Xiuhtezcatl Martinez

Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is a musician, activist, and a prolific voice for his generation. Martinez’s first relationship with music was as a means of preserving his Indigenous culture and language, which influence the sound and direction of his releases to this day. His thought-provoking lyrics are anchored by his Xochimilca and Mexican roots, and the environmental justice work his mother raised him in.

Growing up with deep ties to family and community on both sides of the US and Mexico border, he incorporates Spanish and English interchangeably into his music. Alongside his decades of work as a community activist, Martinez has always believed in the role music and art have to play in creating social change.

Martinez began touring the world and sharpening his musical craft at the age of 17. He has performed and collaborated with artists such as Raury, WILLOW, and Jaden, while building outside the boundaries of the music industry to use art to challenge systems of injustice.

Formerly the Youth Director of Earth Guardians, a global environmental activist organization, Martinez has given multiple TED talks, has delivered several speeches before the United Nations, and was named TIMES next 100 in 2019. X has hosted podcasts, published multiple books on the intersections of community organizing, art and culture, and continues to use his voice and his art to reclaim space, build community and engage his generation in reimagining our future.