Mario Girón: voice, technique and why the Monterrey tenor won La Academia 2024 with El Triste by José José

Mario Girón arrived at The Academy when he had just turned eighteen and left with the title that Carlos Rivera won twenty years before. The Monterrey native was the youngest of the seven finalists of the fourteenth generation; In the grand final on October 6, 2024 he sang El Triste by José José and three judges – Lola Cortés, Espinoza Paz and Arturo López Gavito – stood up. Jaime Camil announced his victory; He took 2.25 million pesos, a motorcycle and a contract with Universal Music for his first album. His instrument —lyrical tenor with a warm timbre, vibrato recognized by Chiquis Rivera and tuning that the jury praised at each gala— made him the face of a generation that showed that ballad voices are still born on TV Azteca. This profile, the nineteenth of Voices that make magic, reviews what makes their technique unique and why on YouTube their official performances exceed seven hundred and fifty thousand views.

Voice: lyrical tenor with Mexican ballad DNA

Mario Girón moves as a lyrical tenor in the repertoire that defined his time in reality: ballads by José José, contemporary Latin pop and regional Mexican pieces in concert galas. Milenio reported that Chiquis Rivera highlighted her vibrato in the final and that López Gavito asked for applause for Chacho Gaytán's live band — a sign that the performance did not depend alone of the singer, but of a phrasing that respected the complete arrangement.

Technically, Girón combines stable breathing in long choruses with clear diction in Mexican Spanish: soft verse entries, gradual growth towards the emotional belt of the climax and a vibrato that appears without obscuring the tuning - something that the jury pointed out as a virtue compared to other finalists who, according to the gala critics, "abused the power." In covers like Cielo rojo or How to pay you? he demonstrated versatility outside of ballads; In duets with Mar Lara (Recuérdame, Secreto de amor) he showed stage chemistry and the ability to sustain harmonies.

Compared to Yuridia —runner-up of the fourth generation and today the most listened to artist to emerge from the format—, Mario represents the new wave of the program: he was born when Yuridia was already a star and he chose her as the opening act at the Plaza de Toros México, closing the circle between generations of La Academia. Along the lines of the ballad, his repertoire dialogues with Luis Miguel and with the legacy of José José that the reality show itself has used as a litmus test for decades.

From Monterrey to the TV Azteca stage

The 2024 edition of La Academia began on July 21 with twenty academics and led by Jaime Camil. Girón, originally from Monterrey, was the youngest of the seven finalists—along with Julio Ávila, Brisa Santana, Mar Lara, Isavelli Laina, Edith Evans and Caro Heredia. For eleven weeks the public voted; The jury—Chiquis, Espinoza Paz, Lola Cortés and Arturo López Gavito—evaluated technique and scene in each gala.

Caro Heredia came second – with a contract with Warner Music – and Julio Ávila third – with Sony Music. Mario signed with Universal Music and announced that he would share part of the prize with his parents. He acknowledged the influence of Carlos Rivera—the 2004 winner—and even replicated his “lucky underwear” ritual before the galas. After the reality show, he opened Yuridia's concert at the Plaza de Toros México and participated in the Songbook podcast performing El Triste again.

Repertoire that best shows your voice

• El Triste — grand finale; video above (~100.7K on YouTube).
• What is past is past — concert gala; video above (~753K on YouTube).
• Cielo rojo — outstanding performance in the contest (~337 K in La Academia).
• How to pay you? — ballad with intimate phrasing (~109K on YouTube).
• There is no one else — emotional gala (~192 K at La Academia).
• Duets with Mar Lara — Remember me and Secret of love; vocal and stage chemistry.

Why it fits into Voices That Make Magic

Mario Girón represents the voice that has just begun—and that has already demonstrated on a national stage that it can sustain a José José classic without falling apart. She doesn't have decades of career like Celia Cruz or streaming records like Yuridia, but she embodies the premise of the hub: listen today, because the voice has an expiration date and whoever makes magic with it may never fully measure its reach until time tells if The Academy was the beginning or the peak.

In summary

Voice? Lyrical tenor, warm timbre, controlled vibrato. Technique? Clean tuning in ballads, live stage projection. YouTube? The past, the past (~753 K) and El Triste (~100.7 K in La Academia). Why does it matter? Winner of La Academia 2024 with a classic by José José. Next step? First album with Universal Music and more profiles in Voices that make magic.