Ana Lila Downs Sánchez (born 9 September 1968[1]) is a Mexican singer-songwriter. She performs her own compositions and the works of others in multiple genres, as well as tapping intoMexican traditional and popular music.[2] She also incorporates indigenous Mexican influences and has recorded songs in manyindigenous languages such asMixtec,Zapotec,Mayan,Nahuatl andPurépecha. Born and raised in Oaxaca, she primarily studied at theInstitute of Arts by Oaxaca and briefly attended theUniversity of Minnesota, before withdrawing to focus on her musical career. She soon began performing in the traditional music scene ofOaxaca City.
Her first (independent) album,Ofrenda, was released in 1994. In 1999, Downs came to prominence with her debut studio album,La sandunga, which was a critical and commercial success. She achieved international success in 2001 with the albumBorder which emerged in the music scene ofMexico and Latin America in the early 2000s (decade). Downs's seventh album,Pecados y milagros (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 withtraditional music,Latin and American influences, and with her own original twist on dancing. Downs, a native Spanish speaker, also speaks fluentMixtec and English.[3] Downs through her activism has gone through great lengths to preserve the Mixtec language as well as many other Indigenous Mexican languages.
Influenced byChavela Vargas,Mercedes Sosa,Lucha Villa, andAmparo 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 oneGrammy Award and threeLatin Grammy Awards.
Besides her musical career, she involves herself withhumanitarian causes and political activism, especially dealing with issues ofLatin America's indigenous population.
Lila Downs was born on 9 September 1968, inTlaxiaco,Oaxaca, Mexico.[1] She is the daughter of Anita Sánchez, aMixtec cabaret singer and Allen Downs, a Scottish-American professor of art andcinematographer fromMinnesota. From an early age Downs showed interest in music. At the age of eight she began singingrancheras and other traditional Mexican songs.[4] She began her professional career singing withmariachis. 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 townTlaxiaco with her mother.
Lila Downs in Oaxaca in 2005
One day while she was working in a store in theMixtec 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 her work. She talked about this in an NPR interview about her 2001 release entitledBorder.[5]
Although today Downs is proud of her origins there was a time when she felt shame regarding herIndigenous 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 bandThe Grateful Dead. After some time Downs found herself back inOaxaca, 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.[6]
At 25, after completing academic and music studies, Downs decided to return to Tlaxiaco. Paul Cohen always encouraged her musical ventures, and she joined agroup percussion calledYodoyuxi's Cadets. Because Paul Cohen had business in the United States she began to live in both Minnesota and Oaxaca.[7]
During her stay in Minnesota, Downs formed a group calledLa Trova Serrana which achieved great popularity among the Latin community within the United States, singing songs about theZapotec values and culture. Upon her return toMexico she started singing in bars, restaurants and clubs in theCity of Oaxaca, as well as the city ofPhiladelphia and the state ofCalifornia, 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 Mexico.[7]
In 1994, Lila Downs independently made her first album, entitledOfrenda. This was both a collection of traditional songs fromOaxaca and Mexico, and songs written by the singer with lyrics sung in Spanish,Mixtec andZapotec (native languages ofOaxaca). The material was produced both independently and with the support of the Oaxacan Cultures Institute.[8] Because this album was not a commercial success inLP orcassette, she never released a version onCD.
In 1996, Downs recorded a live session at a renowned café-bar of theCity of Oaxaca. On this record Downs was accompanied by a set of well-known musicians who supported its interpretation of traditional themes, as well ascountry music andjazz.[9] With this work Downs and her music became known in different parts of Mexico, and this was her 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.[citation needed] This CD is now out of print, and although not available as part of the official discography of Lila Downs, can be found indigital format.
