75 St. Patrick's Day trivia questions to test your Irish IQ
Monday, March 17 is St. Patrick's Day, a holiday that's been recognized around the world for centuries. Whether you're Irish or just pretend to be one day a year, there are plenty of facts about the annual holiday that you may or may not know.
For example, what animal is St. Patrick said to have chased out of Ireland? Or, what is the oldest pub in Dublin? How about this one: Can you name the three original members of the Irish Tenors?
If you can answer all these St. Patrick's Day trivia questions, then go directly to the Blarney Stone, because your Irish IQ is clearly next level.
To prove just how deep your knowledge on all things St. Paddy's really goes, we've gathered a list of fascinating trivia questions that's guaranteed to challenge even those whose blood runs green instead of red.
Display your top-notch skills by correctly answering questions on St. Patrick's Day traditions and other facts about Ireland, shamrocks, leprechauns, food, customs and more. And, if you don't mind us saying, we think all of them are worth their weight in gold.
Forgive the St. Patrick's Day pun, we couldn't help but throw in a little humor in honor of March 17, a holiday well-suited to corny jokes about rainbows, magical elves and, of course, the Emerald Isle.
Speaking of which, can you name the three colors of Ireland's flag? They're green, white and orange. That answer was a freebie. For the rest, you'll simply have to read on to find out.
Whatever you choose to use these St. Patrick's Day trivia questions and answers for, we wish you, well, the very best of luck.
Question: How many leaves does a typical clover plant have Answer: Three
Question: Four-leaf clovers are considered what? Answer: Good luck
Question: What Irish band had a Billboard Top 10 hit with the 1968 song "The Unicorn"? Answer: The Irish Rovers
Question: What traditional Irish dish combines mashed potatoes and cabbage? Answer: Colcannon
Question: What is the term for a young Irish woman or girl? Answer: Colleen
Question: What popular theater show featured Michael Flatley and Jean Butler step-dancing to traditional Irish music? Answer: "Riverdance"
Question: In Gaelic, what does the word "balach" mean? Answer: Boy
Question: In an Irish wedding, a bride dressed in blue symbolizes what? Answer: Purity
Question: Who are the three original members of the Irish Tenors? Answer: Ronan Tynan, Declan Kelly and Anthony Kearns
Question: Who is the current president of Ireland? Answer: Michael D. Higgins
Question: This Irish slang word is used to describe a good time, entertainment or lively conversation. Answer: Craic
Question: Often referred to as a "Fisherman's sweater," this Irish sweater is typically off-white and water-resistant. Answer: Aran
Question: On what instrument do you play piobaireachd music? Answer: The bagpipe
Question: Which renowned Irish poet won a Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1995? Answer: Seamus Heaney
Question: This new-age Celtic singer had a Top 10 hit in 2001 for the song "Only Time." Answer: Enya
Question: Formed in 1962, this Grammy-winning Irish band is known for popularizing traditional Irish music. Answer: The Chieftains
Question: What award-winning movie from 2022 stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two feuding Irish friends? Answer: "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Question: What popular Irish sport is cross between soccer, rugby and hurling? Answer: Gaelic football
Question: A traditional Irish potato pancake is also known as what? Answer: Boxty
Question: What Irish slang term means to be broken or ruined? Answer: Banjaxed
Question: Which renowned Irish track and field athlete won a silver medal in the Women's 5000m at the 2000 Olympic Games? Answer: Sonia O'Sullivan
Question: Located in Coloma, California, what site is famous for its discovery of gold in 1848? Answer: Sutter's Mill
Question: True or false. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland was Irish. Answer: False. St. Patrick was said to have been born in Britain.
Question: What is the Gaelic word for a party or gathering in which there's singing, dancing and storytelling? Answer: Ceilidh
Question: What Irish-Scottish band had a Top 10 Billboard hit with the song "Chasing Cars"? Answer: Snow Patrol
Question: What's the tagline for the breakfast cereal Lucky Charms? Answer: "They're magically delicious."
Question: What other name is St. Patrick's Day known as? Answer: The Feast of St. Patrick
Question: What Irish phrase means "Ireland Forever?" Answer: Erin go bragh
Question: According to legend, what animal did St. Patrick drive out of Ireland? Answer: Snakes
Question: What are the three colors of the Irish flag? Answer: Green, white and orange.
Question: What three pieces of equipment are necessary to play the Irish sport of hurling? Answer: A hurley (stick), sliotar (ball) and helmet.
