Ana Lila Downs Sánchez (born 9 September 1968 * *) 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. She also incorporates indigenous Mexican influences and has recorded songs in many

indigenous languages An indigenous language, or autochthonous language, is a language that is native to a region and spoken by indigenous peoples. This language is from a linguistically distinct community that originated in the area. Indigenous languages are not neces ...

such as

Mixtec The Mixtecs (), or Mixtecos, are indigenous Mesoamerican peoples of Mexico inhabiting the region known as La Mixteca of Oaxaca and Puebla as well as La Montaña Region and Costa Chica Regions of the state of Guerrero. The Mixtec Culture w ...

, Zapotec,

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

, 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 The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, before withdrawing to focus on her musical career. She soon began performing in the traditional music scene of

Oaxaca City Oaxaca de Juárez (), also Oaxaca City or simply Oaxaca (Valley Zapotec: ''Ndua''), is the capital and largest city of the eponymous Mexican state Oaxaca. It is the municipal seat for the surrounding Municipality of Oaxaca. It is in the Centro ...

. Her first album, '' Ofrenda'', was released in 1994. In 1999, Downs came to prominence with her debut studio album, ''

La Sandunga "La Sandunga" (also spelled "La Zandunga") is a traditional Mexican waltz and the unofficial anthem of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in the state of Oaxaca. It is inspired by the Spanish jota style of music and also contains Native American and Me ...

'', which was a critical and commercial success. She achieved international success in 2001 with the album ''

Border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

'' which emerged in the music scene of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and Latin America in the early 2000s (decade). Downs's seventh album, ''

Pecados y milagros ''Pecados y milagros'' ( en, Sins and miracles) is the seventh studio album by Mexican singer-songwriter Lila Downs, released on October 18, 2011. The album cover was released on September 14, 2011. The album debuted at number fifty two on the ' ...

'' (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 Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

and American influences, and with her own original twist on dancing. Downs, a native Spanish speaker, also speaks fluent

and English. 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 Isabel Vargas Lizano (17 April 1919 – 5 August 2012), better known as Chavela Vargas (), was a Mexican singer. She was especially known for her rendition of Mexican rancheras, but she is also recognized for her contribution to other genres o ...

, Mercedes Sosa,

Lucha Villa Luz Elena Ruiz Bejarano (born November 30, 1936), more commonly known by her stage name Lucha Villa, is a Mexican singer and actress. Early life Born in Camargo, Chihuahua, Luz Elena Ruiz Bejarano was given her pseudonym "Lucha Villa" by telev ...

, 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 The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

and three

Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...

s. Besides her musical career, she involves herself with humanitarian causes and political activism, especially dealing with issues of

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

's indigenous population.

Biography

Lila Downs was born on 9 September 1968, in

Tlaxiaco Tlaxiaco is a city, and its surrounding municipality of the same name, in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is located in the Tlaxiaco District in the south of the Mixteca Region, with a population of about 17,450. The city is formally known as He ...

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

, Mexico. She is the daughter of Anita Sánchez, a

cabaret singer and Allen Downs, a Scottish-American professor of art and cinematographer from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. From an early age Downs showed interest in music. At the age of eight she began singing rancheras and other traditional Mexican songs. She began her professional career singing with mariachis. At fourteen she moved to the United States with her parents. She studied voice in Los Angeles and learned English, which her father helped her to perfect. When she was 16, her father died, and she decided to return to her native town

with her mother. LilaDownsOaxaca

One day while she was working in a store in the Mixtec mountains a man came in to ask her to translate his son's death certificate. She read that he had drowned trying to cross the border into the United States. This deeply affected her and has continued to influence her work. She talked about this in an NPR interview about her 2001 release entitled ''Border''. Although today Downs is proud of her origins there was a time when she felt shame regarding her Native American roots. "I was embarrassed to have Indian blood. I was embarrassed that my mother spoke her language in public." This led her on a path to find herself, which included dropping out of college, dyeing her hair blonde and following the band

The Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, ...

