Miami, Aug 4 (IANS/EFE): Alejandro Lira is going strong on Spanish-language radio on the US west coast with his first single from "No me dejes solo", an album that marks the culmination of a dream that began when he was just four years old.

"Since I was very small I took advantage of any chance to sing," the native of the northern Mexican state of Sonora told EFE.

"I remember that one day I was travelling with my mom from Sonora to Jalisco (in western Mexico) and there was also a musical group on the train," Lira said. "When I saw their instruments, I asked the boys to accompany me on a song and when I finished everyone applauded me."

That incident cemented his love for music and from that moment on, the youngest child in a family of six sisters said he wanted to be a singer "come hell or high water".

The road since then has not been easy, however, and even when everything is going well, it's full of sacrifices.

"The hardest part, without a doubt, is the time you spend far from your family and the people you love, because this is not like other jobs, where you start at nine and leave at five. Over the course of 10 years, I've learned from the public, from the applause, from the failures, the difficulties and the disappointments," Lira said.