In 1997, Lila Downs made a second recording, called "Traces", on which she performed material that was to be included in later albums such asLa Sandunga,Tree of Life andBorder. 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.[citation needed]
It was not until 1999, when Downs signed with the labelNarada Productions, that she achieved commercial success and made herself known internationally with the albumLa Sandunga. Recorded a year earlier, this material came to the forefront ofMexican music and her album was one of the first to merge the sounds oftraditional music and modern rhythms asjazz,blues andbolero. The album was sung in Spanish andMixtec, and was produced by Lila Downs and Paul Cohen with the support ofXquenda Cultural Association.[10] Because of this success, Downs participated in thesoundtrack of the Mexican filmGreen Stones and achieved great popularity in countries such as Mexico, United States, Spain, France, England and Germany, selling over 500,000 units worldwide.
Downs's next album,Tree of Life, was released in 2000. With this album the fame of Downs continued to spread to other markets in England,Switzerland, 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 Mixtec,Zapotec andNahuatl. 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 Mexico and ended in Spain.
Border, released byEMI Music in 2001, was the first album by Downs to feature songs sung in English. The album was released simultaneously in theUnited States and Mexico. With this album Downs merged sounds from different genres such as traditionalfolk music,hip hop,rock and chilena. It included fifteen songs, eleven in Spanish, three in English and one inMayan. The album received generally good reviews and placed seventh in the top charts ofworld music.[11] It also stirred up controversy due to its frank discussion ofimmigration, Indigenous marginalization and theActeal massacre.[12] This drew criticism, especially from politicians and the church.[13]
The album's first single was released in Mexico, "Mi corazón me recuerda", a poem byChiapas poetJaime Sabines. Set to music, it achieved moderate success on the Mexican music charts. In Spain the song was called "La Llorona", in France the song was called "Corazoncito Tirano" and in the United States the song was called "Medley: Pastures of Plenty/This Land Is Your Land/Land" were released as singles.[14] 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".
One Blood, one of Lila Downs's most successful albums, was released in April 2004, simultaneously in the United States, Spain, and Mexico. The lyrics on this album are about migration, discrimination and the case of Mexican human rights defenderDigna Ochoa.[15] In addition totraditional songs such as "La Bamba", "Viborita", and "La Cucaracha", the album includes genres such asson jarocho,jazz, rock andfolk. This album contains thirteen tracks, three in English, one inTriqui, one inPurepecha and eight in Spanish. Lyrics were authored by Lila Downs, Paul Cohen,Celso Duarte, andJose Martí. In 2005 Lila Downs received theGrammy Latino in the category of "Best Album of World Music" for this album[16] and reached the top of the charts in United States, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany and France.[17]
Lila Downs in the "National Sor Juana Festival" 2007.
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 andhip-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.[18] "La cumbia del mole" refers to the preparation ofMexican dish and tradition inOaxaca. This single managed to position itself among the top of the charts in Mexico, United States, Canada and United Kingdom.[19]
In 2007, Downs published a CD with the greatest success in Spanish to date, containing songs from her previous albumsLa Sandunga,Tree of Life,Border/The Line,One Blood andLa Cantina. It was entitled simplyThe Very Best of Lila Downs and was accompanied with a DVD containing thirteen tracks recorded live at a concert inMadrid, Spain.[20]
The single "Black magic woman" 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,Tlaxiaco,Mexico, and also was awarded the keys the city for her work preserving the language ofMixtec.[24]
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 inMexico with an edited version of the live concert on DVD and was number one in sales of Gender World Music for the music chainMixup for three consecutive weeks.[25] 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.[26]
Lila Downs live performing "Palomo del Comalito" in Chicago of 2012.
Pecados y Milagros (Sins and Miracles) was the seventh studio album byMexican singer-songwriter Lila Downs, released on October 18, 2011.[27] The album cover was released on September 14, 2011.[28]
The album debuted at number fifty two on theBillboard 200 becoming her fourth-highest peak on the chart. It also debuted at number one on theBillboard 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.[29] The album was recorded in Mexico City and New York. Downs describes the album musically as having "a strong rock side" along with "traditional" and "Latino" songs.Celso Duarte is one of several collaborators to appear on the album, featuring on the first single "Palomo del comalito".
