Natalia Lafourcade | |
|---|---|
 Lafourcade at the2023 Goya Awards | |
| Born | María Natalia Lafourcade Silva (1984-02-26)26 February 1984 (age 41) Mexico City, Mexico |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1998–present |
| Children | 1 |
| Father | Gastón Lafourcade |
| Relatives | Enrique Lafourcade (uncle) |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Coatepec, Veracruz, Mexico[1] |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
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| Labels | Sony Mexico |
Musical artist | |
| Website | natalialafourcade |
| Signature | |
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María Natalia Lafourcade Silva (Spanish pronunciation:[maˈɾi.anaˈtaljalafuɾˈkadeˈsilba]; born 26 February 1984) is a Mexican singer. Her music combines elements ofpop rock,jazz, andfolk, characterized by poetic lyrics and her distinctivelyric soprano voice.[2] She is regarded as one of the most influentialLatin music artists of the 21st century.[3] In 2025,Billboard named her one of the best female Latin pop artists of all time.[4]
At age 14, Lafourcade briefly joined Twist, a short-lived girl group that disbanded in 1999. She later pursued a solo career, recording several demos before releasing her self-titled debut album,Natalia Lafourcade (2002). The album and its breakthrough single, "En el 2000", brought her widespread recognition. Her follow-up record,Casa (2005), credited as Natalia y La Forquetina, reflectedalternative rock influences. After a brief hiatus from performing, Lafourcade returned with the pop-orientedHu Hu Hu (2009), which included the single "Ella es Bonita". She experimented toward traditional music withMujer Divina – Homenaje a Agustín Lara (2012), a tribute album to therenowned Mexican composer. Her fifth studio album,Hasta la Raíz (2015), earned critical acclaim and commercial success, particularly for itstitle track and the single "Nunca Es Suficiente".
Lafourcade further explored folk andregional sounds in theMusas duology—Vol. 1 (2017) andVol. 2 (2018)—and later celebratedbolero andson jarocho withUn Canto por México, Vol. 1 (2020) andVol. 2 (2021). She incorporated elements ofLatin jazz onDe Todas las Flores (2022) and continued that exploration withCancionera (2025). Her accolades include the mostLatin Grammy Awards for a female artist, with 20, fourGrammy Awards, aBillboard Latin Music Award, and threeMTV Video Music Awards Latin America.
María Natalia Lafourcade Silva was born on 26 February 1984 inMexico City,[5] but grew up inCoatepec, Veracruz,[6] surrounded by music and art. Her father is theChilean musicianGastón Lafourcade [es],[7] and her mother is the pianist María del Carmen Silva Contreras. Her uncle was Chilean writerEnrique Lafourcade, a representative of the so-called "Generation of the '50s".[8]
During her childhood, Lafourcade studied music with her mother, imitating artists such asGloria Trevi andGaribaldi. She would be influenced byFiona Apple,Björk andCafé Tacvba[6] as well asEly Guerra andJulieta Venegas, during her youth, Lafourcade grew up watching Hollywood actors from the 1990s onward, for exampleArnold Schwarzenegger,Heather Langenkamp,Robert Englund,Miko Hughes, and others.[9] Her mother studied piano with a specialty inmusical pedagogy and is the creator of the Macarsi Method for musical training and personal development for children and educators. She adapted and practiced the method with Lafourcade to help her rehabilitate through music, following a head injury from being kicked by a horse.[citation needed]
She attendedInstituto Anglo Español, a Catholic middle school, and studied painting, flute, theater, music, acting, piano, guitar, saxophone, and singing. When she was 10, Lafourcade sang in amariachi group.[citation needed]
In 1998, Lafourcade joined a pop music group called Twist. The members included Lafourcade, Tabatha Vizuet (former member of the groupJeans), and Ana Pamela Garcés (former host of a children's television program onTV Azteca).[10] The group was unsuccessful and they split up the following year. Lafourcade has stated that one of the things she disliked about being in Twist, and a reason she began to look for alternatives, was having tolip sync (mime) when performing.[11]
After finishing high school, Lafourcade enrolled at Academia de Música Fermatta, where she metXimena Sariñana, Juan Manuel Torreblanca, and Alonso Cortés, who would eventually be the drummer for La Forquetina years later.
