Korina López: ‘All we can do is Hold on to God’s Hand. Healing is Possible, Everything can be Overcome.’

‘Poverty became my wealth. I spent the best years of my life in El Tigre. I lived there until I was eight, and my heart trembles when I remember it,” Korina says.

Korina López embodies the sensitivity and strength of a woman from Sinaloa. For her, there are no barriers to find a way. If there’s a will, there’s always a way.

She is a determined woman: mother, wife, daughter, artist, singer, entrepreneur, cook, waitress—and you can add anything else you like.

“And of course, in times of need, you have to do whatever it takes, without shame. During the pandemic and now with the economic crisis in the restaurant industry, many people are surprised to see me working as a waiter or cleaning. ‘How can this famous singer be cleaning tables?’ they ask. But there’s nothing wrong with that. You have to fight to succeed,” says this singer with a voice that captivates wherever she performs, and now at her restaurant, Hacienda Mariana.

Korina knows what hard work is—she’s been doing it since she was a child.

“I come from a very small village called El Tigre. We were very poor, and my father wasn’t around. Since I was five—or even younger—I was out selling what my grandfather grew. Radishes, cilantro, mangoes, plums. I’d walk through the whole village with baskets. I loved helping out, contributing. I knew we needed money, and we had to give it our all. Poverty became my wealth. I spent the best years of my life in El Tigre. I lived there until I was eight, and my heart trembles when I remember it,” she says.

Her mother had to fight in her own way. As a single mother, she tried to move forward, even if that meant not spending much time with her children—being distant.

“I always felt a lack of love. I felt like I wasn’t loved, and I desperately sought the affection I needed,” she adds.

‘I believe the American Dream no longer exists—but our ego gets in the way. We don’t want to return to Mexico because we’d feel like failures. But we need to question ourselves, ask: ‘Where do we have more life, more family unity?’

Korina is a woman of faith. She knows that God has watched over her and helped her along the way. Her mother wasn’t around, but her grandparents were.

“My grandma had 16 kids,” she says with a laugh. “So my uncles were like cousins—we all grew up together.”

She always loved music and singing. That’s where she found the affection she longed for. She would listen carefully to the lyrics of songs and search for the parts that related to her life.

“My mom moved to the U.S., and when she visited, she brought those bags of used clothes. I’d get so excited. I’d go through them and pick out pieces that I could wear to perform a song or play with the neighbors,” she recalls.

When her mother felt secure enough, she brought Korina and her siblings to Los Angeles. Korina knew that studying wasn’t her path. She had to work—and she did, even as a teenager.

“One of the jobs I had was at Chuck E. Cheese’s. I was the little mouse walking around making kids happy. I’m very social—I’m the kind of woman who loves meeting people, striking up conversations,” she says.

Later, driven by her love for singing, she started entering singing contests held at restaurants. For her, Mondays weren’t boring—they were contest Mondays.

From there, she was invited to join a banda music group. That’s where she met her husband, Daniel Ramos, who would later become the producer for the famous singer Jenni Rivera.

Things began to change, and her music career took off. She recorded several albums and toured various cities in Mexico and the U.S.

“Music is my passion,” she says.

She sees herself as a strong woman—but also sentimental.

“Let God decide where to go” feels like her mantra.

She and her husband decided to step away from music for a few years and focus on the restaurant business. They launched several virtual restaurants and now manage Hacienda Mariana in person.

“We’ve gone through tough times—very difficult—but we know how to work. Now, thanks to my background in entertainment, when we opened the restaurant, celebrities from the industry came to give me the ‘good luck kick.’ Many liked it and have returned. What’s helping now is that we’ve started hosting karaoke and special invitation-only events. There, they ask me to sing some of my hits—and that has motivated me to relaunch my music career and release a new album soon. Music runs through my veins,” she says.

During these challenging times, her entire family is working at the restaurant. Some employees have had to leave, and in the beginning, sales dropped by 50%. However, things have been slowly recovering.

“All we can do is hold on to God’s hand. I believe the American Dream no longer exists—but our ego gets in the way. We don’t want to return to Mexico because we’d feel like failures. But we need to question ourselves, ask: ‘Where do we have more life, more family unity?’ If it’s here, then great—let’s fight for it. But if not, we need to make other decisions. There’s a sadness in the air, uncertainty. So many places are empty. Even music—it can unite, or it can destroy.”

For Korina, determination must always be present.

“Everything can be overcome. Healing is possible.”

Korina López

YouTube Channel:

👉 https://www.youtube.com/@D2musicinc