Here’s What a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Would Mean to Maná, in Their Own Words

When Fher Olvera, lead singer of iconic Mexican rock band Maná, was a little kid in Guadalajara, he’d rock to the sounds of bands like The Eagles, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.

“At 11 years old, I’d sit in front of those speakers and fly. It was sheer ecstasy,” he told Billboard. “Obviously, I didn’t understand English, but you kind of figured out a way to make sense of what you liked.”

Now, Olvera is in a very different position in front of those speakers, after Maná became the first ever Spanish-language rock band to be nominated for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inclusion.

“It’s a historic moment,” says Olvera. “I truly felt the spirit of the Latin American language. I say it seriously but also with humility. It’s a moment where people open their ears as we did when we were kids and listened to the Rolling Stones and the Eagles. This is an opportunity for people to learn Spanish, and an opportunity for those of us here to extend to the planet our way of feeling the world.”

Maná , made up of Olvera, drummer Alex González, guitarist Sergio Vallín and bassist Juan Calleros–is objectively the most successful Latin rock band in the world, with eight No. 1s on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart, and the most entries on Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay (33 and 36, respectively) for a Latin rock group.

Now, their new historic moment goes beyond language and very much into culture and the vision of rock and roll as a universal language that transcends borders.

Should they be elected by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame membership (elections close April 21), the Mexican band would become only the fourth Latin artist (the other three are Santana, Ritchie Valens and Linda Ronstadt) to be inducted into the Rock Hall since its first edition in 1986.  They are also the first Latin band, in any language, to be nominated since Los Lobos nearly 10 years ago.

The importance of the moment isn’t lost on drummer Alex Gonzalez. “Being nominated was a shock and a welcome shock to a Latin American community that sings in Spanish regardless of genres. It means eyes and ears are beginning to look in other directions,” says González.

Since they formed over 30 years ago in Guadalajara, Maná have remained faithful to a rock ‘n roll base with Caribbean influences and beats and highly melodic and narrative material that distinguish them from other bands.

“We’re a pop/rock band and our direction, attitude and the way we feel is rooted in rock ‘n roll,” says Olvera. “We’ve done ballads, songs mixed with Latin American music. In the end, it’s a versatile rock/pop band infused with different ways of understanding music.”

Although Maná is close to many rock icons, they have recorded only in Spanish, a decision that’s more artistic than commercial.

“We feel comfortable with our culture, and it feels more authentic to narrate those stories in Spanish,” says Olvera, noting that in several points in their career, they were offered major advances to record in English. “We have a global company [the group is signed to Warner] and a global manager and we never wanted to do it. It wasn’t about being more famous, but rather, about feeling good about what we were doing and being able to narrate a reality with which we authentically identify.”

Being inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, says González, would not only place them Maná next to the idols it grew up listening to, but will also serve as a nod to Latin music overall.

“All this band has done is work and work and work and make songs and music that connect with people, in Latin America, in Spain and in the U.S. which has such a big Latin community,” he says. “Maná became a band for Latins, not just for Mexicans.”

Maná’s competition to get into the Hall of Fame this year includes many of the acts González and Olvera love.

“Love Soundgarden. White Stripes. I was so surprised to see Chubby Checkers still hasn’t been inducted,” says González. “Oasis, great band. And Cindy Lauper. Who didn’t love Cindy Lauper?”

Being part of that group, he says, is a nod to a nominating committee that was willing to “look in other directions.”

“If we win? I’ll let you know how we’ll celebrate when we get the news,”  says Olvera. “But, I could walk on water. It would be one of the most beautiful moments we’ve lived.”