And to that end, Lila Downs, agreed to write the Foreword to PROTEST GRAFFITI: OAXACA. The daughter of a Mixtec mother and Anglo-American father, Lila Downs embodies cultures and transcends boundaries with her extraordinary voice. Born in the cool mountains of Oaxaca State in southern Mexico, she studied music and anthropology at the University of Minnesota and at the University of the Arts in Oaxaca City.
It was, however, through music that Lila found her artistic and cultural voice. “It took a long time to decide that I wanted to sing,” she confesses. “Something needed to motivate me.” That motivation proved to be found the oral traditions, songs and stories of the Oaxacan peoples. Her mother encouraged Downs to sing these songs with profound sentimiento – resulting in a deep, empathic emotion that leaves audiences of all cultural traditions and nationalities enraptured.
Lila often recalls the first time she was struck embraced her 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.”
This experience proved a catalyst for her to become a songwriter. In the years that followed, Lila has emerged as a powerful artistic and cultural outlet for Downs. She researches the ancient codices of the Mixtec and Zapotec peoples for inspiration, setting these cultural histories to music. In this way, Lila 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, Lila – with thick braids and soulful, piercing 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.”
Lila Downs is an artist who reflects through her music the most personal and deep side of the Mixtec traditions of the Mesoamerica Culture Area. Her performances are intense and her provocative lyrics captivate audiences around the world; she has emerged as a powerful voice in contemporary Mexico. Lila’s lyrics penetrate the soul, and the mind, as she tells the bittersweet stories of her ancestors and homeland. She is an artistic phenomenon to be experienced, a world music diva in the making.
|