. After some time Downs found herself back in

, a city in southern Mexico, working at her mother's auto parts store, where she met her future husband and musical collaborator, tenor saxophonist Paul Cohen. Downs studied

Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

at the

and voice in New York. Later she attended the Institute of Science and Arts of Oaxaca in Mexico to complete her studies. At 25, after completing academic and music studies, Downs decided to return to Tlaxiaco. Paul Cohen always encouraged her musical ventures, and she joined a group percussion called ''Yodoyuxi's Cadets''. Because Paul Cohen had business in the United States she began to live in both Minnesota and Oaxaca. During her stay in Minnesota, Downs formed a group called ''La Trova Serrana'' which achieved great popularity among the Latin community within the United States, singing songs about the Zapotec values and culture. Upon her return to

she started singing in bars, restaurants and clubs in the

City of Oaxaca A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, as well as the city of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and the state California in the United States, always with the support of US saxophonist Paul Cohen. She received many positive critical reviews, which led to her decision to undertake an extensive tour of

Career

1994–1996: First albums

In 1994 Lila Downs independently made her first album, entitled '' Ofrenda''. This was both a collection of traditional songs from

and Mexico, and songs written by the singer with lyrics sung in Spanish,

and Zapotec (native languages of

). The material was produced both independently and with the support of the Oaxacan Cultures Institute. Because this album was not a commercial success in LP or

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in th ...

, she never released a version on CD. In 1996 Downs recorded a live session at a renowned café-bar of the

. 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 Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. With this work Downs and her music became known in different parts of the

Republic of Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

, and this was their 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 Digital data, in information theory and information systems, is information represented as a string of discrete symbols each of which can take on one of only a finite number of values from some alphabet, such as letters or digits. An example is ...

1997–1999: La Sandunga

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 ''

'', ''

Tree of Life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A Hist ...

'' and ''

''. 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 Narada is a record label formed in 1983 as an independent new-age music label and distributed by MCA. A fully owned subsidiary of Universal Music Group and distributed by Capitol Music Group's Blue Note Records, the label evolved through an expan ...

, that she achieved commercial success and made herself known internationally with the album ''

''. Recorded a year earlier, this material came to the forefront of

Mexican music The music of Mexico is very diverse and features a wide range of musical genres and performance styles. It has been influenced by a variety of cultures, most notably deriving from the culture of the Europeans, Indigenous, and Africans. It also ...

and her album was one of the first to merge the sounds of

and modern rhythms as

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

. The album was sung in Spanish and

, and was produced by Lila Downs and Paul Cohen with the support of Xquenda Cultural Association. Because of this success, Downs participated in the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

of the Mexican film ''

Green Stones Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...

'' and achieved great popularity in countries such as

, United States, Spain, France, England and Germany, selling over 500,000 units worldwide.

1999–2000: Tree of Life/Yutu Tata

Downs's next album, ''

'', was released in 2000. With this album the fame of Downs continued to spread to other markets in England,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, 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

, 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

and ended in Spain.

2001–2003: Border/La Linea

'', 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

. 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

. The album received generally good reviews and placed seventh in "Top charts" of world music. It also stirred up controversy due to its frank discussion of immigration, Native American marginalization and the

Acteal massacre The Acteal massacre was a massacre of 45 people attending a prayer meeting of atholic indigenous townspeople, including a number of children and pregnant women, who were members of the pacifist group Las Abejas ("The Bees"), in the small villa ...

. This drew criticism, especially from politicians and the church. The album's first single was released in

, "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 "'' La Llorona''", in France the song "''Corazoncito Tirano''" and in the United States the song "''Medley: Pastures of Plenty/This Land Is Your Land/Land''" were released as singles. 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

''One Blood'', one of Lila Downs's most successful albums, was released in April 2004, simultaneously in the United States, Spain, and

. The lyrics on this album are about migration, discrimination and the case of Mexican human rights defender

Digna Ochoa Digna Ochoa (born Digna Ochoa y Plácido; May 15, 1964 – October 19, 2001) was a human rights lawyer in Mexico. During her career, Ochoa had represented some of Mexico's poorest constituents against government interests. On October 19, 2001, Och ...

. In addition to traditional songs such as " La Bamba", "Viborita", and "

La Cucaracha La Cucaracha ("The Cockroach") is a popular Mexican folk song about a cockroach who cannot walk. The song's origins are unclear, but it dates back at least to the 1910s during the Mexican Revolution. The song belongs to the Mexican genre. The s ...

", the album includes genres such as

son jarocho Son jarocho ("Veracruz Sound") is a regional folk musical style of Mexican Son from Veracruz, a Mexican state along the Gulf of Mexico. It evolved over the last two and a half centuries along the coastal portions of southern Tamaulipas state an ...

, rock and

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

. 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 Celso Duarte (born June 1974, in Villarrica, Paraguay) is a virtuoso of Paraguayan harp and Mexican Arpa jarocha, jarocho harp, arranger, singer, and multi-talented instrumentalist. Duarte has performed and recorded with Lila Downs since 1998 and ...

, and

Jose Martí Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. * Jose ben Abin * Jose ben Akabya *Jose the Galile ...

. In 2005 Lila Downs received the

Grammy Latino The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been ...

in the category of "Best Album of World Music" for this album and reached the top of the charts in United States, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany and France.