Question: What's the oldest pub in Ireland? Answer: Sean's Bar in Westmeath.
Question: What's the symbol for gold on the Periodic Table of Elements? Answer: Au
Question: What is the capital of Northern Ireland? Answer: Belfast
Question: What 2015 Oscar-nominated movie starring Saoirse Ronan is about a young Irish immigrant who moves to New York City in the 1950s? Answer: "Brooklyn"
Question: According to folklore, what's a leprechaun's occupation? Answer: Shoemaker
Question: What 1959 children's movie helped shape the modern-day image of a leprechaun? Answer: 'Darby O'Gill and the Little People'
Question: Which breakfast cereal has "Lucky the Leprechaun" as its mascot? Answer: Lucky Charms
Question: Which best-selling Irish band features Larry Mullen, Adam Clayton, the Edge and Bono? Answer: U2
Question: Irish musician Gilbert O'Sullivan hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972 with what song? Answer: "Alone Again (Naturally)"
Question: Which Irish actor starred in the 1962 Oscar-winning movie "Lawrence of Arabia?" Answer: Peter O'Toole
Question: Which song is known as the unofficial anthem of Dublin, Ireland? Answer: "Molly Malone"
Question: What cheerful Irish greeting is often associated with St. Patrick's Day? Answer: "Top of the morning to you"
Question: According to Irish folklore, what will you find at the end of a rainbow? Answer: A pot of gold
Question: What do the three leaves of a shamrock represent according to Irish tradition? Answer: The Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit)
Question: According to Wallethub, how many pints of Guinness are consumed on St. Patrick's Day? Answer: More than 13 million worldwide
Question: Historically, what color is disrespectful to wear on St. Patrick's Day? Answer: Orange
Question: What's the average number of drinks consumed per person on St. Patrick's Day? Answer: 4.2
Question: According to the National Retail Federation, what percentage of people plan to celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Answer: 62 percent
Question: On average, how much money do consumers spend on St. Patrick's Day? Answer: $44.40
Question: Which St. Patrick's Day activity is more popular: attending a parade or making a special dinner? Answer: Making a special dinner
True or false: The first known St. Patrick's Day parade occurred in Ireland. Answer: False. The first recorded parade took place in St. Augustine, Florida.
Question: What year did the first known St. Patrick's Day celebration happen in the U.S.? Answer: 1600
Question: What ancient Celtic festival is thought to be the origin of Halloween? Answer: Samhain
Question: What U.S. president was the first Irish Catholic to be elected to the office? Answer: John F. Kennedy
Question: What water-loving dog breed is known for its curly coat and rat-like tail? Answer: Irish Water Spaniel
Question: Ireland is the second largest European island. Which island is the largest? Answer: England
Question: What is the capital of Ireland? Answer: Dublin
Question: What's the official currency of Ireland? Answer: The euro
Question: What common reptile is not naturally found in Ireland? Answer: Snake
True or false: Patrick, Ireland's patron saint for which the holiday is named, is Irish. Answer: False. He was born in Roman Britain.
Question: What meat and vegetable dish is a trademark St. Patrick's Day meal? Answer: Corned beef and cabbage
Question: Which iconic New York skyscraper turns green in honor of St. Patrick's Day? Answer: The Empire State Building
Question: Which "Fifty Shades of Grey" star hails from Northern Ireland? Answer: Jamie Dornan
Question: Which U.S. city was the first to dye a river green in honor of St. Patrick's Day? Answer: In 1962, the city of Chicago dyed the Chicago River green.
Question: What must a leprechaun divulge if captured? Answer: Where to find hidden treasure
Question: What year did New York City officially host the first St. Patrick's Day parade? Answer: 1762
Question: Why is St. Patrick's Day celebrated on March 17? Answer: It marks the day St. Patrick died in 461 A.D.
Question: Why do we wear green on St. Patrick's Day? Answer: It's most closely associated with Ireland's lush green landscape (Emerald Isle) and the country's desire to distinguish itself from the British in the 1700s.
Question: True or False. St. Patrick was known to wear the color green. Answer: False. In renderings, the saint was often pictured in blue, otherwise known as "St. Patrick's blue."
