Gente de NAHJ: For Lupe Llerenas, live music is best when shared with her brother

Music and entertainment journalist Lupe Llerenas attends the NAHJ 40th Anniversary Conference and Expo in Hollywood, Calif. on Saturday, July 13, 2024. Llerenas is able to share her love of music with her family. ELIZABETH JAZLYN DIEGUEZ/LATINO REPORTER

Lupe Llerenas and her older brother loved to sneak in music videos before rushing off to school.

They idolized the people they saw on the TV screen.

“I’m that person,” they’d say to each other as they passionately imitated their icons, singing along to One Direction songs and swaying their hips like Shakira.

Now, at 34, she still cherishes these childhood moments she shared with her brother. It’s also one of the many reasons why Llerenas decided to become a music journalist.

“To me, music is my life,” Llerenas said. “We connect on that together.”

Frankie, who has Down syndrome, occasionally sends her voice memos and text messages every time he wants to go to a concert she’s covering for work. Her established relationships with publicists and music labels enable her to bring him along to special events. 

Last year, Llerenas was able to get tickets to the farewell tour of rapper 50 Cent. The siblings had grown up singing along to his songs, including hits like “In Da Club” and “Candy Shop.”

She decided to surprise her brother by handcrafting tickets — complete with the Ticketmaster logo — showing they would be attending the show. She printed them out to present to Frankie and included a message: “Frankie, you are going to see 50 Cent.”

A video of Frankie’s reaction generated nearly 5,000 views on TikTok and Instagram.

@lupellerenas

My brother Frankie loves 2000s hip-hop, so ofc, I had to surprise him with 50 Cent tickets ❤️ #fyp #downsyndrome #musiclover #hiphop #concert #50cent

♬ In Da Club – 50 Cent

“This was such a pivotal moment for us when we were little and I’m like, ‘I have to give him that experience,’” she said. “According to him, it was the best day ever in his life.”

Since getting joint custody of Frankie in 2020 after her parents were diagnosed with cancer, balancing her life and career has been challenging. But Llerenas always makes space in her schedule for one-on-one time. She calls those days “brother and sister day.”

“I think that’s what’s allowed me to grow even more as a journalist, as a sister and as a Latina, who has always prioritized her family and her career but has allowed herself to be able to do both at the same time,” Llerenas said.

She plans to attend a Don Omar concert with Frankie next month. In the middle of the crowd, Llerenas will stand next to her big brother, singing together like they always have.

Elizabeth Jazlyn Dieguez is a recent journalism graduate from San Diego State University. She is a California Student Journalism Corps reporter at EdSource and aspires to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Reach her at elizabethjdieguez5 [at] gmail [dot] com or on X at @Elizabeth Dieguez.

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