Junior H Talks Embracing Vulnerability, Disney Obsession at SXSW: ‘You Could Say I’m the Godfather of Sad Kids’

Junior kept things laid-back, donning a striped, red-and-white long sleeve shirt paired with white sneakers, exuding his signature “sad boy” charm. “A ‘$ad Boy’ is practically the meaning behind all the music we’ve shared,” he explained. “It doesn’t mean I’m sad all the time, but that’s how my fans identified me… That’s how they made me, how they labeled me.

You could say I’m the godfather of sad kids.” That melancholic but honest identity has captivated fans across borders, making Junior H a voice for a new era of Mexican music. Yet fame did not come easy for the young artist. He recounted how his journey started in solitude, in his childhood closet, where he would record music unbeknownst to his busy parents.

“I worked, went to school, was busy all day, and still managed to save up some money to buy my first guitar, which I learned to play through YouTube. There are no excuses […] If you don’t put yourself out there, if you don’t do it, nothing will happen. You have to make it happen.” Since those...