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 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 was released on April 6, 2020. During 2020, the trio released two more albums, Vibras de Noche on July 17 and Corta Venas 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 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, 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)
Discography Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected details, chart positions, sales, and certifications Title Studio album details Peak chart positions Certifications US USLatin MEXReg. Tu Veneno Mortal Released: April 6, 2020 Label: DEL Records Format: CD, digital download, streaming — 7 1 RIAA: Platinum (Latin) Vibras de Noche Released: July 17, 2020 Label: DEL Records Format: CD, digital download, streaming 18 1 1 RIAA: Platinum (Latin) Corta Venas Released: December 18, 2020 Label: DEL Records Format: CD, digital download, streaming 56 2 1 RIAA: 8× Platinum (Latin) Tu Veneno Mortal, Vol. 2 Released: June 25, 2021 Label: DEL Records Format: CD, digital download, streaming 132 5 1 RIAA: 3× Platinum (Latin) Nostalgia Released: May 6, 2022 Label: DEL Records Format: CD, digital download, streaming 9 2 1 RIAA: 2× Platinum (Latin) Desvelado Released: April 27, 2023 Label: DEL Records Format: CD, digital download, streaming 6 1 1 Amor Perdido Released: October 4, 2024 Label: DEL Records Format: Digital download, streaming — — — Vibras de Noche 2 Released: March 14, 2025 Label: Armado Records Format: Digital download, streaming 30 4 3 NOCTURNO Released: June 26, 2026 Label: Armado Records Format: Digital download, streaming — — —
Extended plays + List of extended plays, with selected details Title Album details Navegando y Flotando Released: October 11, 2019 Label: DEL Records Format: Digital download, streaming
Singles + List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album US USLatin MEX Prior to the Mexico Songs chart launched in 2022, the Mexico Airplay chart was used as the standard chart for Mexico: MEXReg. WW "Con Tus Besos"2020 — 15 29 3 — Tu Veneno Mortal "La Trokita" — 37 — — — Vibras de Noche "Te Encontré"2021 — 30 10 1 — rowspan="3" "Lamento Boliviano" — — — — — "Entre la Lumbre" — — — — — "Jugaste y Sufrí" 69 3 — — 111 Corta Venas "Navidad Sin Ti" — — — — — "Ella Baila Sola" 2023 4 1 1 1 1 RIAA: 21× Platinum (Latin) Desvelado "Quédate Conmigo" — 25 — — — "La Fresa" — — — — — Amor Perdido "Amarte a la Antigua" 2024 — — — — — "La Durango" 75 2 5 — 83 Éxodo
Other charted songs + List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Album USBub. USLatin "Dame tu Calor"2020 9 5Vibras de Noche "Tal Vez" — 15 "Ganas Que Te Tengo" — 22 "Sube al Carro" — 21 "¿Donde Has Estado?" — 29 "Tu Canción" — 46 "24 Horas" — 47 "Ando Más Que Mal"2021 — 10Corta Venas "La Mejor de Todas" — 26 "Mi Historia Entre Tus Dedos" — 28 "El Tiempo Nos Cambió" — 47 "Regresa Mami" — 25Tu Veneno Mortal, Vol. 2 "No Dudes de Ti" — 45 "Si Superias" 2022 12 27Nostalgia "Hasta la Muerte" — 35 "Vete a la Fregada" — 31 "Dos Morritas" 21 28 "Modo Depre :(" — 32 "La Perrié" — 38 "Luces Rojas" — 39 "Mente en Alto" — 42 "Solo" — 43 "Quien Es El?" 2023 — 33Desvelado "Así Lo Quiso Dios" 6 24 "Mejor Acabar" — 50 "Te Odio!" 2025 — 36Vibras de Noche 2 "Dime" — 35 "Esa Noche" — 50 "Otras 24 Horas" — 37
Awards and nominations