Julieta Venegas took the stage at the Latin Alternative Music Conference in New York City on July 30, 2026, to discuss a project she has been shaping for years: a new album and a memoir, both titled Norteña. The Q&A was moderated by Rolling Stone deputy music editor Julyssa López and formed part of LAMC 2026, which ran across the city from July 28 to August 1. The night before, Venegas performed at Central Park's SummerStage. Billboard

Venegas, raised in Tijuana, Mexico, told the panel that Norteña began while she was living in Buenos Aires and missing Mexico and her family. She described the album as a celebration of norteño-inspired music filtered through memory, longing and place, but not a traditional norteño record. Norteño is a regional Mexican style rooted in the country's northern states, built around accordion and bajo sexto, a twelve-string guitar. Venegas said creating the project brought her back to live in Mexico.

The ideas for both the album and the book were sparked in part by a photography and memoir project connected to Venegas's twin sister and grandfather. The Los Angeles Times published an interview with her about the dual project on May 11, 2026, and NPR reported on the album on May 13. Venegas had also appeared at National Sawdust in New York on April 30 for an evening of music and conversation about the then-upcoming release. Los Angeles Times

On the panel, Venegas said she considered herself a songwriter before she considered herself a singer. She found her artistic voice through instinct rather than strategy. As a teenager in Tijuana she joined a band called Chantaje.

Her recent collaborators span the Latin music map. Venegas appeared on Tainy and Bad Bunny's song 'Lo Siento BB:/', which reached No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100, the US singles chart that ranks the most-consumed songs each week across streaming, radio and sales. She also collaborated with Yahritza y Su Esencia on 'La Línea', a song that addresses the U.S.–Mexico border and family separation.

Venegas's official website now lists a Tour 2026 alongside promotion for the Norteña album and memoir. For an artist who left Mexico and returned through the act of making a record, the tour brings the journey full circle. Julieta Venegas official site