Who was Ernesto Barajas? Enigma Norteno band members list explored in wake of vocalist being shot and killed

Mexican musician Ernesto Barajas, who founded Enigma Norteño, was recently shot and killed. Citing local reports, Marca relayed that he died in a targeted attack on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, in Zapopan, Jalisco.

Per the outlet, the incident occurred near the intersection of Francisco I. Madero and Arenales Street in the Arenales Tapatios Mariano Otero neighborhood. People on a motorcycle approached the musician's vehicle, trying to identify him before shooting. The perpetrators escaped soon after.

According to ReMezcla, the incident led to the death of a fellow passenger, while another was injured. The latter was rushed to a local hospital. There have been no other reports about the investigation.

According to Marca, Ernesto Barajas and Enigma Norteño received threats from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). According to SDP Noticias, the gang left a narcomanta, a message (generally threats) left on a cloth banner by drug cartels, in 2023, which read (translated by Google):

"Ernesto Barajas, lead singer of Enigma Norteño, stop feeling protected by the sisters Aquiles and Rana. You’re not going to come here and sing corridos about your flag. Baja has an owner. Sincerely, CJNG."

Notably, speculations surrounding Barajas suggested that he had ties with the Sinaloa Cartel. Eventually, the threat ended in the band cancelling their performance at the Feria de Rosarito in Baja California, Mexico.

Ernesto Barajas founded Enigma Norteño alongside Humberto Pérez in 2004, with the group becoming a quartet a few years later

Ernesto Barajas was born in September 1986 in Culiacán, Sinaloa. In 2004, he founded the regional Mexican band, Enigma Norteño, alongside Humberto Pérez (guitar), according to Last.FM. The pair independently released their debut album, El Jardinero, the same year. However, it wasn't until the late 2000s that Freddy Hernández (accordion) and José Baldenegro (drums) joined them.

The quartet found international fame in 2009 after singles from their fourth album, Corridos de Altura, began charting stateside. This included El Ondeado (M1) and El Sr. Mayo Zambada. A year later, the group dropped Juego Prohibido, which spurred the Top 20 hit Aunque Sea en Silencio (Cuatro Paredes).

Enigma Norteño became famous for their narcocorridos, a sub-genre in regional Mexican music featuring ballads about drug cartels, their lives, and violence. Some of their other hits include Que Seas Feliz, Que No Diera, and Batallandola.

According to the band's Instagram posts, its profile on Bands In Town, and an article by Medio Tiempo, sometime in the 2010s, Alonso Hernández (electric bassist), Conin Camacho (percussion and rhythm), and Adán Hernández (bass and vocals) joined the band. Notably, Baldenegro passed away in 2015 after being kidnapped by an armed group.

Less than a day before his death, Ernesto Barajas had been promoting the band's newest single, Hello Kitty, a collaboration with Edgardo Nuñez.

On a personal front, Barajas married Alexis Sillas, and they share a son, Ernesto, and daughter, Alix Emilia, according to Famous Birthdays. The musician hosts the podcast Puntos de Vista, where he frequently interviews regional Mexican musicians. This included Jesús Ortiz-Paz, Gabito Ballesteros, Eduin Cazares, and Roberto Tapia.

Neither Ernesto Barajas' family nor Enigma Norteño has publicly commented on the singer's passing.