Current:Home > FinanceIconic Mexican rock band Mana pay tribute to Uvalde victim Maite Yuleana Rodriguez -Lighthouse Finance Hub
Iconic Mexican rock band Mana pay tribute to Uvalde victim Maite Yuleana Rodriguez
View
Date:2025-04-16 04:34:49
San Antonio, TX -- As the influential Latin American rock band Maná played one of their four shows in Texas on Saturday, the Grammy award-winning group paid tribute to Maite Rodriguez, a 10-year-old victim of the Robb Elementary School shooting.
The band, who recently launched a social impact initiative, was inspired to uplift the Uvalde and San Antonio communities by donating a portion of the proceeds from their Texas shows to The Maite Yuleana Rodriguez scholarship offered by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
MORE: Police officer praised for reviving baby during traffic stop in suburban Detroit
Maite is remembered by her mother Ana Coronado as a curious 10-year-old with big dreams of becoming a marine biologist. Coronado told ABC News that her daughter loved marine animals and her fascination started after family visits to Corpus Christi.
Fher Olvera, the lead vocalist and guitarist of Maná, is also passionate about sea life – a detail that was incorporated into the band’s performance as a turtle propelled from the arena ceiling. It’s something Maite’s mother knows her daughter would have connected with.
“No matter the platform he has, the fame he has, the one thing she would have said is ‘Hey, we both like turtles!’” laughed Coronado.
MORE: 'There's a powerful argument' Trump is disqualified for presidency under 14th Amendment: Kaine
As Coronado waited patiently in the wings, she held her necklace tight – it included pendants for Maite. She also wore green Converse, like Maite's, with a hand-drawn heart on the toe, which became a symbol for the 21 lives lost. Only moments later, Coronado was pulled on stage while the band performed “El Reloj Cucú.”
The song, which translates to “The Cuckoo Clock,” was written by Olvera and inspired by the loss of his father at a young age. The lyrics declare the song a "cry of love," one that was dedicated to Maite and her legacy at the show on Saturday.
“She is still doing great things,” Coronado said about her late daughter. “She is still accomplishing so much, and I can’t believe that she is mine. My girl … my girl is doing this.”
Throughout the México Lindo y Querido tour, the band -- frontman Fher Olvera, drummer Alex González, guitarist Sergio Vallín and bassist Juan Diego Calleros – has chosen to platform several causes, such as human rights and environmental issues.
“Music has given us so much that we feel good helping people,” González told ABC News. “If we can inspire other people to help, then, you know, I think it is better. Everyone should pitch in and try to help one another. That is what we need.”
In addition to the funds for the scholarship in Maite’s name, another portion of the proceeds from the band’s Texas shows will be allocated to The Latino Victory Foundation, a national voter registration partner. LiveNation has also pledged to support both efforts, according to Maná management.
“Although I would rather, much rather be at home watching movies with her today, you know, that it is just not possible,” Coronado said about her daughter.
“This is what I have to do to keep her legacy going,” she added.
Ismael Estrada contributed to this report.
veryGood! (2831)
Related
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Stranded at a closed border as bombs fall, foreign nationals in besieged Gaza await evacuation
- Gazan refugees stranded in West Bank amid deadly raids, rising settler violence
- Mary Lou Retton Discharged From Hospital Amid Long Road of Recovery
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- Gaza has oil markets on edge. That could build more urgency to shift to renewables, IEA head says
- At least 7 killed, more than 25 injured in 158-vehicle pileup on Louisiana highway
- UAW strikes at General Motors SUV plant in Texas as union begins to target automakers’ cash cows
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- A German tourist who went missing in a remote Zimbabwe wildlife park is found alive 3 days later
Ranking
- Jamaica's Kishane Thompson more motivated after thrilling 100m finish against Noah Lyles
- Geri Halliwell Reacts to Kim Kardashian's Desire to Join Spice Girls
- Nearly 7,000 Stellantis factory workers join the UAW strike
- NFL power rankings Week 8: How far do 49ers, Lions fall after latest stumbles?
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- The 2023 Soros Arts Fellows plan to fight climate change and other global issues with public art
- 4 suspected North Korean defectors found in small boat in South Korean waters
- Why Jason Kelce Has Some Alarms Going Off About Travis Kelce & Taylor Swift's Highly-Publicized Romance
Recommendation
IOC's decision to separate speed climbing from other disciplines paying off
All the Bombshell Revelations in Britney Spears' Book The Woman in Me
Democratic governor spars with Republican challenger over pandemic policies in Kentucky debate
Stock market today: Asian shares mostly rise after US stocks wobble as Treasury bond yields veer
Billy Bean was an LGBTQ advocate and one of baseball's great heroes
Olympian Mary Lou Retton is back home recovering from pneumonia, daughter says
Candidate for Pennsylvania appeals court in November election struck by car while placing yard signs
Why Jason Kelce Has Some Alarms Going Off About Travis Kelce & Taylor Swift's Highly-Publicized Romance