Question: Located in Northern Ireland, what popular TV show used a beech-tree lined walkway known as "The Dark Hedges" as the road to King's Landing? Answer: "Game of Thrones"
Question: As of 2019, what percentage of U.S. residents claim to have Irish ancestry? Answer: 9.2 percent or 30.4 million
Question: What North American waterway did the Irish immigrants help build? Answer: The Erie Canal
Question: What's a "curragh?" Answer: A type of wooden Irish boat used for fishing and transport.
Question: What hearty Irish meal consists of red meat, carrots, onions and potatoes? Answer: Irish stewThis article was originally published on TODAY.com
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Meet the Drag Performers Teaching Everyone How to Fight Back Against Anti-LGBTQ+ Threats in 2025
On a chilly evening at the start of March, drag king Blaq Dinamyte found himself looking out at a crowd of young activists eager to make change. He was certainly proud of the turnout — as the president and co-founder of drag activism group Qommittee, Dinamyte had organized that evening's march on the Kennedy Center weeks after President Donald Trump replaced 18 board members of the arts organization with MAGA loyalists, was appointed chairman by those new members and vowed to end any and all drag shows or 'other anti-American propoganda' featured by the center. More from Billboard The 100 Greatest LGBTQ+ Anthems of All Time You Can Shop Addison Rae's 2000s-Inspired Look From Her 'Times Like These' Music Video Now with Free People Mariah Carey Celebrates Pride Month in Style With Rainbow Merch Available on Amazon But the D.C. drag performer also couldn't help but think about his fellow protester's safety. What would the consequences of protesting outside the center look like for them? 'There were a lot of young faces protesting for the first time, and a lot of things that they didn't realize could happen,' he tells Billboard. 'We really wanted people to understand what it is they are risking, what could actually happen to them, and how to counter that effectively.' Three months later, Dinamyte and his colleagues at Qommittee have created exactly the kind of guidance he wanted to provide those protestors. The organization published the Drag Defense Handbook in May, a 43-page guide for drag performers around the country dedicated to providing tools on how to respond when met with threats, harassment and violations of their personal freedoms. 'We want to address all of these elements that you can't really think of when you are literally in the middle of it,' Dinamyte says. 'We want everyone to have a plan ahead of time before all of this happens.' Separated into seven sections — including 'crisis response,' 'threats of violence and harassment' and 'protections against defamation' — the handbook offers step-by-step guides for what performers can do when dealing with different, unwelcome scenarios. Each of those sections were created, Dinamyte says, with the help of drag performers who have experienced firsthand what the latest wave of right-wing backlash looks like. 'I am in such support of this handbook,' says Miss Cali Je, an Idaho-based drag performer who volunteers with Qommittee. 'It has a lot of vital information that I was grasping for two years ago that I did not have available.' Je serves the Idaho-based non-profit Reading Time with the Queens, where she and her fellow board members perform a 45-minute drag storytelling events for kids and families at a local library. But in February 2023, a group of Christian churches and anti-LGBTQ+ groups began opposing the event, staging sit-in protests at the public library where the event was held, harassing the performers online and claiming that the event was putting the children attending in danger. 'It's ironic when a lot of that hate is coming from a group of people who seemingly are there to 'protect the children,' when in actuality, at the time that they were protesting the loudest by taking up all of the space in our room at the library, they were scaring children that were there,' Je recalls. 'I didn't want that to happen anymore.' Je kept the performances going, even with protestors taking up space in the room with her. But when city officials refused to provide the resources necessary to make the reading event safer for everyone involved, the performer decided — with the help of a number of community members — to move the event to a local synagogue. 'What it boils down to is not giving your oppressors what they want. They want you to not exist, and that can look as simple as you just not holding your program anymore,' Je offers, matter-of-factly. 'Sometimes the solution that is easiest and is the most safe is to not hold that program, which I get. But I think all of us had a feeling that it was just like … everything was fine until a Christian-nationalist hate group decided to rain on our parade. The idea of backing down and not being ourselves, of bending to their will and their understanding of where queer people are allowed to be and not to be, was out of the question.' That experience helped inform a section of the handbook, which instructs performers to put in the work building a community around them that, if and when the time comes, can offer support where necessary. 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But, when a student discovered a years-old tagged photo on Goff's out-of-drag Instagram page, they created a fake account and started a cyberbullying campaign against him. 