Sergio Vega

Sergio Vega says he knows what it's like to die.

In the late '90s, the up-and-coming banda singer was on the losing end of a battle with drugs and alcohol. After being hospitalized for his addiction, Vega disappeared from the regional Mexican scene for the next five years. To many, it appeared Vega had thrown away a promising career that could only be described as a rags-to-riches story.

Nicknamed "El Shaka" (after the African warrior Shaka Zulu), Vega was only 19 years old when he crossed the U.S.-México border to join his brothers in Arizona. During the day, the siblings worked in construction. By night, Los Hermanos Vega performed Norteño classics in local bars. In the early '90s, the mustached Vega parted ways with his brother and started his own group, Sergio Vega y Sus Shaka's Del Norte, before embarking on a solo career that would eventually stall.

After hitting rock bottom, Vega returned to music a changed man: "I think God took me [from death] and returned me to Earth to keep on going. Now I see things differently – I pay more attention to my work, family and friends." The change paid off. A rejuvenated Vega went on to release the biggest hits of his career, songs like Dueño De Tí, Cuanto Te Lavas La Cara and Necesito Dueña.

His latest release, ¿Quién Es Usted? (Who are you?), features Vega's bread and butter: love songs sung straight from the heart.