Singer and Grammy winning artist Lila Downs discusses her journey, career and how we can celebrate and acknowledge the intersectionalities within the Latinx community.
Lila Downs is one of the most influential artists in Latin America, with one of the most unique voices in the world. She is known for her charismatic performances and her own compositions that combine genres and rhythms as diverse as Mexican rancheras and corridos, boleros, jazz standards, hip-hop, cumbia and popular American music.
Having grown up in both Minnesota and Oaxaca, Mexico, Lila’s mother is from the Mixtec indigenous group and her father was Scottish-American. She sings in Spanish, English and several Native American languages ​​such as Zapotec, Mixtec, Nahuatl, Mayan and Purepecha. She has recorded duets with artists such as Mercedes Sosa, Caetano Veloso, Juanes, Nora Jones, Juan Gabriel, Carla Morison, Natalia LaFourcade, Santana, The Boss, Nina Pastori, Soledad, Diego La Cigala, Aida Cuevas, Toto La Momposina, and Bunbury.
Throughout her career, Lila has been invited to sing with symphonies such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony and the UNAM Symphony in Mexico, as well as the Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Lila has recorded nine studio albums, was nominated for nine Grammy awards and won six.
Moderated by Ileana Ovalle.