Daughter of a Mixtec Indian woman and a Scottish-American father, Lila Downs unites cultures and boundaries with her extraordinary voice. Downs was born September 9, 1968, in Tlaxiaco, in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Downs grew up in the Sierra Madre mountains of southern Mexico, and later studied music and anthropology at the University of Minnesota and at the University of the Arts in Oaxaca. But it was only through music that Downs reconciled her heritage. “It took a long time to decide that I wanted to sing,” she says. “Something needed to motivate me.”
That motivation was the songs and stories of the Oaxacan people. Her Mixtec mother spurred Downs to sing these songs with sentimiento – a deep, almost empathic emotion which has left audiences of all cultures and countries spellbound.
Downs recalls the first time she was struck with this particular brand of sentimiento. “While I was in Oaxaca, I was asked to translate from English to Mixtec death certificates of young boys who had left for the United States searching for work. Their relatives wanted to know how they had died. It was so powerful, being this translator of their deaths. I had to sing about it, to honor them if I could.”
Since then, composing has become a powerful artistic and cultural outlet for Downs. She researches the ancient codices of the Mixtex and Zapotec people and sets them to music. Down bridges the past and present with stirring songs drawn from the folklore and history of a culture steeped in passion, heartache, tradition, and pride.
On stage. Downs – with her thick braids and soulful, ink-black eyes – transforms herself, becoming the character of the song. “You have to find the spirit to the songs, otherwise it doesn’t matter how pretty you sing. I can’t quite explain what it is, but I think it has something to do with getting to know yourself and feeling right about what you’re doing.”
Downs’ CD, Tree of Life, is inspired by the mythological account in the 16th century Codex Vindobonesis telling of the first Mixtec people being born from trees. Singing in both Mixtec and Spanish, Downs artfully showcases the traditional cumbia and ranchera styles alongside eclectic mixes inspired by border life.
Lila Downs’ first live recording, Lila Downs y La Misteriosa en Paris – Live à FIP (2010), was recorded in May 2009 at Radio France Studio 105. The album captured the exuberant energy of Lila and eight international musicians performing together, weaving traditional instruments including accordion, harp, clarinet and trombone with driving bass and drums, electric guitar, and Latin percussion.
The songs on Lila Downs y La Misteriosa: En Paris – Live à FIP span six albums, from 1999’s La Sandunga to 2008’s Shake Away.
Her 2011 album ‘Pecados y Milagros’ earned both a Grammy and a Latin Grammy Award. Lila performed on the soundtrack to the Oscar winning film Frida, the 2002 biopic depicting the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
In 2014, Lila released Raíz (Root), with Spain’s Niña Pastori and Argentina’s Soledad.
Lila’s 2015 ‘Balas Y Chocolate’ also earned a Latin Grammy and went platinum in Mexico.
Discography:
Ofrenda (self-released, 1994)
Azuláo, En Vivo Con Lila Downs (1996)
La Sandunga (Narada World, 1997)
Tree Of Life (Narada World, 1999)
Trazos (2000)
Border (Narada World, 2001)
Una Sangre – One Blood (Narada World, 2004)
La Cantina (Peregrina Music, 2006)
Shake Away (Manhattan Records, 2008)
Lila Downs y La Misteriosa En Paris – Live À FIP (World Village, 2010)
Pecados y Milagros (Sony Music, 2011)
Raíz, with Niña Pastori and Soledad (Sony Music, 2014)
Balas y chocolate (Sony Latin, 2015)
Salón, Lágrimas y Deseo (Sony Music, 2017)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.