DannyLux

Daniel Balderrama Espinoza (born March 12, 2004) better known by his stage name DannyLux, is an American singer-songwriter. He is well known for his hit song with Eslabón Armado called "Jugaste y Sufrí" which introduced him to the music industry, becoming one of the biggest new names in the regional Mexican genre.

Early life Balderrama was born on March 12, 2004, in Palm Springs, California. His parents immigrated from Mexicali, Baja California. As the youngest of three brothers, he grew up in an environment influenced by his heritage and musical upbringing. At the age of six, Balderrama's father, employed as a waste collector, stumbled upon a discarded guitar and brought it home. A year later, Balderrama's mother, a church secretary, urged her son to join the church choir, providing him with a platform to develop his vocal and guitar skills.

During his studies, he started practicing soccer, where he came up with a nickname for himself, "Danny Luxury." He would later revise this name to "DannyLux," which he would use as his stage name. He was very fond of sports, but felt unhappy due to having bad grades at school and was eventually kicked off the soccer team. It was during this time, Danny remembered his guitar and immersed himself into playing.

Career

When he was 16 years old in mid-2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he started posting covers on TikTok which gained millions of views. After making covers of songs for a while, he was inspired to write and share his first original songs.

On January 15, 2021, he released his first album, Las Dos Caras del Amor. He was accompanied on bass by his cousin Eddy and on guitar by one of his best friends, Victor Ramos. On April 29, he released the EP Love </3, featuring popular tracks such as "Mi Otra Mitad" and "Tristeza y Traición." On October 2, 2021, DannyLux hit No. 1 on the Billboard Songwriters & Producers chart, staying there for three consecutive weeks.

On January 28, 2022, he released the EP Perdido en Ti, which ranked first among Apple Music's Latin albums. He competed in the eighth edition of the Latin American Music Awards of 2023 for best collaboration in "Jugaste y Sufrí". In April 2022, DannyLux was the official opening act for Coldplay, opening for eight shows in Mexico. In July, he collaborated with Mexican-American artist Cuco on the song "Decir Adios" from the album Fantasy Gateway. On September 2, he released another EP, entitled Limerencia, with the most-played track being "Junto a Ti".

In April 2023, DannyLux performed at Coachella 2023. On June 20, 2023, DannyLux received the city keys of his hometown. Shortly after, on June 29, he released the single "Zafiro" featuring guitarist Pablo Hurtado, which became the fifth track of his new album. On August 9, Balderrama collaborated with Cuban singer Ovi and Colombian singer Blessd, in the creation of the song "Mientras no Vuelves."

Danny released another album titled DLUX a few days later, consisting of seventeen tracks and featuring various other collaborations. Among the collaborations was Mexican singer Gabito Ballesteros, Eslabón Armado, Argentine singer Yami Safdie, and American singer Jordyn Shellhart. On track 13, Dominican-American singer Melvin War joins him on "Creo Q Dios." Balderrama reconnects with Cuco for an extended version of their previous collaboration, now titled "Decir Adios Oye Narrador," on a subsequent track. Lastly, he features Venezuelan-born American singer Maye on the track named "Mi Hogar."

On September 5, Danny released "Bórrame", a collaboration with Mexican singer Kurt. Continuing with new releases, on September 21, he released "Sustancias en Mi Corazón" with Chilean singer Strangehuman. On September 28, his collaboration with Becky G was released, on her album Esquinas. The track was later performed by the duo on NPR's Tiny Desk concert series in early October. On October 10, Danny announced a tour across 11 cities in the East Coast and Midwest of the US, with the name Ambición Tour.

On January 12, 2024, Danny released the single "Un Día Entenderás". On March 1, he released the deluxe album EVOLUXION based on his last album DLUX. The album includes new and updated tracks such as "Maldito Alcohol" and "Ciudad del Sol". Calentón Music Festival at Syracuse University on October 19, 2024, was Danny's first performance at the university's annual Calentón Hispanic Music Festival—honoring National Hispanic Heritage Month

2025–2026

In January 2025, Balderrama performed alongside Eslabon Armado and Cuco at the Viva Music Festival's "I Heart L.A." benefit concert, with all proceeds directed to MusiCares to support musicians affected by the Los Angeles wildfires. On May 15, he released Leyenda, his fourth studio album, accompanied by a short film of the same name in which he appeared as an actor for the first time. The album contains 19 tracks with contributions from Jasiel Nuñez, Yng Naz, and Juanchito. Leyenda ranked sixth on Billboard's Latin Best Albums of the Year list, and its track "Sirena" was named the sixth-best Latin song of 2025 by Billboard's staff.

On January 8, 2026, DannyLux entered into a worldwide publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). In a statement, he said he was "ready to keep evolving and open this new chapter with all my heart." The deal was brokered through UMPG's Latin division alongside Ana Rosa Santiago, senior vice president of A&R Latin music, and Jamie Kinelski, senior vice president of A&R. On June 5, he released "House of Lux (Jump on the Pitch Remix)" with American artist Ckdageneral, a rework of his 2023 DLUX track.

Discography Studio albums Title Details Certifications Las Dos Caras del Amor Released: January 15, 2021 Label: VPS Music LLC, Interscope Records Formats: Digital download, streaming — Perdido en Ti Released: January 28, 2022 Label: VPS Music LLC, Warner Music Latina Formats: Digital download, streaming — DLUX Released: August 18, 2023 Label: VPS Music LLC, Warner Music Latina Formats: LP, digital download, streaming RIAA: Gold (Latin) Leyenda Released: May 15, 2025 Label: VPS Music LLC, Warner Music Latina Formats: Digital download, streaming —

Reissues Title Details Certifications Evoluxion Released: March 1, 2024 Label: VPS Music LLC, Warner Music Latina Formats: Digital download, streaming * RIAA: Gold (Latin) Label: VPS Music LLC, Warner Music Latina Formats: Digital download, streaming Limerencia Released: September 2, 2022 Label: VPS Music LLC, Warner Music Latina Formats: Digital download, streaming

Singles As lead artist

As featured artist + List of singles as featured artist showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Album US USLatin "Jugaste y Sufrí" 2020 69 3 Corta Venas "Me Voy Contigo" 2021 — — Lluvia Y Sol

Other charted and certified songs Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album USBub. USLatin Latin Grammy Awards 2024 Evoluxion Best Contemporary Mexican Music Album 2025 Leyenda Best Contemporary Mexican Music Album Premios Juventud 2022 Himself The New Generation - Regional Mexican Premio Lo Nuestro 2023 Himself Regional Mexican New Artist of the Year