'That's the fun thing kids do now,' Goff says. 'They make anonymous Instagram pages, and then they will take photos and videos of people without their consent and write terrible stuff about them.' Before long, the campaign caught the attention of far-right activist group Moms for Liberty as well as a number of conservative influencers, who began petitioning for Goff to be fired from his job. In the process, he was also inundated with anonymous threats on his life, some of which required the intervention of the FBI. Goff ultimately decided to leave his job and his home, moving down to L.A. to try and start over. Today, Goff recognizes that the situation could have been much worse than it already was, thanks to the fact that they and their partner were already paying for a data removal service to scrub as much of their personal information from the web. 'Who knows if people would have shown up to my apartment if they found my address online, or if they called me or something,' they say. 'Cybersecurity is super important, but unfortunately, I think this country is absolutely terrible at it.' After working with Qommittee to help navigate their hate campaign, Goff consulted on the handbook, reading over the guide's lengthy section on online harassment and digital security and offering feedback. The section advises performers to keep their personal and professional accounts entirely separate, reminds performers to always document any threats issued against them, and to drive their community members to report and block all hate accounts involved. Goff adds that, with recent news of the the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) being granted greater access to Americans personal information — as well as the Trump administration's recent expansion of data technology firm Palantir's access to federal programs — cybersecurity ought to be the first step queer people everywhere take to protecting themselves. 'With DOGE taking all of this data and giving it to Palantir, and now having more biodata being stored, we have to be really careful,' he says. Dinamyte agrees, pointing out that because younger drag performers rely heavily on platforms like TikTok and Instagram to gain a following, cyberbullying has become one of the most common forms of anti-LGBTQ+ threats in recent years. 'They're going to be reluctant to lock that down, to make that non-visible,' he explains. 'So, being able to show them, 'Hey, here's some things you should think about when you're online,' feels like it's having the biggest impact on the community.' 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Little wonder Ed Sheeran identifies as Irish. No one wants to be British anymore
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More from Billboard Carín León: Photos From the Billboard Español Cover Shoot Woman Arrested for Attempted Break-In at BTS Jung Kook's Residence on the Day of His Military Discharge The Grammys Add New Country Category for 2026 Nearly 6,000 fans surround him in arena-style seating, the steep, vertical layout allowing everyone a close view of the man below, flanked by his backing ensemble: a norteño band with electric guitars, a sinaloense brass section, backup singers and keyboards — nearly 30 musicians in all, who wander about, grab drinks, chat and return to the stage throughout the show. León leads the organized chaos, traversing repertoire that, during the course of the evening, goes from corridos and norteño ballads to country and rock'n'roll. 'I think it's the most Mexican thing possible in music, a palenque. I always say you have to see your artist play in a palenque to understand it,' León tells me a few hours before the show. He has been playing them for years throughout the country, like most regional Mexican artists do. They're places of revelry and drink, a rite of passage, and the place to test new sounds. 'As artists, we appreciate that experience,' he adds. 'We love it because you have people so close to you. You can be with them, have drinks with them — it's a very interesting artist-fan communion.' We're chatting between sips of tequila at a country house on the outskirts of Aguascalientes, and despite the stifling afternoon heat, León keeps his hat on, looking stately in his boots and black jacket with metal buckles. Soft-spoken but emphatic, the 35-year-old música mexicana star alternates between Spanish and English, which he speaks with the American-sounding but accented cadence of someone who learned it by ear from transcribing songs by hand, but never in a classroom. 'I always had trouble with my accent when I sang,' he says. 