Lila Downs
Ana Lila Downs Sánchez (born 9 September 1968[1]) is a Mexican singer-songwriter. She performs her own compositions and the works of others in multiple genres, as well as tapping into Mexican traditional and popular music.[2] She also incorporates indigenous Mexican influences and has recorded songs in many indigenous languages such as Mixtec, Zapotec, Mayan, Nahuatl and Purépecha. Born and raised in Oaxaca, she primarily studied at the Institute of Arts by Oaxaca and briefly attended the University of Minnesota, before withdrawing to focus on her musical career. She soon began performing in the traditional music scene of Oaxaca City.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Downs and the second or maternal family name is Sánchez.
Lila Downs
Her first (independent) album, Ofrenda, was released in 1994. In 1999, Downs came to prominence with her debut studio album, La sandunga, which was a critical and commercial success. She achieved international success in 2001 with the album Border which emerged in the music scene of Mexico and Latin America in the early 2000s (decade). Downs's seventh album, Pecados y milagros (2011), topped album charts in most major markets and generated chart-topping world music albums. Her eighth album, "Balas y Chocolate", was released in 2015. "Salón Lágrimas y Deseo", her ninth album, came out in 2017.
Downs began performing in school, demonstrating her vocal ability with traditional music, Latin and American influences, and with her own original twist on dancing. Downs, a native Spanish speaker, also speaks fluent Mixtec and English.[3] Downs through her activism has gone through great lengths to preserve the Mixtec language as well as many other Indigenous Mexican languages.
Influenced by Chavela Vargas, Mercedes Sosa, Lucha Villa, and Amparo Ochoa, Lila Downs is recognized for her flamboyant, diverse and outré contributions to the music industry through her traditional and authentic fashion, the majority of which are based around Mexico's indigenous peoples' styles, cultures and heritages, which show through her performances and music videos. Her achievements include one Grammy Award and three Latin Grammy Awards.
Besides her musical career, she involves herself with humanitarian causes and political activism, especially dealing with issues of Latin America's indigenous population.
Career[edit]
1994–1996: First albums[edit]
In 1994 Lila Downs independently made her first album, entitled Ofrenda. This was both a collection of traditional songs from Oaxaca and Mexico, and songs written by the singer with lyrics sung in Spanish, Mixtec and Zapotec (native languages of Oaxaca). The material was produced both independently and with the support of the Oaxacan Cultures Institute.[8] Because this album was not a commercial success in LP or cassette, she never released a version on CD.
In 1996 Downs recorded a live session at a renowned café-bar of the City of Oaxaca. On this record Downs was accompanied by a set of well-known musicians who supported its interpretation of traditional themes, as well as country music and jazz.[9] With this work Downs and her music became known in different parts of Mexico, and this was her first album to be released on CD. The album had a big impact, despite limited promotion and the fact that only a small number of copies were made. This CD is now out of print, and although not available as part of the official discography of Lila Downs, can be found in digital format.
1997–1999: La Sandunga[edit]
In 1997 Lila Downs made a second recording, called "Traces", on which she performed material that was to be included in later albums such as La Sandunga, Tree of Life and Border. It is an extensive compilation of items in her traditional repertoire but, like its predecessor, had no commercial distribution, so this disc is also currently out of print.
It was not until 1999, when Downs signed with the label Narada Productions, that she achieved commercial success and made herself known internationally with the album La Sandunga. Recorded a year earlier, this material came to the forefront of Mexican music and her album was one of the first to merge the sounds of traditional music and modern rhythms as jazz, blues and bolero. The album was sung in Spanish and Mixtec, and was produced by Lila Downs and Paul Cohen with the support of Xquenda Cultural Association.[10] Because of this success, Downs participated in the soundtrack of the Mexican film Green Stones and achieved great popularity in countries such as Mexico, United States, Spain, France, England and Germany, selling over 500,000 units worldwide.
1999–2000: Tree of Life/Yutu Tata[edit]
Downs's next album, Tree of Life, was released in 2000. With this album the fame of Downs continued to spread to other markets in England, Switzerland, Canada and especially the United States. This work found Downs turning to her indigenous past, and the album features pre-Hispanic sounds and instruments. Several of the songs on the album are sung in native Mexican languages such as Mixtec, Zapotec and Nahuatl. In October 2000, she began a two-month tour called the Tree of Life/Árbol de la vida, which included concerts in Latin America, Europe and the US. The tour began in Mexico and ended in Spain.
