The Navaira Tejano musical legacy lives on. With her win at the 43rd Tejano Music Awards ceremony, Destiny Navaira is a two-time TMA Female Vocalist of the Year and represents her famous family well as the niece of late great Tejano icon Emilio Navaira and daughter of multi-talented singer/songwriter Raulito Navaira.
“Everyone’s like, ‘Oh my God, is this pressure?” Navaira said, as she is often asked about carrying on the successful Navaira name in the Tejano/Latino music industry. “Yes, it is pressure, but it’s also what I love to do. And because of my uncle, en paz descanse, and because of my dad, I’m able to have that expectation when I’m writing, when I’m singing, when I’m recording.”
“For me, it’s a beautiful thing,” she added. “I grew up loving this industry, loving this music, and I knew it’s what I wanted to do since I was a kid.”
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Navaira said that just to compete against tough contenders like the hugely popular Grupo Siggno, was “a dream come true.” Navaira went up at this year’s TMA’s against Siggno and longtime heavy-hitters like Joe Lopez and Gary Hobbs, as well as up-and-comer Monica Saldivar, in the Tejano Album of the Year category, which Siggno ultimately captured for “Sobrevivir.”
“I grew up in this,” Navaira said. “You know, you can find videos of us on stage. We were three, four years old at the Tejano Music Awards. And to be here, solo now, and of course, with my brother, Rigo (Navaira),…Without him, I wouldn’t be here.”
Destiny announced that her brother would soon release his own solo music, which fans can anxiously await, and which will add another Navaira name to the musical legacy. Emilio’s sons, Emilio IV and Diego, also carry on the music in the country/Tex-Mex/pop trio, The Last Bandoleros.
At this year’s Tejano Music Awards, the third award for which Destiny was nominated was “Collaboration of the Year” for a special song she wrote and performed with Jose Adan Esparza of Grupo Bronco. Destiny said she worked diligently to gain access to and the respect of the popular musician and the two collaborated on, “Yo Te Daba Todo.” The award, however, ultimately went to Monica Saldivar and Shelly Lares for “No Me Olvides.”
Also a performer at the 2023 Tejano Music Awards, Destiny was asked about where her fiery passion comes from when she belts out her powerful ballads and soulful rancheras.
“From the guys,” Destiny said, laughing, but then admitted that the songs are indeed drawn from real-life experiences. “It happened. It happened to me.”
Destiny also recalled how, after performances, her father would play Tejano classics from Tejano legends so Destiny and her siblings could learn about the emotions behind the music.
“He’d wake us up and we’d sit at the table and listen to Roberto Pulido, listen to Little Joe, and it wasn’t ‘Listen to the music,’ it was, ‘Listen to the way they are singing this song,'” she said.
“And that is something that has stuck with me my entire life,” Destiny said. “Every time I get on stage, I think of that.”
Destiny released an EP, “Las Letras de Mi Padre,” which is a compilation of six hit songs written by her father, Raulito, for her uncle, Emilio. The songs are sung in different styles than the originals.
After a recent three-year move to Monterrey, Mexico, to focus solely on her music, Destiny, now back in San Antonio, has devoted herself completely to her craft. If you have seen her perform or heard her music online, you can hear the love for Tejano and all genres of Latino music in her emotive vocals.
“My uncle and my Dad, they worked so hard for what they have, and everything that they’ve done and if I’m going to do this, when I decided to do this, I knew that I couldn’t do anything less,” Destiny said, adding that she hopes people are enjoying her musical efforts.
Destiny reminisced on her first win in 2021 for TMA Female Vocalist of the Year.
“The first time I won, in 2021, I wasn’t able to come to the awards, because it was online,” Navaira said. “So, it’s definitely a special feeling. I really feel like my hard work paid off these past couple of years.”
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