2006–2008: La Cantina, entre copa y copa ...

Lila Downs took approximately one and a half years to prepare this project, which was released in April 2006. This CD draws on Mexican ranchero songs and merges sounds such as pop, rock, norteño,

cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include: ...

and hip-hop. This CD contains fifteen tracks, of which twelve are traditional Mexican repertoire authored by Lila Downs, and includes a version in English of "'' La cumbia del mole''", the song that to date is the most well-known work by the artist. "'' La cumbia del mole''" refers to the preparation of Mexican dish and tradition in

. This single managed to position itself among the top of the charts in

, United States, Canada and United Kingdom. In 2007, Downs published a CD with the greatest success in Spanish to date, containing songs from her previous albums ''

'', ''

'', '' Border/The Line'', '' One Blood'' and ''

La Cantina LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

''. It was entitled simply ''

The Very Best of Lila Downs ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' and was accompanied with a DVD containing thirteen tracks recorded live at a concert in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, Spain.

2008–2009: Shake Away/Ojo de Culebra

Two years after the release of ''

'', in September 2008 Downs launched '' Ojo de Culebra'' in Europe, North America, Australia and Latin America. The album reached sixth place in sales in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, Spain and several Latin American countries. The first single is titled " Ojo de Culebra" was contributed to by the Spanish singer

La Mari LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

by group of flamenco

Chambao Chambao were a flamenco-electronic band originally from Málaga, Spain, known for a Flamenco Chill sound that fuses flamenco sounds and palos with electronic music. The name of the band is taken from an improvised form of beach tent that is co ...

. The song is a merger of rock,

and

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

with some influences of

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

. This song was at the top of the charts of world music in several countries The second single was " Perro Negro", a merger of rock with

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

, (which did not have as much of an international impact as its predecessor), featured

Rubén Albarrán Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega (born February 1, 1967) is a Mexican musician, singer, song writer, music producer, and activist. He is a member and founder of the alternative rock band Café Tacvba. As singer and frontman of Café Tacvba, the arti ...

singer of the Mexican rock band

Café Tacuba Café Tacvba (Pronounced ''kaˈfe taˈkuβa'') is a band from Ciudad Satélite, Mexico. The group gained popularity in the early 1990s. They were founded in 1989, before they had the current lineup of Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega (lead vocals, ...

. "Little man" (released in the U.S. alone) and "Justice" were next two singles, the latter with the participation of the Spanish singer

Enrique Bunbury Enrique Ortiz de Landázuri Izarduy (born 11 August 1967), best known as Enrique Bunbury, is a Spanish singer and songwriter. He has been described as "by far the most international star of Spanish rock." He was propelled to fame as lead singer ...

. Raul Midon, Gilberto Gutierrez and Mercedes Sosa also contributed to this album. The single "

Black magic woman "Black Magic Woman" is a song written by British musician Peter Green, which first appeared as a single for his band Fleetwood Mac in 1968. Subsequently, the song appeared on the 1969 Fleetwood Mac compilation albums '' English Rose'' (US) and ...

" achieved moderate success in Europe, United States and Canada, and the single "Silent Thunder" was later well received by the British market. In October 2009 Lila Downs was honored by a plaque at the outskirts of her hometown and birthplace,

, and also was awarded the keys the city for her work preserving the language of

2010–present: Lila Downs y la Misteriosa, Pecados y Milagros

''Lila Downs y la Misteriosa en Paris Live à FIP'' is the second live album by Downs, released on April 13, 2010, in Spain and France, the album was recorded in 2009 in Radio France studio 105 in Paris, France. It was released in May 2010 in the United States and in July in most other countries. It received positive feedback from critics. Lila Downs y la Misteriosa en Paris was released in

with an edited version of the live concert on DVD and was number one in sales of Gender World Music for the music chain Mixup for three consecutive weeks. Although receiving little promotion the album has received moderate success on the Mexican charts. In a survey of the best albums of 2010 conducted by the Mexican television network Channel 22, this album was ranked number one. Lila_Downs-Congress_Theater2

Pecados y Milagros ''Pecados y milagros'' ( en, Sins and miracles) is the seventh studio album by Mexican singer-songwriter Lila Downs, released on October 18, 2011. The album cover was released on September 14, 2011. The album debuted at number fifty two on the ' ...

