Mexico has unleashed a new and exciting weapon upon the world: The Warning – a metal/hard rock band that is taking the global rock 'n' roll universe by storm.
Background
On the 28th of June, 2024, Mexico’s The Warning released their 4th album, Keep Me Fed. They formally launched their group in 2013. They performed live on the top ranked late night The Jimmy Kimmel LIVE television show in the U.S. on the 27th of June (11:30pm PDT on ABC). They are three young, attractive, uniquely gifted, and eminently talented women. What is even more inconceivable is that they are sisters. Yes - genetic sisters. They are the Villarreal Vélez sisters from Monterrey, Mexico.
Pau/Paulina (21) plays drums, keyboards, sings, and is the prime catalyst as the band’s imagination engineer for their internationally acclaimed collaborative song writing. Her drum skills reveal a woman obsessed with plotting, pounding, and pushing the boundaries for the possibilities of this mission. In September 2023, Paulina Villarreal was voted number one drummer by readers of Modern Drummer in the "Up and Coming" category. Drumeo presented her the Rock Drummer of the Year award in February 2024. Ale/Alejandra (19) plays bass, sings and is responsible for generating the essential vertebrae shattering propulsion her Spector bass discharges. Dany/Daniela (23) plays lead guitar and is the lead vocalist. Her soaring, piercing vocals, stage performance, and magnificent musical mastery of her lead guitar inflict unimaginable wounds - like a barrage of targeted, full auto sniper fire hitting you directly in the heart of the bullet proof vest you forgot to put on.
These women are musical prodigies. They began their love of playing music between the ages of 4 and 6. Their parents were their early mentors and source of enduring encouragement. Yes, energy, gratitude, family and a love for music as a form of personal expression is the compound that binds The Warning together and fuels their passion to evolve as a team while continuing to enchant colonies of fans throughout the hard rock ‘n’ roll universe.
Achievements
They have performed for sold out audiences across the globe, and their list musical achievements has proven to be very impressive. They appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show in 2015 and were awarded financial aid to attend the internationally acclaimed Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, USA.
They were selected for a collaboration with Alessia Cara for Metallica’s ‘The Metallica Blacklist’ album. These three were profiled in TIME Magazine in April, 2015. They delivered two presentations at TEDx conferences at the University of Nevada in 2016 and 2017. They opened for Guns 'N Roses in their hometown of Monterrey, Mexico, on Sunday the 23rd of October, 2022. They have opened for or shared the stage with so many notable artists – they cannot all be listed here. Some of the names include Muse, The Killers, Aerosmith, Stone Temple Pilots, Foo Fighters, Scorpions, Greta Van Fleet and dozens and dozens more.
The Warning have earned over 150 million YouTube views and 10 million streams of their debut single CHOKE on LAVA Records in 2021. They have a five album contract with Lava. In 2023 they were invited to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards where they performed their piece EVOLVE. They played over 100 shows in 2022 and 2023 respectively in cities around the globe attracting hundreds of thousands (millions when combined) of loyal followers for their live performances, as well as on social media platforms.
Their independent releases include 'Escape the Mind EP' [2015], 'XXI Century Blood' [2017], and 'Queen of the Murder Scene' [2018] – garnering over 120 million YouTube views and 10 million streams. Their third album called 'Error' was released in 2022. During 2023, they worked on producing new songs with David Bendeth – multi-platinum producer, mixer and songwriter. Working with Bendeth is an earned privilege in the music industry. David picks who he works with and picks carefully he does.
An atypical metal/hard rock band
They are a band with unique characteristics that go against what is tyically expected of a metal/rock ‘n’ roll band. They are socially, politically, and religiously conservative. They are very intelligent. They do not indulge in the typical practices of other hard rock musicians like drug and alcohol abuse, gaudy clothing, a sexualised public persona, or succumbing to the extremes of the metal/rock ‘n’ roll bands that came before them. Their supporting staff and team are family and very close, long term, personal friends.
They are authentic, honest, humble, kind, and transparent. They don’t cuss or burden their musical expressions with that cheap junk. They are not a tribute band. They write, arrange, and perform their own original music. Their sound pierces the human soul. It is crisp, fresh, exquisitely on time, masterfully mixed, and consistently delivered with a joy and energy that is unique and frankly, defies explanation. Some industry commentators have observed the band is currently reviving the hard rock industry with their original style, creativity, and riveting live performances. They pride themselves in being role models for women and as a source of inspiration to those yearning to express their musical talents.
Touring and record label
The Warning has had great success in both Europe and the United States. Their European tours have previously consisted of shows in Poland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, France, Netherlands, and the U.K., and their U.S. tours have consisted of shows in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, New Orleans, New York City, Boston, along with multiple other cities. They have also performed in Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara in Mexico as well as in Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Saskatoon in Canada.
Their record label is Republic Records/Lava. Republic Records is Taylor Swift’s record label. They can be found on virtually every significant social media platform, and their YouTube channel has millions upon millions of views, and the creativity that inhabits their music videos is both unique and infectious. They are intimately involved in story boarding, scripting, and producing their music videos, and they are truly multi-dimensional artists who operate as a team in every aspect of their evolution.
Conclusion
During my lifetime, I have had the privilege of enjoying live performances from dozens upon dozens of legendary metal/hard rock ‘n’ roll icons. I had the opportunity to be up front, center stage for The Warning’s live show in Queretaro, Mexico in December 2023 to photograph the show. Honestly, I was left speechless. I knew I had experienced something terribly unique, inspiring, and startling. The show left me with a confidence that these three women were on a mission to reinvigorate and reengineer the future of the metal/hard rock ‘n’ roll industry – on their own terms.
Mexico is a beautiful and awe inspiring nation. I live in Mexico. I know. Mexico is my home. It is known for many amazing, truly unique, and enduring sources of national pride that attract tens of millions of visitors every year. The Warning have become a source of national pride for Mexico. Tune in – enjoy The Warning wherever you are – Mexico’s global ambassadors in the hard rock ‘n’ roll universe. Orgullo, Mexico!
The Warning performing their single EVOLVE at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards on the 13th of September, 2023, in Newark, New Jersey, in the U.S.