'But I didn't want to lose the accent because it makes you unique. [An accent] is more valid now. I always want to ensure the music is good, refine it, make it better. But we're coming from the 2000s, when music [production] was perfect. Now value is given to what's natural, and that includes having an accent.' While at his core León is a regional Mexican artist who performs contemporary banda and norteño, he loves collaborating with artists spanning many genres and incorporating regional sounds from around the world into his music: Spanish flamenco, Colombian vallenato and salsa, Puerto Rican reggaetón. And as he blends these sounds in unexpected ways, León has found an avid and growing audience. In 2024, he crisscrossed the world on his Boca Chueca tour, playing 81 palenque, arena and stadium dates in the United States and Latin America. Of 1.3 million total tickets sold, according to his management, 374,000 were reported to Billboard Boxscore for a gross of $51.2 million, making it one of the year's most successful Latin tours. This year, he's scheduled to play 40 more shows, including Chilean and Colombian stadiums, Spanish arenas and German theaters — a leap few regional Mexican acts, whose touring is usually restricted to the United States and Mexico, have accomplished at such a scale. But León has transcended mere geographic borders. Last year, after releasing singles with country star Kane Brown and soul musician Leon Bridges, León became the first artist to perform mainly in Spanish at the Stagecoach country music festival, just a couple of months after making his Grand Ole Opry debut. On June 6, he became the first regional Mexican artist to play CMA Fest, as a guest of Cody Johnson, who invited him to perform the bilingual 'She Hurts Like Tequila' with him as part of his set at Nashville's Nissan Stadium. 'What struck me most was how effortless it felt,' Bridges says of working with León on the bilingual duet 'It Was Always You (Siempre Fuiste Tú).' 'We come from different musical backgrounds, but the emotion, the storytelling — that was shared. Collaborating with him wasn't about chasing a fusion — it was about two artists trusting each other to make something honest. Going down to Mexico and being immersed in his world was a powerful reminder of how universal that connection through music really is.' From a purely commercial standpoint, León has no need to take musical risks like this beyond the Latin realm. In the past five years alone, he has notched three entries on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart, including Colmillo de Leche (2023) and Boca Chueca, Vol. 1 (2024), which both reached the top 10. He has placed three No. 1s on the Latin Airplay chart, seven No. 1s on Regional Mexican Airplay and 19 entries on Hot Latin Songs, including three top 10s. He's a widely sought-after collaborator for pop stars (Camilo, Maluma, Kany García, Carlos Vives), Spanish stars (Manuel Carrasco, El Cigala), Mexican legends (Pepe Aguilar, Alejandro Fernández) and fellow current chart-toppers (Grupo Firme, Gabito Ballesteros) alike. But regardless of what sounds he's working with, or whether his collaborator is an established name or an untested act (a particular favorite of his), León knows what he likes. That confidence is at the core of his and manager Jorge Juarez's strategic plan to make him a truly global artist — and for the past year, they've set their sights on country music, hoping to bridge the divide between two genres that, despite their different languages, are in fact remarkably similar. 'It's something that fills me with pride and something that's been very difficult to achieve as a Mexican and as a Latin: to reach the center of the marrow of this country movement,' León says. 'To get to know this [country music] industry and start moving the threads to act as this missing link between regional Mexican and country music.' León first tested the country waters back in 2019 with a Mexican/country version of Extreme's 'More Than Words,' recorded in English and Spanish. Though it now has 14 million streams on Spotify, 'it's kind of lost because there was so much other stuff happening at the time,' he says. It was a risky move, especially coming when León was not yet the established star he is today. But to him, it was one worth taking. 'It was the perfect excuse to show something different,' he says. 'And it was amazing. It was so liberating. Because I was trapped in this box that was regional mexicano at that time, and [this song] was very fun for me.' Country and regional Mexican are, truly, natural siblings. Both genres are anchored in storytelling, with acoustic instrumentation and guitars central to their sound. Boots, hats and fringe jackets are staple outfits for artists and fans alike. And though they stem from different cultures, both are, as León puts it, 'roots genres' with their foundations in regional sounds. Unsurprisingly, other Latin artists have forayed into country before — but none have brought León's existing level of Latin music stardom, nor have they generated the buzz and impact that he has since releasing his first country team-up, 'The One (Pero No Como Yo),' with Brown in March 2024. Since then, he has spent weeks in Nashville, working with local producers and songwriters for a country-leaning album featuring other major names that's slated for a 2026 release. For country music, that's good news. According to the Country Music Association's 2024 Diverse Audience study, 58% of Latino music listeners consume country music at least monthly, compared with 50% when the last study was conducted in 2021. Finding the right opportunity to tap that market had long been in the Grand Ole Opry's sights. 'And then,' says Jordan Pettit, Opry Entertainment Group vp of artist and industry relations, 'the opportunity with Carín came up.' At León's Opry debut in 2024, 'we had a lot of audience there, more than normal,' Pettit recalls. 'The show itself absolutely blew my expectations.' The plan had been for León to play three songs, but the crowd clamored for more, and the musician obliged with a fourth. 'I can think of only one or two occasions in my seven years here where I've seen an artist get an encore,' Pettit says. 