One of the most notable performers of Agustín Lara's songs, Ríos was the first Mexican singer who achieved international success through radio, records, nightclub engagements, tours, and films.

However, another source says that she became one of the main performers of the XEW station after she auditioned for Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta, who immediately signed her for three daily 15-minute spots;[5] this happened in 1936.

Manuel Reachi, an assistant to Paramount Pictures producer Arthur Hornblow Jr., discovered her singing over XEW and took her to Hollywood to appear in the musical Tropic Holiday,[7] where she sang songs by Lara and played Tito Guízar's sister.

[8] Her success on the West Coast led her to New York City, where she performed at the popular nightclub La Martinique and began a series of recordings for the Decca label.

Her last appearances in Hollywood were as the leading lady of singer and actor Ray Whitley in the short film Cupid Rides the Range (1939) and as a Filipino woman in The Real Glory (1940).

The first film she made in Argentina was Ven mi corazón te llama (1942), in which she played the mysterious and fascinating Sombra Rey, a fictional Mexican bolero singer.

She returned to Mexican cinema with a starring role in Murallas de pasión (1944) with Isabela Corona and Alberto Galán.

In 1960, she recorded her second album for RCA Victor, Ausencia, accompanied by Gonzalo "Chalo" Cervera's orchestra and pianist Pepe Agüeros.