Bitch!2:479Noches Frias3:4710Con Tus Besos3:47 was released on April 6, 2020. During 2020, the trio released two more albums, Vibras de Noche×Vibras de Noche17 July 2020 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Dame tu calor4:052Ganas que te tengo3:593Tal vez4:304¿Dónde has estado?4:525Sube al carro3:576Tu canción4:067Cali3:118Tú eres4:059Te quiero a tí3:4010Atrapado3:431124 horas5:1712La trokita3:1813Amor3:3014Romance4:34 on July 17 and Corta Venas×Corta venas18 December 2020 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 24 tracks1Eslabón intro0:462Ando más que mal5:083El tiempo nos cambió4:504Mi historia entre tus dedos4:225Recuerda bien4:186La mejor de todas3:297Ex3:438Tomé y fumé3:579Jugaste y sufrí4:3610Me matas3:2411No simp3:3912Soy malo pa ti2:3313¿Dime por qué?5:5514Soy tóxico3:5515Búscate otro3:4716Fui lejos4:3217Diciembre3:4318Me siento perdido3:5519Antisocial4:4120Mariposas3:4121No hay amor4:5622Te marqué4:5123Déjate llevar3:3324San Valentín3:37 on December 18. All three albums topped the Regional Mexican Albums chart while the first two were certified platinum in United States. Following the release of the albums, Gabriel Hidalgo left the group.
Their fourth album Tu Veneno Mortal, Vol. 2×Tu Veneno Mortal, Vol. 225 June 2021 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1DADDY'S INTRO0:192No Dudes de Ti3:093Regresa Mami3:344La Vibra Pegó3:585Un Gallito3:126Tonto Perdedor3:227Una Peda2:568Loco Enamorado3:489La Diabla3:2710Dime Si Me Quieres3:2011Mirate en el Espejo3:1612Cuando Tú Me Miras2:35 was released on June 25, 2021. In September 2021, Ulises González joined the group, making them a trio again. In the same year, "Jugaste y Sufrí", a song with DannyLux, had peaked at No. 69 at the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making this both artists' first appearance on the chart. At the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards, the band won Duo/Group Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year and Regional Mexican Album of the Year; the latter for Tu Veneno Mortal, while at the Latin American Music Awards of 2021, they won Favorite Duo or Group and Favorite Regional Mexican Duo or Group.
In early 2022, Damián Pacheco joined the group. On May 5, 2022, the group released Nostalgia, with the addition of Ulises González and Damián Pacheco, both former touring members, to the official lineup. The album was their fifth consecutive No. 1 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart. Additionally, the album peaked at No. 9 at the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first regional Mexican album to achieve a top 10 position on the chart.
In March 2023, they released the song "Ella Baila Sola" featuring singer and rapper Peso Pluma. The song went viral on TikTok and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, being their highest appearance on the chart, as well as the first regional Mexican song to enter the top ten on the chart. In addition, the song also topped the Hot Latin Songs chart, being the group's first No. 1 song on the chart. In the following month, the group released their album Desvelado×DESVELADO28 April 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 16 tracks1Quien es el?3:502Quedate conmigo2:403Dame otro beso4:024Así lo quiso dios3:255Termine sufriendo3:156Ella baila sola2:457Tomando tequila3:568Llamarte o bloquearte3:099Vamos contra el mundo3:5410Mejor acabar3:4911Nunca es suficiente4:5312Me decepcionaste3:5913Gracias a ti3:3514Hermosura de mujer3:4415Valió madre3:4716Perdón jefa3:00, which was supported by "Ella Baila Sola". The album debuted at No. 6 in the Billboard 200, which marked the second album by the group and in the regional Mexican music genre to debut on the top 10 of the chart, following Nostalgia. In October 2023, they released the song "La Fresa" featuring Gabito Ballesteros. In October 25, the group, along with Ballesteros, performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, making them the second regional Mexican act to perform on the show, after Peso Pluma's performance of "Ella Baila Sola."

Members

Current members

Pedro Tovar – lead vocals, twelve-string guitar (2017–present)
Brian Tovar – bass (2017–present)
Damián Pacheco – twelve-string guitar (2022–present), touring (2019-2022)
Cesar Posada - six-string guitar and backup vocals (2026-present)
Amador Núñez - six-string guitar (2025-present)
Former members

Jesse Vargas - guitar, backing vocals (2017- 2020)
Gabriel Hidalgo – guitar, backing vocals (2020–2021)
Ulises González – acoustic guitar (2021–2025), touring (2019-2021)