Audience members at a concert of February 18, 2012, at New York CityEl Museo del Barrio[31] were informed that the concert was being recorded byHBO.[32]
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.[citation needed]
On May 26, 2017, Downs releasedSalón, Lágrimas y Deseo [es], under Sony Music Mexico/Latin. The first single of the album was "Peligrosa", 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.[citation needed]
Due to the success of the albumsOne Blood andBorder (2001 and 2004), theOne Blood Tour took place and Downs performed 30 international shows on three continents.[36] Countries such as thePhilippines, Japan, China,Egypt andAfghanistan were included on the tour,[37] 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 inOaxaca andMexico City; 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.
Lila Downs performing during a concert in Oaxaca, Mexico in 2010.
In September 2008, theOjo de Culebra World Tour started, which took place on four continents, and was the most successful tour for a Mexican artist.[38]In Latin America, Mexico 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,[14] followed byColombia andCosta Rica, with three concerts each.
Although not part of the tour, Lila Downs appeared in theLive Earth in Germany, where she played three songs, and in late 2008 sang at theHarmony Festival held in California, United States.[39]
In March 2010, Lila Downs announced a world tourBlack Magic Woman Tour which began inBuenos Aires,Argentina with three sold-out shows.[40] 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, inSquare Dance by Oaxaca City where she had an audience of approximately seven thousand people.[41]
Pecados y Milagros World Tour was Lila Downs' fourth musical tour in support of her seventh studio album, "Pecados y Milagros ", 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
Balas y Chocolate World Tour is Lila Downs's fifth concert tour, and promoted her eighth studio albumBalas y Chocolate ("Bullets and chocolate" inSpanish) It began on March 26 inMexico City at thePlaza Condesa, presenting the repertoire of new music album of the same name tour.Canada in 2015, Spain has toured with great success (Cartagena,Barcelona,Valencia,Madrid etc. ),Paraguay,Chile,Argentina (Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Cordoba ), Bolivia, Ecuador, United States ( more than 20 cities, includingNew York City,Miami,Hollywood,Los Angeles, Step etc.) In 2016 she will be inLondon,Spain,Argentina andPeru. In August 2016, Lila Downs performed at the 21st Annual Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival alongside Aida Cuevas, Mariachi Sol de Mexico, Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlán, and Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles in Santa Barbara, CA.
Al Chile World Tour is Downs' sixth world tour. It was to see concerts in Mexico,the United States,Spain,Colombia andChile for 2019 and 2020. However, due to thecoronavirus pandemic, Downs was forced to cancel or postpone most of the concerts until 2021.
On the 5th of August 2023, Downs and her band gave a concert at the Festival "Chant de Marins" (Songs of Sailors) in the port ofPaimpol, Brittany, France in front of 45.000 people.[citation needed]
In 2001, Downs was invited to participate in the soundtrack of the Mexican filmPiedras Verdes where she performed "Cancion mixteca", in 2002 she participated in the soundtrack for the filmFrida singing the song "Burn It Blue" which was nominated in the75th Academy Awards in the category ofBest Original Song.[44] In 2005 she participated in the soundtrack for the filmThe Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada with the song "Dónde estás papá". Downs has also participated in other soundtracks for films such asReal Women Have Curves andTortilla Soup. In the film byCarlos Saura,Fados (2007), she sings an unforgettable version of "Foi na Travessa da Palha" inPortuguese.[45]
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.[46][47]
In June 2010, Downs announced on her website that, after several years of trying to be parents, she and Cohen had adopted a child, Benito Dxuladi.[48] They lived inCoyoacán in Mexico City andOaxaca, although they spent most of the time traveling.
