We were lucky to catch up with Ivan Estrella recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ivan thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

It’s very sad that many children of Mexican immigrants, feel ashamed of their Mexican culture. Often times they don’t even make an effort to learn to speak Spanish. I want to do my best to change that. Whether it’s working with schools or community based organizations, I am very thankful and happy to serve my community as best as I can, not only sharing my culture through my music, but also by highlighting the abilities of someone living with disabilities like myself. My work with Grupo Folklorico Sabor de México is a big part of that effort.

Ivan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hello, my name is Ivan Estrella De Los Angeles. I’m a Mariachi singer from LA. I was a student at UCLA when I decided to become a Mariachi singer. It was during this time that I began to experience a difficult health crisis. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and later a rare autoimmune disease called Neuro Myelitis Optica (NMO). I began to experience severe vision loss, and began experiencing difficulty walking (among other things). I decided that if I lost my ability to walk, my ability to see, I still had my voice, and I wanted to use my voice to make this world a better place.

The thing I am most proud of is my resilience, my never quit attitude. I believe that hard work always pays off. In 2010, The King of Rancheras Vicente Fernandez held an international singing contest and selected me as the grand prize winner. My father and I were later invited to spend the day with him at his famous ranch in Guadalajara.

That meeting would change my life forever. It played an important role in what my focus is now, creating the best “Vicente Fernandez Tribute” concert experience in the world.

In 2019, I began my work with Live Nation and the House of Blues to bring my Vicente Fernandez Tribute concert to different venues around the United States.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

As I mentioned before, my main focus (niche) as a Mariachi singer at this time is the development of my Vicente Fernandez Tribute concert experience. As part of this development, it’s my responsibility to not only perform/ sing, but to also produce the concert from top to bottom. To provide concert goers with the best possible experience I believe in having the highest standards. My goal is to always perform with the best musicians that share those same standards. To produce the best show possible!

I’ve always felt that education is key. When people find out that I’ve been to over 100 Vicente Fernandez concerts, they often call me a super fan. Although I won’t deny that I am a huge fan, I would much rather think that I was getting the best possible education for what I am trying to do. That knowledge is what I believe gives me an edge over the competition.

Finally, it’s the final product, the concert itself that has helped me build up my reputation. And with each concert comes more experience, and my personal growth continues.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Haaa. This is my favorite question. As I mentioned before, I have extremely limited vision, I walk with great difficulty, and use assistive mobility devices including a cane, a walker, and a wheelchair. I experience pain, and often times it gets really bad. But despite the pain, and the difficulties I experience, each and every time I put on my Mariachi suit I transform myself into someone completely different. I leave the pain and my sadness behind and I offer you the best version of myself that I can offer. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, and I don’t do drugs just so that I can be in the best physical condition that I can. And if my performance inspires a single person, then I know that all the sacrifice is worthwhile. At the end of the day, that’s really what it’s all about for me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ivanestrelladelosangeles?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Youtube: Youtube.com/themariachiman
• Other: https://linktr.ee/ivanestrelladelosangeles