For one, she doesn't sing in English. And she doesn't perform pop, hip-hop or reggaeton, the genres most closely associated with crossovers.

Instead, Rivera sings banda, one of the most traditional forms of music in general and regional Mexican music in particular.

But she does it with contemporary, outspoken flair: witness the title of her 2005 studio album, "Parrandera, Rebelde y Atrevida" (Partyer, Rebellious and Daring), on Fonovisa, which peaked at No. 10 on Billboard's Top Latin Albums chart and remains on the chart 36 weeks later.

That mix of youth and tradition defines much of Rivera's fan base: American-born, bilingual, bicultural, fond of hip-hop, rap and pop, but intrinsically linked to their Mexican roots.

"This music comes easy to me," Rivera says about her choice of banda as a genre and Spanish as her language to perform in. "It's in my blood, it's in my culture. And I know these people more than I know the English (speaking) side. I know how they react, how they live, what they eat. I'm just like them."

Like her brother, regional Mexican superstar Lupillo Rivera, and such artists as Jae-P, Akwid and Yolanda Perez, Rivera is Mexican-American, born and raised in the Los Angeles area, with her feet planted firmly in two cultures.

At a time when marketers are scrambling to connect with Latin youth, artists like Rivera are the perfect means to do so. But as is the case with so many things regional Mexican, marketers remain largely oblivious to the genre.

Unfazed, the outspoken Rivera has taken matters into her own hands. In December 2005, she launched her own makeup line, Divina (Beautiful) by Jenni Rivera. Designed with a dermatologist, the products are sold in beauty salons and online at http://www.divinacosmetics.com, with a percentage of proceeds going to various foundations for abused mothers and children.

Rivera is also designing her own clothing line ("for women whose hips are bigger than normal," she says with a laugh), with plans to launch in summer 2007.

In the meantime, marketers have finally come calling.

"I've had endorsements before, but smaller companies," Rivera says. Now, she's contemplating several major proposals, including two with beverage companies, one with a ringtone provider and another with Bally's Fitness Centers.

An August 5 concert at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles and a new album, "Live in Hollywood," culled from a show at the nearby Kodak Theater, should further raise Rivera's profile in mainstream circles.

But, she clarifies, a bilingual, bicultural marketing approach was never her focus; it just comes with the turf.

"With my music, there's no need for that," she says.