Cecilia Cassandra Peña-Govea, known by her

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

La Doña, is an American musical artist whose music combines

Latin rhythms The music of Latin America refers to music originating from Latin America, namely the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking regions of the Americas south of the United States. Latin American music highly incorporates its African influences into the ...

and San Francisco

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

Career

In 2019, La Doña was one of 14 artists from around the world selected for the Foundry, a

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

incubator known for launching a number of musical careers. She released her ''Algo Nuevo'' album on March 12, 2020, with a planned national tour starting at

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

and launch party in San Francisco, just as San Francisco and the United States went into lockdown because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Her launch party and tour were cancelled, which attracted attention from the media as she became an example of an artist whose career momentum was interrupted by COVID-19. Since then, she has had music played at

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

games and performed at San Francisco's

Outside Lands Outside Lands was the name used in the 19th century for the present-day Richmond District and Sunset District on the West Side of San Francisco. With few roads and no public transportation, the area was covered by sand dunes and was conside ...

at Golden Gate Park. Former president

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

included La Doña's single "Penas con Pan" on his 2023 summer playlist.

Style

La Doña's music combines many influences from across Latin America, including Colombian cumbia,

Cuban salsa In Cuba, a popular dance known as Casino was marketed abroad as Cuban-style salsa or Salsa Cubana to distinguish it from other salsa styles when the name became popular in the 1970s. Dancing Casino is an expression of popular social culture in ...

, Mexican norteñas, and Puerto Rican

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...

. Her unique style brings fresh energy to Norteño music, making it more relatable to younger, urban audiences. Her latest EP, ''Algo Nuevo'', is a testament to this fusion, combining Latin folk sounds with contemporary urban beats to reflect her experiences as a young Chicana navigating the complexities of cultural identity in a rapidly gentrifying San Francisco.

Impact on Norteño and Advocacy for Brown Femininity

La Doña is celebrated not only for her musical contributions but also for her representation of radical brown femininity within the music industry. Through her work, she encourages young artists, especially women and those from marginalized communities, to embrace their cultural heritage and creative passions. This commitment to authenticity and cultural pride has enriched the Norteño music scene, positioning her as an influential figure for a new generation of musicians who aim to honor traditional music while pushing its boundaries.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doña (artist) Hispanic and Latino American women singers Songwriters from San Francisco Latin music songwriters American reggaeton musicians 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American songwriters American women singer-songwriters Living people Women in Latin music Year of birth missing (living people)