'It was really, really awesome to see the worlds collide.' León's worlds have been colliding since he was born Óscar Armando Díaz de León in Hermosillo, Mexico, a business hub and the capital of the northwestern state of Sonora, located 200 miles from the U.S. border at Nogales, Ariz. That proximity, coupled with his family's voracious appetite for music, exposed him to a constant and eclectic soundtrack that ranged from Cuban troubadour Silvio Rodríguez and corrido singer Chalino Sánchez to country stars Johnny Cash and George Strait to rock mainstays like Journey, Paul McCartney and Queen. 'What's happening now in my career is the result of the music I ingested since I was a kid,' he says. 'Music gave me the incentive to learn about many things — the origin of other countries, political movements linked to music, cultural movements. I'm very freaky about music. Everything I have comes from the music I listened to.' When León finally started dabbling in guitar, he gravitated to the music closest to his roots, regional Mexican, and eventually adopted his stage name. By 2010, he was the singer for Grupo Arranke, which through its blend of traditional sinaloense banda brass and sierreño guitars eventually landed a deal with the Mexican indie Balboa. After a slow but steady rise, Grupo Arranke garnered its sole Billboard chart entry, peaking at No. 34 on Hot Latin Songs in 2019 with 'A Través del Vaso,' penned by veteran songwriter Horacio Palencia. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, and León switched gears: He went solo, signed to indie Tamarindo Recordz and began releasing music at a prolific pace, launching what he now calls his 'exotic' cross-genre fusions. He scored his first top 10 on a Billboard chart with 'Me la Aventé,' which peaked at No. 6 on Regional Mexican Airplay in 2019. But his true breakouts were two live albums recorded and filmed in small studios during lockdown, Encerrados Pero Enfiestados, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (Locked Up, but Partying). The bare-bones sets, featuring León singing and playing guitar with a stripped-down accompaniment of tuba and guitar, struck a powerful chord. At a time when teenage performers with gold chains and exotic cars were propelling corridos tumbados and música mexicana with hip-hop attitude up the charts, this 30-year-old relative unknown with a poignant tenor that oozed emotion was performing regional Mexican music with a Rhodes organ, a country twang and, with his cover of '90s pop hit 'Tú,' a female point of view. No one else sounded like him. Those acoustic sessions 'were the first things I realized could make the audience uncomfortable [and] question what they were hearing,' León recalls. 'Wanting everyone to like you works, but it doesn't let you transcend. I think things happen when you change something — for good or bad — and you get that divided opinion. All my idols — Elvis, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash — were people who swam against the current. And not in a forced way, but in a sincere way, exposing vulnerabilities. We knew it was good stuff. And things began to happen.' During the pandemic lockdown, León had the time and creative space to experiment and explore a new openness within regional Mexican music, a genre where artists used to seldom collaborate with one another. In 2021, he notched his first No. 1 with 'El Tóxico,' a collaboration with Grupo Firme that ruled Regional Mexican Airplay for two weeks. Then, Spanish urban/flamenco star C. Tangana DM'd him on Instagram and invited him to collaborate on 'Cambia!,' a song from Tangana's acclaimed album El Madrileño that also featured young sierreño star Adriel Favela and can best be described as a corrido flamenco. The track 'blew my mind,' León says — and exposed him to a completely different audience. 'It taught me divisions are literally only a label. When I heard that album, I understood music has no limits. C. Tangana is to blame for what's happening with my music now.' Collaboration requests from artists seeking León's unique sound (and sonic curiosity) started to flow in at the precise time that he was itching to explore and globalize his music. In 2022, after recording the pop/regional Mexican ballad 'Como lo Hice Yo' with Mexican pop group Matisse, he met the band's manager, Jorge Juárez, co-owner of well-known Mexican management and concert promotion company Westwood Entertainment. The two clicked, and when León's label and management contract with Tamarindo expired in early 2023, he approached Juárez. 'There comes a time when managers and the artist have to be a power couple,' León observes. 'I found the right fit with Mr. Jorge Juárez. He's a music fiend; he has a very out-of-the-box vision. That's where we clicked. And he had huge ambition, which is very important to us. He's the man of the impossible. We want to change the rules of the game.' In León, Juárez says he saw 'a very versatile artist who could ride out trends, who could become an icon. He wasn't looking to be No. 1, but to be the biggest across time. He had so many attributes, I felt I had the right ammunition to demonstrate my experience of so many years and take him to a global level.' Juárez, who shuttles between his Miami home base and Mexico, is a respected industry veteran who has long managed a marquee roster of mostly Mexican pop acts including Camila, Reik, Sin Bandera and Carlos Rivera. He's also a concert promoter with expertise in the United