'' (''Sins and Miracles'') was the seventh studio album by Mexican singer-songwriter Lila Downs, released on October 18, 2011. The album cover was released on September 14, 2011. The album debuted at number fifty two on the ''Billboard'' 200 becoming her fourth-highest peak on the chart. It also debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Top Latin Albums Chart and stayed there for over 3 consecutive weeks. This album has sold over 60.000 copies in the US and over 290.000 copies worldwide. The album was recorded in the Mexico City, and New York. Downs describes the album musically as having "a strong rock side" along with "traditional" and "Latino" songs.

is one of several collaborators to appear on the album, featuring on the first single "Palomo del comalito". Other collaborations include songs with rappers

Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas (IKV) is a musical duo formed in 1991 consisting of Dante Spinetta and Emmanuel Horvilleur, from Buenos Aires, Argentina. The duo split in 2001 to follow solo careers, but later performed together several times, ...

, Celso Piña and

Totó la Momposina Sonia Bazanta Vides (born 1 August 1940), better known as Totó la Momposina, is a Colombian singer of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous descent. She reached international attention with the release of her 1993 album ''La Candela Viva'' on Peter G ...

. Downs ahas been touring through February 2017 in Mexico, the US and around the world, the Sins and Miracles Tour, which started in

. Audience members at a concert of February 18, 2012, at New York City

El Museo del Barrio El Museo del Barrio, often known simply as El Museo (the museum), is a museum at 1230 Fifth Avenue in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is located near the northern end of Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile, immediately north of the Museum of the Cit ...

were informed that the concert was being recorded by HBO. In 2015, Lila Downs joined the judging panel for The 14th Annual Independent Music Awards and by doing so, helped to assist the careers of upcoming independent artists. On May 26, 2017, Downs released ', under Sony Music Mexico/Latin. The first single of the album was "

Peligrosa ''Peligrosa'' is a Venezuelan telenovela written by Vivel Nouel for Venevisión and broadcast between 1994 and 1995. The series lasted 164 episodes and was distributed internationally by Venevisión International. Víctor Cámara, Rosalinda ...

", followed over the summer by " Urge". Her next international tour started at the end of March 2017 on the West Coast of the US, followed by a series of performances in Mexico, Europe and Latin America. The album was awarded the Latin Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal at the Latin Grammys in Las Vegas in November 2017. In August 2021, she collaborated with Guatemalan singer-songwriter

Sara Curruchich Sara Curruchich (born 25 July 1993) is a Demographics of Guatemala, Guatemalan singer-songwriter of Kaqchikel people, Kaqchikel descent. She sings in both Spanish and the Kaqchikel language, and is one of the first musicians to use the latter in ...

on the song "Pueblos", which was released on the

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9 August each year to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world's indigenous population. This event also recognizes the achievements and contributions that indigen ...

Musical tours

2005–2006: One Blood Tour

Due to the success of the albums ''One Blood'' and ''

'' (2001 and 2004), the '' One Blood Tour'' took place and Downs performed 30 international shows on three continents. Countries such as the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, Japan, China,

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

were included on the tour, 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

and

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

; 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.

2008–2009: Shake Away Tour

In September 2008 the ''Ojo de Culebra World Tour'' started, which took place on four continents, and was the most successful tour for a Mexican artist. In Latin America,

was the country with the highest number of concerts (21 in total), the tour officially ended on October 30, 2009, giving a free concert in the Zocalo of Mexico City, followed by

and

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, with three concerts each. Although not part of the tour, Lila Downs appeared in the

Live Earth Live Earth was an event developed to increase environmental awareness through entertainment. Background Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, ''Live Earth'' was built upon the be ...

in Germany, where she played three songs, and in late 2008 sang at the

Harmony Festival In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However, ...

held in California, United States.

2010: Black Magic Woman Tour

In March 2010, Lila Downs announced a world tour ''Black Magic Woman Tour'' which began in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

with three sold-out shows. This tour included several countries in America Asia and Europe in many of which attendance records were broken. The tour officially ended on November 17, 2010, in '' Square Dance by Oaxaca City'' where she had an audience of approximately seven thousand people.

2011–2014: Pecados y Milagros World Tour

Pecados y Milagros World Tour was Lila Downs' fourth musical tour in support of her seventh studio album, "

", also her first album to win Grammy Awards, Latin Grammy Award for best folk album, and best Regional/Mexican Tejano album It was announced on October 3, 2011, through the official website of the singer. Lila Downs explains her meaning behind Pecados y Milagros, also known as "Sins and Miracles" talking about the drug-related violence involved in Mexico's cities. https://www.pri.org/stories/2011-11-07/what-mexican-singer-lila-downs-pecados-y-milagros-says-about-drug-violence

2015–2017: Balas y Chocolate World Tour

Balas y Chocolate World Tour is Lila Downs's fifth concert tour, and promoted her eighth studio album

Balas y Chocolate ''Balas y Chocolate'' ('bullets and chocolate') is the eleventh album by Mexican singer-songwriter Lila Downs. Released on March 24, 2015, by RCA Records. US release on April 14, 2015. After a flurry of unexpected album content leaks, including t ...

(Bullets and chocolate (in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

).) It began on March 26 in

at the

Plaza Condesa A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

, presenting the repertoire of new music album of the same name tour.

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 2015, Spain has toured with great success ( Cartagena,

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

etc. ),

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

( Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Cordoba ), Bolivia, Ecuador, United States ( more than 20 cities, including

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, Hollywood,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, Step etc.) In 2016 she will be in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. In August 2016, Lila Downs performed at the 21st Annual Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival alongside Aida Cuevas, Mariachi Sol de Mexico, Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlan, and Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles in Santa Barbara, CA.

2019–present: Al Chile Tour

Al Chile World Tour is Downs' sixth world tour. It was to see concerts in

the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and

for 2019 and 2020. However, due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

, Downs was forced to cancel or postpone most of the concerts until 2021.

Acting

Downs has had small parts in such films as ''

Frida ''Frida'' is a 2002 American biographical drama film directed by Julie Taymor which depicts the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Starring Salma Hayek in an Academy Award–nominated portrayal as K ...

'', '' Fados'' and '' Hasta el último trago corazón''; the latter is a documentary on

involving various exponents of the genre. Downs worked on the composition and arrangements for the musical '' Como agua para chocolate'', based on the book by

Laura Esquivel Laura Beatriz Esquivel Valdés (born September 30, 1950) is a Mexican novelist, screenwriter and politician, serving in the LXIII Legislature of the Mexican Congress in the Chamber of Deputies for the Morena Party from 2015 to 2018. Her first ...

, which premiered at the Public Theater of New York and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in late 2011 and early 2012. She participated in the filming of the U.S. film ''

Mariachi Gringo ''Mariachi Gringo'' is a 2012 romantic comedy film directed by Tom Gustafson and written by Cory Krueckeberg. It was produced by Speak Productions and Sin Sentido Films. The film stars Shawn Ashmore, Martha Higareda, Lila Downs, Fernando Becerril, ...

'' directed by

Tom Gustafson Tom F. Gustafson Jr. (born October 9, 1949) is an American attorney and politician, who served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 1988 to 1990. A member of the Democratic Party, Gustafson served in the Florida House of Repres ...

, where she worked alongside Mexican actresses

Adriana Barraza Adriana Barraza González (born 5 March 1956) is a Mexican actress, acting teacher, and director. In 1999 director Alejandro González Iñárritu cast her as the mother of Gael García Bernal's character in '' Amores perros'', which was nomin ...

Martha Higareda Martha Elba Guadalupe Higareda Cervantes () (born August 24, 1983) is a Mexican actress, producer and screenwriter. Life and career Higareda was born in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico, the daughter of actress Martha Cervantes and artist and th ...

and Canadian actor

Shawn Ashmore Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Bobby Drake / Iceman in the ''X-Men'' film series, Jake Berenson in the television series ''Animorphs'', Agent Mike Weston in the television drama se ...

. The film was released in 2012.

Soundtracks

In 2001, Downs was invited to participate in the soundtrack of the Mexican film ''Piedras Verdes'' where she performed " Cancion mixteca", in 2002 she participated in the soundtrack for the film ''

'' singing the song "Burn It Blue" which was nominated in the

75th Academy Awards The 75th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) took place on March 23, 2003, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly ...

in the category of

Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

. In 2005 she participated in the soundtrack for the film ''

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada ''The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada'' (also known as ''Three Burials'') is a 2005 neo-Western film directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones and written by Guillermo Arriaga.

'' with the song "Dónde estás papá". Downs has also participated in other soundtracks for films such as ''Real Women Have Curves'' and ''

Tortilla Soup Tortilla soup ( es, sopa de tortilla) is a traditional Mexican soup made of fried corn tortilla pieces, submerged into a broth of tomato, garlic, onion, and '' chile de árbol'' and epazote. It is served with pieces of pasilla chiles, chicharr ...

''. In the film by

Carlos Saura Carlos Saura Atarés (born 4 January 1932) is a Spanish film director, photographer and writer. Along with Luis Buñuel and Pedro Almodóvar, he is considered to be one of Spain’s most renowned filmmakers. He has a long and prolific career t ...

, '' Fados'' (2007), she sings an unforgettable version of " Foi na Travessa da Palha" in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

Personal life

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. In June 2010, Downs announced on her web site that, after several years of trying to be parents, she and Paul Cohen had adopted a child, Benito Dxuladi. They currently reside in

Coyoacán Coyoacán ( , ) is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City. The former village is now the borough's "historic center". The name comes from Nahuatl and most likely means "place of coyotes", when the Aztecs named a pre-Hispani ...

in Mexico City and

although most of the time they spend traveling. In December 2022, Downs announced on her social media, her lifetime partner and husband Paul Cohen, died at the age of 69 years old, as a result of heart disease.

Social activism

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. Her albums are socially significant, especially her album, One Blood, or Una Sangre, which includes songs such as "Dignificada", which is a song about

's assassination. Digna Ochoa was a lawyer and social activist, and Downs featured her story on her album One Blood. 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. On October 9, 2009, Downs, along with actress

Salma Hayek Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...

represented

participated in an event for the worldwide campaign of the

One Drop foundation One Drop is an international non-profit organization based in Montreal, created in 2007 by Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, which is focused on water initiatives. Arts and culture One Drop uses circus arts, folklore, popular theatre, musi ...

, to preserve water. They performed together with the founder of

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

Shakira Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...

, U2, former Vice President

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...

and other "world-class" personalities.

Contributions

* In 2003 she was invited to the

Twelve Girls Band 12 Girls Band (, sometimes abbreviated to 女樂 or 女乐) are an all female Chinese musical group that initially consisted of twelve members before the addition of a thirteenth. Twelve Girls Band use traditional Chinese instruments to play both ...

concert in Shanghai, China, where she sang in French, Italian and English: Habanera from the opera Carmen, " Signore, ascolta!" from the opera

Turandot ''Turandot'' (; see below) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, posthumously completed by Franco Alfano in 1926, and set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. ''Turandot'' best-known aria is " Nessun dorma", ...

, Summertime from

Porgy and Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', it ...

and

Ode to joy "Ode to Joy" (German language, German: , literally "To heJoy") is an ode written in the summer of 1785 by German poet, playwright, and historian Friedrich Schiller and published the following year in ''Thalia (magazine), Thalia''. A slightl ...

With Tim Sheff. She also participated on the album "Spain in my heart: Songs of the Spanish Civil War" with the song "El quinto regimiento". * In 2004 she collaborated with the Afghan singer Kulsoom Syed Ghulam on the album

Lullabies from the Axis of Evil ''Lullabies from the Axis of Evil'' (2004) is an album collecting traditional lullabies sung by women from Iraq, Iran, and North Korea ("the axis of evil"), as well as Syria, Libya, and Cuba ("beyond the axis of evil"), plus Afghanistan and Pales ...

on the song "Lalolalo (Don't you Worry My Child)". * In 2005 she collaborated with the Galician band

Luar Na Lubre Luar na Lubre is a Celtic music ensemble from Galicia, Spain. Etymology ''Luar'' is Galician for ''moonlight''; ''lubre'' is a magical forest in which the Celtic druids cast their spells. Performances During its career, this musical group has ...

on the album ''Saudade'' on the song "Domingo Ferreiro" performed in galician. * In 2006 she collaborated on the Brian Lynch and

Eddie Palmieri Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive. Early life Pal ...

album '' Simpático'' on the song "Que sería la vida" with Brian Lynch. * In 2007 she collaborated with the Argentinean band Los Calzones Rotos on the album ''Tanguito'' on the song "Loco". She also collaborated on the album "Homenaje a Pedro Infante: 50 aniversario" with the song "Amorcito corazón". And she collaborated with the Paraguayan musician

on the album "De sur a sur/From south to south" on the song "Petenera". * In 2008, on the Los Cojolites album ''No Tiene Fin'', she sang on the song "La Herlinda" and "El Pescador" of the album ''Sin Fecha de Caducidad'' by the Mexican singer Celso Piña. She also participated on the album "Songs of the siren: Irresistible voices" with the song "La cumbia del mole". She participated on the album "¡Nueva York!" from the American musician

Dan Zanes Daniel Edgerly Zanes (born November 8, 1961) is an American former member of the popular 1980s band the Del Fuegos and is now the front man of the Grammy-winning group Dan Zanes and Friends. History Zanes's father was a teacher, as well as a p ...

with the song "La bruja". * In 2009 she participated on the album of Basque singer

Kepa Junkera Kepa Junkera Urraza (born 1965 in Bilbao, Euskadi, Spain) is a Basque musician and composer. A master of the trikitixa, the diatonic accordion, he has recorded more than 10 albums. Allmusic/ref> Junkera won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Fol ...

