Lila Downs

Lila Downs is one of my favorite ranchera singers.  A woman who is proud of our rich, rich Mexican culture.  So much so she also incorporates indigenous Mexican influences and has recorded songs in indigenous languages such as Mixtec, Zapotec, Mayan, Nahuatl and P’urhépecha.

I was especially happy to see Lila’s music in the movie Frida (2002).  Frida Kahlo de Rivera was a Mexican painter born in born in Coyoacán^.

I encourage you to visit Lila’s website here, and below is her self-accomplished bio:

Lila Downs just released the album PECADOS Y MILAGROS (Sins and Miracles) on iTunes and will be available soon in physical format. The title and concept are inspired by the themes of traditional votive paintings of Mexico, as well as her infant son. The new songs are born of the reasons to find items and symbols that give us strength.

Lila Downs, born in Oaxaca, Mexico, is the daughter of Mixtec singer Anita Sánchez and Allen Downs, a Scottish-American art professor and filmmaker. She grew up in Oaxaca, California, and Minnesota, where she graduated from the University of Minnesota in voice and anthropology. Downs is usually accompanied on her musical journey by her longtime band, La Misteriosa, multi-cultural multi-instrumentalists who include Paul Cohen, her collaborator, producer and husband.   FULL STORY >>>

Here is one of my favorite songs by Lila Downs: