Spring, Texas, doesn’t show up on many bedroom-pop maps. It’s near Houston but just far enough away to have a small-town feel. Yet it’s where 21-year-old HEADTRIPPED—bilingual, first-generation, and unmistakably DIY—has been quietly building something a sound of his own, one song at a time.
A Name Borrowed and Made His Own
Ask HEADTRIPPED where his name comes from, and he doesn’t hesitate: It’s a direct nod to Cuco, whose former high school stage name was Heavy Trip. He remembers thinking how inspired he was by Cuco’s work and how he can add a unique touch to the name. The answer came from the psychedelic quality of the music itself. “When you listen to psychedelic music, it’s like your head trips,” he says, a corny pun he cherishes.
HEADTRIPPED’s music sits comfortably in the space between English and Spanish, and he’s clear that the split isn’t accidental. Tracks like “Ámate Cuídate” are half English and half Spanish. The song is about loving and taking care of yourself and is intended, in his words, for “the people in the songs.”
Photo Credit: HEADTRIPPED
Spanglish as a Songwriting Choice, Not a Compromise
With influences from bilingual creators such as 54 Ultra and Cuco, the music he creates translates across languages. His upcoming material, he says, leans even further into Spanglish—a way of writing that mirrors how he actually thinks and speaks rather than forcing him to pick one language and lose the other.
He’s been listening to Cuco since he was 14, which, by his own math, makes him “OG”—seven years deep into an influence that shaped not just his sound but also how he sees himself as an artist. Cuco, he explains, “paved the way for DIY indie artists.”
The Weight of Being First-Generation
Underneath the sound is a family story that shapes almost everything HEADTRIPPED makes. His mother is from Guatemala, and his father is from El Salvador. His mother crossed the border to reach the U.S., and the family eventually settled in Texas instead of California, where he was originally supposed to be born.
His parents, he says, don’t fully approve of his musical path—”like the parents in Coco,” he jokes, though there’s real weight underneath the humor. He understands why: They came here chasing stability, and music rarely offers that on a predictable timeline. “It’s very hard to translate,” he says, “especially since it’s a cultural thing, too.” It’s a tension HEADTRIPPED lives with rather than resolves: gratitude for parents who sacrificed everything alongside the ache of trying to explain a calling that doesn’t fit into blue-collar logic.
Photo Credit: HEADTRIPPED
A Cuco Origin Story Worth Telling
No conversation with HEADTRIPPED stays serious for long, and his best story proves it. At 14, he traded concert tickets on Reddit to see Cuco in Houston, snuck out of his house, and arrived at White Oak Music Hall only to discover that the tickets were fake.
Stranded with no cell service, he went live on Instagram to ask strangers for help—and then, almost by accident, spotted Cuco’s tour bus in the parking lot. He walked up, explained the situation, and Cuco’s manager sent him backstage. “That’s a core memory, bro,” he says now. It’s the kind of story that explains, better than any list of influences could, why he pursued this path in the first place.
What’s Next
HEADTRIPPED is preparing new music—details are still under wraps—that he describes as the most personal work of his career. Immigration remains at the heart of what he wants to say. As the child of first-generation immigrant parents, he sees his music as a platform to advocate for the rights of immigrant communities as a whole. Looking ahead, his goal is to perform at a benefit show for a non-profit dedicated to that cause.
I am from Richmond, TX and currently studying communications at the University of Houston. I enjoy drinking peach oolong tea and attending concerts!