, where she performs "Haurtxo Polita" in Euskara. She also sang "Razon de Vivir" on Mercedes Sosa's album '' Cantora, Vol. 2''. That same year she also worked on the song "El Llorar" on Mexican musician Ernesto Anaya's album, '' Huapangueando''. She equally participated on the album What About Me? from the UK duo 1 Giant Leap with the songs "Come to the edges" with

Huun Huur Tu Huun-Huur-Tu ( tyv, Хүн Хүртү, Hün Hürtü, ; rus, Хуун-Хуур-Ту, ) are a music group from Tuva, a Russian federative republic situated on the Mongolia–Russia border. Their music includes throat singing, in which the singer ...

and "Solita sin soledad" with Carlos Santana. She participated on the album "Sweetheart: our favorite artists sing their favorite love songs" in the song "

My One and Only Love "My One and Only Love" is a 1953 popular song with music written by Guy Wood and lyrics by Robert Mellin.Gioia, T. (2012). ''The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire''. Oxford University Press. . pp. 284-285. Notable renditions by Frank Sina ...

". Also collaborated with the Brazilian musician Guilherme Monteiro on the album "Air" on the song "Retrato de un forró". And participated on the posthumous album "Duetos" from the Spanish singer

Rocío Durcal Rocío is a Spanish female name, literally meaning "dew". Notable people with the name include: *Rocío Banquells (1958), Mexican pop singer and actress *Rocío Carrasco, Rociíto (1977), Spanish TV presenter and business woman * Rocío Comba (1987 ...

on the song "Amor eterno". * In 2010, Lila Downs sang a duet with the Mexican singer-songwriter

Benny Ibarra Benny Ibarra de Llano known as Benny Ibarra is a Mexican singer, musician, producer and actor. He was born into a family of artists. His mother, Julissa, was a singer and actress in the 1960s; and his father, Benny, an actor and 1960s rock si ...

("Calaveras"), on his album ''The March of the Living''. The song was the second single for the album. She also sang "Historia de un amor" on

Roberto Alagna Roberto Alagna (; born 7 June 1963) is a French operatic tenor. He obtained French citizenship in 1981, while also retaining his previous Italian citizenship. Early years Alagna was born in Clichy-sous-Bois, outside the city of Paris, in 1963 to ...

's album "Pasión". She sang a duet "Vámonos" with the Mexican singer

on her album "¡Por mi culpa! Chavela Vargas y sus amigos". She also collaborated with the Irish band

The Chieftains The Chieftains are a traditional Irish folk band formed in Dublin in 1962, by Paddy Moloney, Seán Potts and Michael Tubridy. Their sound, which is almost entirely instrumental and largely built around uilleann pipes, has become synonymous wi ...

on the album "San Patricio" on the song "La iguana" with

and Ry Cooder. * In 2012 she collaborated on Kevin Johansen's album Bi with the song "Baja a la tierra", and on the album " Mujer Divina" from the Mexican singer

Natalia Lafourcade María Natalia Lafourcade Silva (; born 26 February 1984) is a Mexican pop-rock and folk singer and songwriter who, since her debut in 2002, has been one of the most successful singers in Latin America. Lafourcade's voice has been categorized a ...

on the song "La fugitiva" * In 2013 she collaborated on the album "Ciudadana del mundo vol. 1" on the songs "De que te cuidas" and "Latinoamerica" with Eugenia León, Moyenei, Betsy Pecanins,

Tania Libertad Tania Libertad de Souza Zúñiga (born October 24, 1952) known professionally as Tania Libertad, is a Peruvian-Mexican singer in the World Music genre. Libertad was named an Ambassador for Peace by UNESCO, Comendadora by the Peruvian government, a ...

and Cecilia Toussaint. She collaborated with the Mexican singer

Leonel García Sin Bandera is a romantic ballads duo consisting of Mexican singer-songwriter Leonel Garcia and Argentine singer-songwriter Noel Schajris. They formed in Mexico in 2000. They became one of the most popular artists after their debut album '' Sin ...

on the album "Todas mías" on the song "Sirena". She also collaborated with the Mexican group

Los Ángeles azules Los Ángeles Azules are a Mexican musical group that plays the ''cumbia sonidera'' genre, which is a cumbia subgenre using the accordion and synthesizers. This results in a fusion of the sounds of cumbia from the 1950-1970s with those of 1990s-s ...

on the album "Como te voy a olvidar" on the song "El listón de tu pelo". She collaborated with the Spanish band Chambao on the album "10 años around the world" on the song "Papeles mojados". She participated on the album "Grandes éxitos de las sonoras, con la más grande, La Sonora Santanera" from the Mexican band

La Sonora Santanera Sonora Santanera is an orchestra playing tropical music from Mexico with over 60 years of history. The band was founded in 1955 by Carlos Colorado in the state of Tabasco, the band created its own style. In 1960, comic actor Jesús “Palillo” M ...

on the song "Tu voz".