In December 2022, Downs announced on her social media that her lifetime partner and husband Paul Cohen, died at the age of 69 years old, as a result of heart disease.[49]
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.[50] Her albums are socially significant, especially her album, One Blood, or Una Sangre, which includes songs such as "Dignificada", which is a song aboutDigna Ochoa's assassination. Digna Ochoa was a lawyer and social activist, and Downs featured her story on her album One Blood.[51]
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.[52]On October 9, 2009, Downs, along with actressSalma Hayek represented Mexico in an event for the worldwide campaign of theOne Drop foundation, to preserve water. They performed together with the founder ofCirque du Soleil,Shakira,U2, former Vice PresidentAl Gore and other "world-class" personalities.[citation needed]
In 2003 she was invited to theTwelve Girls Band concert in Shanghai, China, where she sang in French, Italian and English:Habanera from the operaCarmen, "Signore, ascolta!" from the operaTurandot,Summertime fromPorgy and Bess andOde to joy 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 albumLullabies from the Axis of Evil on the song "Lalolalo (Don't you Worry My Child)".
In 2005 she collaborated with theGalician bandLuar Na Lubre on the albumSaudade on the song "Domingo Ferreiro" performed inGalician.
In 2007 she collaborated with the Argentinean bandLos Calzones Rotos on the albumTanguito 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 musicianCelso Duarte on the album "De sur a sur/From south to south" on the song "Petenera".
In 2008, on theLos Cojolites albumNo Tiene Fin, she sang on the song "La Herlinda" and "El Pescador" of the albumSin Fecha de Caducidad by the Mexican singerCelso 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 musicianDan Zanes with the song "La bruja".
In 2009 she participated on the album of Basque singerKepa Junkera, where she performs "Haurtxo Polita" inEuskara. She also sang "Razon de Vivir" onMercedes Sosa's albumCantora, Vol. 2. That same year she also worked on the song "El Llorar" on Mexican musicianErnesto Anaya's album,Huapangueando. She equally participated on the albumWhat About Me? from the UK duo1 Giant Leap with the songs "Come to the edges" withHuun Huur Tu and "Solita sin soledad" withCarlos Santana. She participated on the album "Sweetheart: our favorite artists sing their favorite love songs" in the song "My One and Only Love". Also collaborated with the Brazilian musicianGuilherme Monteiro on the album "Air" on the song "Retrato de un forró", and participated on the posthumous album "Duetos" from the Spanish singerRocío Durcal on the song "Amor eterno".
In 2010, Lila Downs sang a duet with the Mexican singer-songwriterBenny Ibarra ("Calaveras"), on his albumThe March of the Living. The song was the second single for the album. She also sang "Historia de un amor" onRoberto Alagna's album "Pasión". She sang a duet "Vámonos" with the Mexican singerChavela Vargas on her album "¡Por mi culpa! Chavela Vargas y sus amigos". She also collaborated with the Irish bandThe Chieftains on the album "San Patricio" on the song "La iguana" withThe Chieftains andRy Cooder.
In 2012 she collaborated onKevin Johansen's album Bi with the song "Baja a la tierra", and on the album "Mujer Divina" from the Mexican singerNatalia Lafourcade 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 and Cecilia Toussaint. She collaborated with the Mexican singerLeonel García on the album "Todas mías" on the song "Sirena". She also collaborated with the Mexican groupLos Ángeles azules 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 bandLa Sonora Santanera on the song "Tu voz".
Throughout her career Downs has received several awards, including aGrammy, 5Latin Grammys andLunas del Auditorio.She has recently unveiled her star on the Walk of Fame located in the outskirts ofAuditorio Nacional in Mexico City for her career. Her last album 'Balas y Chocolate' was listed oniTunes as one of the year's 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 theLatin Grammys in Las Vegas. She was presented with theLeading Ladies of Entertainment accolade by theLatin Recording Academy in 2019.[53]
^Lila Downs speaks in "The Line" about the killing of Acteal.
^Castellanos, 2001; 74: "The interpretation of migration and marginalization by Lila Downs, of Oaxaca's "La Linea" cost her several instances of censorship."
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