2001–2003: Border/La Linea (The Line)[edit]
Border, released by EMI Music in 2001, was the first album by Downs to feature songs sung in English. The album was released simultaneously in the United States and Mexico. With this album Downs merged sounds from different genres such as traditional folk music, hip hop, rock and chilena. It included fifteen songs, eleven in Spanish, three in English and one in Mayan. The album received generally good reviews and placed seventh in the top charts of world music.[11] It also stirred up controversy due to its frank discussion of immigration, Native American marginalization and the Acteal massacre.[12] This drew criticism, especially from politicians and the church.[13]
The album's first single was released in Mexico, "Mi corazón me recuerda", a poem by Chiapas poet Jaime Sabines. Set to music, it achieved moderate success on the Mexican music charts. In Spain the song was called "La Llorona", in France the song was called "Corazoncito Tirano" and in the United States the song was called "Medley: Pastures of Plenty/This Land Is Your Land/Land" were released as singles.[14] The latter incorporates two Woody Guthrie songs, "Pastures of Plenty" and "This Land is Your Land" as well as original lyrics by Downs in "Land".
2004–2006: Una Sangre/One Blood[edit]
One Blood, one of Lila Downs's most successful albums, was released in April 2004, simultaneously in the United States, Spain, and Mexico. The lyrics on this album are about migration, discrimination and the case of Mexican human rights defender Digna Ochoa.[15] In addition to traditional songs such as "La Bamba", "Viborita", and "La Cucaracha", the album includes genres such as son jarocho, jazz, rock and folk. This album contains thirteen tracks, three in English, one in Triqui, one in Purepecha and eight in Spanish. Lyrics were authored by Lila Downs, Paul Cohen, Celso Duarte, and Jose Martí. In 2005 Lila Downs received the Grammy Latino in the category of "Best Album of World Music" for this album[16] and reached the top of the charts in United States, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany and France.[17]
Musical tours[edit]
2005–2006: One Blood Tour[edit]
Due to the success of the albums One Blood and Border (2001 and 2004), the One Blood Tour took place and Downs performed 30 international shows on three continents.[36] Countries such as the Philippines, Japan, China, Egypt and Afghanistan were included on the tour,[37] where Downs was well received by the public. In May 2007, Downs published a DVD collection as a document of that tour in a concert in Oaxaca and Mexico City; this DVD contained thirteen live tracks and a documentary as well as special features like interviews, short films by Allen Downs (Lila's father) and videos.
Personal life[edit]
Since the beginning of her career she has been involved with Paul Cohen who is her partner and artistic director.
There has been much speculation in the media about the couple's personal life and that the couple could not have children.[44][45]
In June 2010, Downs announced on her website that, after several years of trying to be parents, she and Cohen had adopted a child, Benito Dxuladi.[46] They lived in Coyoacán in Mexico City and Oaxaca, although they spent most of the time traveling.
In December 2022, Downs announced on her social media that her lifetime partner and husband Paul Cohen, died at the age of 69 years old, as a result of heart disease.[47]
Social activism[edit]
Downs has been a social activist throughout her entire career and works to maintain her cultural identity and her roots in the eye of social distress. For example, she sings with passion, and admiration for her home in Oaxaca, Mexico. Her music draws out many socially significant issues particularly with issues pertaining to the Indigenous, such as the mistreatment and misunderstanding of indigenous peoples of Oaxaca, by celebrating her Mixtec heritage through song.[48] Her albums are socially significant, especially her album, One Blood, or Una Sangre, which includes songs such as "Dignificada", which is a song about Digna Ochoa's assassination. Digna Ochoa was a lawyer and social activist, and Downs featured her story on her album One Blood.[49]
When asked if she is a politician, Downs said that she does not want to be a politician because she is not interested in power, instead she wants to support and change society through music.[50]
On October 9, 2009, Downs, along with actress Salma Hayek represented Mexico participated in an event for the worldwide campaign of the One Drop foundation, to preserve water. They performed together with the founder of Cirque du Soleil, Shakira, U2, former Vice President Al Gore and other "world-class" personalities.
Awards and recognition[edit]
Throughout her career Downs has received several awards, including a Grammy, 5 Latin Grammys and Lunas del Auditorio. She has recently unveiled her star on the Walk of Fame located in the outskirts of Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City for her career. Her last album 'Balas y Chocolate' was listed on iTunes as one of the year's best in World Music 2015, was one of the UK Sunday Times best albums of the year and was a Best Album of the Year pick in Songlines Magazine, where she was featured on the cover of the June 2016 issue. Some of her most successful songs include: "Tengo miedo de quererte", "Estrella oscura", "La línea", "La llorona", "La cumbia del mole" y "Ojo de culebra". In November, 2017 Lila's latest album; "Salón Lágrimas y Deseo" won Best Album Pop Traditional at the Latin Grammys in Las Vegas. She was presented with the Leading Ladies of Entertainment accolade by the Latin Recording Academy in 2019.[51]