Awards and recognition

Throughout her career Downs has received several awards, including a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

, 5

Latin Grammys The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...

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 i-Tunes as one of the years 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

in Las Vegas. She was presented with the

Leading Ladies of Entertainment The Leading Ladies of Entertainment is an honor presented annually by the Latin Recording Academy, the same organization that distributes the Latin Grammy Awards, to commend women "excelling in the arts and sciences, and who have made indelible ...

accolade by the

Latin Recording Academy pt, Academia Latina da Gravação , image = Latin_grammy_logo_(2022).png , image_border = , size = 150px , caption = , map = , msize = , mcaption = , motto = , formation = , extinction ...

in 2019.

Discography

Albums

*'' Ofrenda'' (1994) *'' Azulao: En vivo con Lila Downs'' (1996) *''La Sandunga'' (Narada 1999) *''

(Yutu tata)'' (Narada 2000) *''

(La Línea)'' (Narada 2001) *'' One Blood (Una sangre)'' (Narada 2004) *''

'' (

Narada Narada ( sa, नारद, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage divinity, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of mind-created children of Brahma, the creator god. He ...

2006) *'' The Very Best Of/El Alma de Lila Downs'' D(

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

2008) *''

Shake Away ''Shake Away'' ( es, link=no, Ojo de Culebra) is the sixth studio album by Mexican singer-songwriter Lila Downs. It was released on 2 September 2008 on Manhattan Records. After attaining international success in 2001 with her first English record ...

(Ojo de Culebra)'' (

Manhattan Records Manhattan Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group and operates as a branch of Capitol Music Group. Company history Manhattan Records was formed in 1984 by Bruce Lundvall and was later renamed EMI Manhattan Records af ...

2008) *'' Lila Downs y La Misteriosa en Paris – Live a FIP D (Harmonia Mundi-Global Village Europe/US; various labels worldwide), (CD + DVD EMI Mexico) (2010)' *''

'' (2011) *''

'' (2015) *''Salón, Lágrimas y Deseo'' (2017) *''Al Chile'' (2019) With the Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project * '' Simpático'' (artistShare, 2007) with

Niña Pastori María Rosa García García (born 15 January 1978 in San Fernando, Cádiz), better known as Niña Pastori, is a Spanish flamenco singer ( cantaora). Biography María Rosa García was born in 1978 in the town of San Fernando in Cadiz. The youn ...

and

Soledad Pastorutti Soledad "La Sole" Pastorutti (born October 12, 1980, in Arequito, Santa Fe) is an Argentine folk singer, who brought the genre to the younger generations at the end of the 20th century, and the beginning of the 21st. She is also a film and T ...

* '' Raíz'' (2014)

DVD

*'' Lotería Cantada'' (2006) *''The Very Best Of/El Alma de Lila Downs''

D+DVD D, or d, is the fourth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet#Le ...

(EMI 2008)

References

External links

Official website
*
Lila Downs Music Videos on CompulsiveTraveler.tv

Lila Downs: beyond the border
by Mary Armstrong,

Sing Out! ''Sing Out!'' was a quarterly journal of folk music and folk songs that was published from May 1950 through spring 2014. It was originally based in New York City, with a national circulation of approximately 10,000 by 1960. Background ''Sing Out ...

vol. 45 no. 4 Winter 2002
"Wise Latina"
an interview with

Guernica Magazine ''Guernica / A Magazine of Art and Politics'' is an online magazine that publishes art, photography, fiction, and poetry from around the world, along with nonfiction such as letters from abroad, investigative pieces, and opinion pieces on internat ...

's Joel Whitney
Lila Downs biography and discography
at World Music Central

Paste Magazine Article
"Lila Downs on BBC Newsnight"
Interview by

Secunder Kermani Secunder Kermani is a British journalist who is Foreign Correspondent for Channel 4 News. Kermani is a former BBC correspondent in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He was previously a reporter on the BBC's flagship current affairs programme ''Newsnight'' ...

2016
"Lila Downs: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert"
Lila Downs Tiny Desk Concert 2016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Downs, Lila 1968 births Living people Grammy Award winners Singers from Oaxaca University of Minnesota alumni English-language singers from Mexico French-language singers Mixtecan-language singers Nahuatl-language singers Purépecha-language singers Zapotec-language singers Latin Grammy Award winners Mayan-language singers Mexican women singer-songwriters Mexican singer-songwriters Mexican people of American descent Mexican people of English descent Mexican people of Scottish descent Mixtec people Narada Productions artists People from Tlaxiaco Indigenous Mexicans Sony Music Latin artists Indigenous musicians of the Americas Sony Music Mexico artists Indigenous Mexican women 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans Women in Latin music