States and Latin America. He sees León as having the potential to become 'the next Vicente Fernández,' he adds, referring to the late global ranchero star. Because León had parted ways with Tamarindo, which kept his recording catalog, he urgently had to build a new one. He and Juárez partnered in founding a label, Socios Music, and began releasing material prolifically, financing the productions out of their own pockets. Since partnering with Juárez, León has released three studio albums: Colmillo de Leche and Boca Chueca, Vol. 1, which both peaked at No. 8 on Top Latin Albums, and Palabra de To's, which reached No. 20. Beyond the catalog, they had three other key goals: finding a tour promoter with global reach, building the Carín León brand and expanding into country. AEG, which León and Juárez partnered with in 2023, could help with all of it. Last year, the promoter booked León's back-to-back performances at Coachella and Stagecoach — making him one of very few artists to play both of the Southern California Goldenvoice festivals in the same year — as well as his slot opening for The Rolling Stones in May in Glendale, Ariz. AEG president of global touring Rich Schaefer says they sold over 500,000 tickets for León headline shows in the United States since they started working together, including a 2024 sellout at Los Angeles' BMO Stadium. 'There are few artists who put out as much music as Carín does on a regular basis,' Schaefer adds. 'He's able to sing and speak fluently in two languages, which has already opened a lot of doors both in the States and abroad. Our team works very closely with Jorge and his team, and he has a deep understanding of how to approach international territories. With a little luck, Carín is poised to take over the world.' That international viewpoint also informed León's approach to recording. When Juárez set out to unlock country music for his client, he first contacted Universal Music Publishing Group head Jody Gerson — 'our godmother,' as Juárez likes to say. 'She opened so many doors to us.' Gerson first met León in 2023, after Yadira Moreno, UMPG's managing director in Mexico, signed him. 'It was clear from my first meeting with him that he possessed an expansive vision for his songwriting and artistry that would take him beyond Mexican music,' Gerson says. 'Before signing with us, he wanted to make sure that we were aligned with his ambitions and that he would get meaningful global support from our company, specifically in Nashville. Carín actually grew up listening to country music, so his desire to collaborate with country songwriters is an organic one.' Beyond opening the door to working with Nashville producers and songwriters, Gerson also connected Juárez and León with Universal Music Group chief Lucian Grainge, who in June 2024 helped formulate a unique partnership between Virgin Music Group, Island Records and Socios Music. Through it, Virgin and Island distribute and market León's music under Socios, with Virgin distributing and marketing to the U.S. Latin and global markets and Island working the U.S. mainstream market. The agreement encompasses parts of León's back catalog as well as new material, including 2024's Boca Chueca, Vol. 1, which featured his bilingual collaborations with Brown ('The One [Pero No Como Yo],' which peaked at No. 46 on Hot Country Songs) and Bridges. He plans to deliver Boca Chueca, Vol. 2 before the end of the year and just released a deluxe version of Palabra de To's that includes new pairings with Maluma (their 'Según Quién' topped the Latin Airplay chart for four weeks in 2023 and 2024) and first-time duets with ranchera star Alejandro Fernández and flamenco icon El Cigala. While flamenco is another passion point for León, the country album — his 'first magnum opus,' he says — is his most ambitious goal. Already, he has worked in Nashville with major producers and songwriters including Amy Allen, Dan Wilson and Natalie Hemby. On the eclectic project, he says, 'Some stuff sounds like James Brown, some stuff sounds like Queen, some stuff sounds like regional Mexican with these corrido tumbado melodies, but in a country way. It's very Carín. It's what's happening in my head and in my heart.' He won't divulge all of its guests just yet, but he says it includes friends like 'my man Jelly Roll' and other big stars he admires. It's new territory for a Latin act, and León is acutely aware of the fact. But he's approaching it from a very different point of view. 'I'm not a country artist,' he says flatly. 'I'm a sonorense. I have regional Mexican in my bones. But I love country music, and I'm trying to do my approach with my Mexican music and find a middle point. It's not easy. You have a lot of barriers because of the accent, because of the language, the racial stuff.' For some successful regional Mexican artists who tour constantly and make top dollar, the trade-off is not worth it; financially speaking, they don't need to open new territories or genres and the audiences that come with them. But for León, 'the money trip passed a lot of years ago,' he says with a shrug, taking a last sip of tequila and adjusting the brim of that ever-present accessory he shares with his country friends. 'I need to change the game,' he adds. 'I'm hungry to make history, to be the one and only. I'm so ambitious with what I want to do with the music. It's always the music. She's the boss.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
