Kenia Os is making the jump to the big screen.
The Mexican pop princess's concert film Kenia Os: La OG, which premiered in Los Angeles on August 29 before opening in theaters across the United States on September 6, is captures Os preparing and putting on the most important concerts of her career while also opening up about her pivot from influencer-to-Latin-Grammy-nominated-superstar.
"It's a dream come true for me," Os tells Teen Vogue. “For many years in my career, the focus had been on my country Mexico that I would sometimes forget to give love internationally to other countries. This film has given me the chance to share with all my fans, and all my Latino community in the U.S., the opportunity to see La OG in theaters, which is a totally different experience."
Os, who was born Kenia Guadalupe Flores Osuna, hails from Mazatlán, Sinaloa. In the era of pop It Girls, she is bringing Mexico and Latin America into the conversation with global smash hits like the flirty "Malas Decisiones," which, at the time of writing, has over 322 million streams. Much like Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, and Os's recent collaborator Bella Poarch, Os parlayed her massive social media following — over 26 million followers on TikTok — into a fruitful music career.
As she talks about in Kenia Os: La OG, Os gets as much hate from people downplaying her success as she does love from her fan base, affectionally named The Keninis. Fortunately, Os has never let the negativity dim her light. Kenia Os: La OG opened in Mexico earlier this year and broke box office records. The Keninis danced and sang in the theaters like Swifties who went to see the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie.
The film brings to life the fiercely femme and colorful experience of Os's Pink Aura Tour at the emblematic Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City. Following the L.A. premiere, La OG has now expanded to theaters nationwide; and as Os enjoys having found love with fellow Mexican singer Peso Pluma, she is already plotting her next moves. Below, Teen Vogue caught up with Kenia Os to reflect on her career, romance, and representing Mexico in a politicized climate in the United States.
Kenia Os: I have worked really hard in my career to make a name for myself and be considered an artist, so for me, it was important that my fans see all the effort, love, and everything that I do to create a show. To put on a show like this was very complicated and it took a lot of time to plan. It's very beautiful to see the end result of these two concerts at the Palacio de los Deportes. This film captures the magic that goes into creating a concert.
KO: It's been a process with many lessons. I believe a lot of artists go through a similar process to believe more in themselves each day and be more confident. It's been very complicated because the more I believe in myself and try to do things better each time, there's this giant wave of hate that always follows me that tells me that “I'm not an artist” or “I can't achieve this or that."
It's made me stronger as a person, more confident in many ways, and insecure in other ways. La OG is like a hug to myself, to show that me and my team are incredible and accomplish what we want to do no matter where we come from.
KO: I want to start dropping some hints. I can tell you that all this year I've recorded what I believe to be more than 40 songs. At the same time, I'm working on a lot of other projects that I'm excited about. I believe this next era reflects a topic that I've never really talked about before; It's something that represents me, but that I haven't opened up about.
It's very beautiful to know that I'm going to be able to let this side of me out soon and find empowerment in that energy. Next year, I'm going to be on tour everywhere, so start saving! If you save two pesos a day from now until next year, you'll be able to buy a ticket to my show. [Laughs.] I'm dying to sing for my fans again and I'm so excited to see them on tour.
KO: It's a moment where we as Mexicans, and above all as the Latino community, need to be even more united. We have to stick together during this crisis that we're experiencing. Many families are going through very tough times. I'm very proud to be Mexican and represent my country wherever I go. I feel very proud to represent my Latino people when I'm in the U.S. What it's about right now is raising your flag, feeling proud of who you are, and embracing your people.
KO: It's incredible. We complement each other well in the way of understanding each other as both people and artists. To be public figures and share day-to-day experiences that aren't normal, it's beautiful to have a shoulder you can lean on and someone that understands and feels what you're going through. It's lovely to have a partner you can count on that supports you.
KO: We've had chats about wanting to do another song together in the future, but we don't know when. Anything can happen. For now, I can tell you that we're going to take the dog for a walk and talk about what we're going to have for breakfast. [Laughs]
KO: I'm surrounded by the LGBTQ+ community and I love it. As many of them call me, I feel like a "mother" to that community. [Laughs] I love that because I believe they're my most loyal and dedicated fans. They've always been there for me. My shows are very fun and it's because of the energy I get from them. I love the girls and the gays. I'm very happy to have that beautiful community by my side.
KO: I believe that comes from some of the fans. The three of us would like for our fans to not create rivalry between us, because I love them and we're working on projects together. They're incredible people, I get along with them really well. There's never [been] any rivalry between us. On the contrary, I've talked with both of them about very beautiful and deep things. For generations, there's also [been] competition between women [musicians] and it's incredible that we're changing that history of pop in Mexico.
