Joe Lopez, one of the most influential Tejano artists of all time, has faced many challenges and controversies in his long and successful career. But he has never given up on his passion for music and his loyal fans. In a recent video post, he greeted his followers and shared a message of resilience and positivity.
“This goes out to you all my beautiful fans and thank you for all that you’ve done for me during all this that’s going on with the Tejano Music Awards,” he said.
Lopez addressed the backlash he received after not being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 43rd annual Tejano Music Awards in October. Some fans and industry insiders criticized the decision of the accolade, citing his past legal troubles and 12-year incarceration for conviction of raping his 13-year-old niece and current sex offender registration. Lopez has always maintained his innocence.
“It really broke my heart to have people like that embarrass me in front of everybody,” he said. “But it’s alright, that’s just a matter of even more power to continue.”
Lopez also expressed his appreciation to the Guadalupe Awards, a nonprofit organization that celebrates and supports Tejano culture and music. He said he is honored to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 5th edition of the awards show on Sunday (November 19).
“The Guadalupe Awards, which are the number one awards de la Onda Tejana because they follow the votes of the people,” he said. “They don’t decide on their own who’s the best and who’s not.”
Lopez recently announced some exciting news for his fans: the date for his Tejano King Fest 2024, a massive concert featuring many Tejano stars on Saturday, March 16, at a venue to be announced in San Antonio, Texas. The singer also plans construction this year of a MAZZ museum, a state-of-the-art-facility in Brownsville, Texas, where he was born and raised, that will showcase memories of the legendary band, he co-founded with late Tejano icon Jimmy Gonzalez in 1978.
Lopez concluded his video by thanking his fans to keep supporting him and Tejano music.
“Y’all are my good fans and y’all made me what I am for 40 years I’ve been in this business,” he said. “It’s very important for us, that work our lives and effort to produce, to come up with an original tune and beautiful song for you the people. Para toda la Onda Tejana.”
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