Ana Bárbara Is Closing 2025 in Times Square, With Love, Nostalgia, and Mexican Pride

Welcoming in a New Year is a “bittersweet experience,” says Mexican music icon Ana Bárbara.  This year, however, she might embrace nothing but the upsides when she rings in the New Year on one of the world’s biggest stages. 

Owning up to her music legacy, the “Bandido” singer will take her artistry to New York’s Times Square. Her performance at the traditional New Year’s Eve Ball Drop is set to celebrate Latino and Mexican culture on a global scale. 

Ana Bárbara, a timeless icon for the Latin American community 

Aptly recognized as “La Reina Grupera,” Ana Bárbara needs no introduction. Singer, actress, and trailblazer, the star has championed women’s representation in the regional Mexican music sphere for decades. Her music, both playful and deeply emotional, has transcended generations. 

On Spotify alone, Ana Bárbara boasts more than 6 million monthly listeners. Meanwhile, her hit songs have become nearly unescapable on TikTok. A swift search on the video platform will inevitably lead to chartoppers such as “Bandido” and “La Trampa.”

With a career spanning more than three decades and countless music hits, it couldn’t be otherwise. Today, Ana Bárbara has embedded her discography into the cultural fabric of the Latin American community. Her music, which she describes as “playful but loving,” is part of celebrations, social media challenges, and everyday playlists. Beyond her most playful lyrics, Ana Bárbara’s songs evoke nostalgia, exploring the complexities of love and relationships.

As she puts it, she is happy and grateful that her music resonates with the Latin American and diaspora communities. “I consider the music I make, perform, compose, and sing to be very kind music,” she tells FIERCE. “When people are at a wedding, for example, and one of my songs comes on, it brings back good memories. They’re left with a beautiful, sweet feeling, which is wonderful.”

Music that bridges generations

Receiving so much love and being remembered by the public while she’s still alive, Ana Bárbara adds, is a career achievement. “The most important thing is the affection, the love of the people. Sometimes you can be very famous but not loved,” she says. 

In Ana Bárbara’s case, her music’s lasting impact is best exemplified by the generations of Latino listeners who resonate with her songs. She has also transcended borders, introducing and representing Mexican music in countries like the U.S. and Spain.  “There’s an inherited affection from new generations,” Ana Bárbara explains. “Having powerful songs that positively remain in people’s minds is a triumph. I feel like a winner. Being loved at this moment and remembered in this life feels wonderful.” 

Despite being one of the leading voices in regional Mexican music, Ana Bárbara believes her career’s success cannot be measured solely by accolades. Instead, she hopes her legacy to be the emotions her music has elicited. “I hope that all the people who have ever enjoyed [the music] receive a message of love and joy,” she shares.  

“We have invited [the Latin American community] to dance, hopefully to have fun, to feel nostalgia. [I wish] that it remains in their memories and transcends to new generations. I would like my legacy to be that when they think of Ana Bárbara or my music, they think of something that transports them to the good times.”

La Reina Grupera takes over Times Square

Now, Ana Bárbara is gearing up to achieve another career milestone, performing at Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The event is a New York landmark, historic for reuniting more than one million people. Since its origins in the 1900s, the Ball Drop countdown has also morphed into a global broadcast, watched by over one billion people. 

Ana Bárbara will take Latina talent and represent the community on this global stage. As she explains, reaching such a great audience with Mexican music will be a special occasion. “Saying goodbye to the year is very significant. It encompasses both energies: the energy of the year that’s ending, with everything it entailed, as well as the expectation. There’s hope, and the love of welcoming the new year with a smile, music, family, and the families of so many people who connect with this New Year’s celebration.” 

What can fans and music enthusiasts anticipate from Ana Bárbara’s performance? “I’m going to do it with all the love in the world, hoping that they’ll never forget it,” she says. 

Ana Bárbara hints that her performance will bring her Mexican heritage to the forefront. “In this case, we’re preparing a number that has a little bit of everything,” Ana Bárbara says, “There will be the Mexicanidad that characterizes me, with the rhythm that has also been part of my musical history. Plus, the love and passion that you know I do things with.” 

In her words, you can expect something very, very special. 

Wrapping 2025 on a positive note

In addition to her New Year’s Eve performance, Ana Bárbara fans can look forward to more of the Reina Grupera’s music in 2026. “The idea is to keep moving forward, with music, with projects, with collaborations, with productions,” she teases. “I’m leading very interesting productions that you’ll hear about very soon.” 

As for her wishes for the Latin community in the New Year, Ana Bárbara sends a message of support and peace. “Peace is what we all long for,” she says. “I have the theory that, although we may feel bad or face the many challenges of life, we all strive for peace and harmony.”

“That’s my wish for the entire community and for everyone who reads this or sees me giving 

it my all in Times Square. Happy lives. Happy stories for 2026, with all my love.”