Fabio Gutiérrez — father of rising star Xavi and co-writer of several of his biggest hits — has signed a global administration deal with Warner Chappell Music, the company announced Wednesday (June 11).
WCM will administer future output and select tracks in Xavi’s repertoire, including “La Diabla,” “Corazón de Piedra,” “Sin Pagar Renta” and “En Privado” with Manuel Turizo — all co-written by Gutiérrez.
“It means a lot, it’s a dream for any songwriter,” Gutiérrez says over Zoom about his first-ever admin deal. Father to música mexicana star Xavi and emerging singer-songwriter Fabio Capri, Gutiérrez began writing as a teen but never fully developed his own career as an artist.
“I became a father at 16 and I had to work for the family so I went into construction and had since worked as an electrician. I emigrated from Sonora to Phoenix and lived the whole American dream,” he says. “I didn’t make it as an artist because I didn’t have the maturity or the support, but I learned to do everything that Xavi would need when his time came.”
While being an electrician was his main source of income, Gutiérrez had always been passionate about music. As a young teen, he was part of a dance group and continued writing and producing songs on his own in his home studio. “My kids didn’t know I was doing [music] after work,” he says. But that all changed during the pandemic, when Gutiérrez decided he would teach Xavi how to write songs.
“That’s really how it all started,” he remembers with a smile on his face. “I was just being a dad, teaching him something new in life, just like you teach them how to walk, it’s been a lot of work and it’s all happened very fast.”
Signed to Interscope, Xavi — known for his style of corridos tumbados — topped the 2024 Year-End Top Latin Artist – New chart. His single “La Diabla” not only earned him his first No. 1 on a Billboard chart, but it also became the first champ of the year — crowing Hot Latin Songs for 14 consecutive weeks. Xavi’s success on the charts also made him the new artist of the year winner at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
“Besides being my dad, he’s played a huge role in everything I do musically,” Xavi said in a statement. “He’s my partner in crime! We write together, come up with crazy ideas, and there’s this cool chemistry between us. Honestly, it feels like we can read each other’s minds. We’re connected by blood and music.”
Gutiérrez remembers that when “La Diabla” went viral, he got a call from Xavi. “He was like, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ And I was really busy at work, carrying things around. Then he said, ‘How do you feel with everything going on with the song?’ And I remember I told him, ‘I feel normal. You?’ He answered, ‘Yeah, I feel normal too.’ I told him that’s the way it always has to be, regardless of what happens. We are human beings and we simply dedicate ourselves to doing something with a lot of love and it feels nice to write music that connects with an audience.”
“Signing Fabio Gutiérrez is incredibly special for our team,” Delia Orjuela, head of creative Mexican music/música mexicana, Warner Chappell Music. “His creative partnership with both his sons Fabio Capri and Xavi, has helped shape one of the most exciting new voices in Latin music today. Their journey is a testament to the magic that happens when family, culture, and artistry come together.”
Besides songwriting, Gutiérrez also co-manages the careers of Xavi and Fabio Capri. “Everything is possible if you work hard, no matter where you come from. I didn’t have my dad but if I had my dad, I would have achieved more things,” Gutiérrez adds. “The job of being a parent is to discover the talent of your children and do anything you can to support whatever that talent is.”