In 2000, producer Loris Ceroni listened to the demos he had received from Lafourcade and, when she was 17, he gave Lafourcade the opportunity to be in a pop/rock group under his guidance. Lafourcade was hesitant, and Ceroni instead encouraged her to become independent. Lafourcade produced her first LP under theSony Music label. It was recorded in Italy and was cowritten withÁureo Baqueiro [es]. She performed in the city ofDolores Hidalgo, in a concert at the Colegio Lic. Álvaro de Osio y Ocampo, granting her recognition across the country.
In June 2002, Lafourcade released her debut studio album, self-titledNatalia Lafourcade, a mix of pop, rock, bossa nova and Latin rhythms. The singles on the album were "Busca un Problema", her biggest hit "En el 2000", "Te Quiero Dar", and "Mírame, Mírate". During this time, she was also the principal contributor to the soundtrack for the Mexican movieAmar te duele, recording the main theme "Amarte Duele", the acoustic version of the song, as well as adding three songs from her first album to the soundtrack: "Busca un Problema", "En el 2000", and "El Destino". She also recorded a duet withLeón Larregui, "Llevarte a Marte", and contributed the song "Un Pato" for the movieTemporada de patos.
In 2004, she was nominated for aLatin Grammy in the Best New Artist category for her debut album, and was nominated forRock New Artist at the16th Lo Nuestro Awards, losing to fellow Mexican singerAlessandra Rosaldo.[12][13]
At the end of the tour for her first album, Natalia Lafourcade stopped performing as a soloist and began to perform with her band—Alonso Cortés,César Chanona [es], and Yunuén Viveros—as Natalia y la Forquetina.
In 2005, she releasedCasa, her second album, but this time as Natalia y La Forquetina, the name of her band. Produced mostly byCafé Tacuba'sEmmanuel del Real,Casa presents a more mature, rock-oriented sound while retaining pop and bossa-nova influences on a few tracks, such as lead single "Ser Humano" (pop-rock) and its follow-up "Casa" (pop-bossa-nova). Áureo Baqueiro returned to produce the few tracks not produced by del Real.
On 2 June 2006, after a tour through Mexico and parts of the U.S., Lafourcade announced she would leave La Forquetina to once again work as a solo artist. Natalia y la Forquetina's final show was on 18 August 2006 inSan Luis Potosí. Following the group's break-up,Casa won the Latin Grammy for Best Rock Album by a Duo or Group with Vocal in September.
Also in 2006, a documentary about the band, showing the group on the road and their travels, was aired onMTV Tr3s in the fall of 2007.
Natalia Lafourcade has also appeared on other songs with various other artists. These includeLiquits' [es] "Jardin",Kalimba's "Dia de Suerte",Control Machete's "El Apostador", andReik's rendition of Lafourcade's song "Amarte Duele". She also reappeared with her former band on various compilation disks with previously unreleased tracks such as "Y Todo Para Que" onIntocable's X, and on theTin Tan tribute album,Viva Tin Tan, with the hit "Piel Canela". In 2011, she made "Quisiera Saber", a music video withLos Daniels.
Natalia Lafourcade moved to Canada, where she met the bandPeople Project, with whom she still frequently collaborates.
Lafourcade returned to Mexico and began to work onLas 4 Estaciones del Amor, her first instrumental album, in collaboration with the Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil del Estado de Veracruz (OSJEV). The album, under the Sony BMG label, also included a DVD where she narrated the process of making an instrumental album. She also wrote the lyrics for "Tú y Yo" fromXimena Sariñana's self-titled album.
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In 2008, she performed onJulieta Venegas'MTV Unplugged album and DVD, where she played several instruments including the bass. She was also a participant in theRed Bull Music Academy in its 2008 edition, held in Barcelona, Spain. In the same year, she began to record her fourth album, and held a concert at theTeatro Metropólitan with Juan Son,Porter's ex-vocalist.
From 2008, Lafourcade had been planning her next album, which she started on at the beginning of 2009. In May 2009, she released the albumHU HU HU, a top 10 album in Mexico. The album was produced by Emmanuel del Real (who producedCasa in 2005), Marco Moreno, and Ernesto García. It features internationally known rock and pop artists, such asJulieta Venegas andJuan Son. The first alternative single that she proposed was the song "Azul"; however, the label released the single "Ella es Bonita" simultaneously on the radio and in the press. The album was recommended during the summer of 2009. Lafourcade embarked on various projects. The influence of her stay in Canada and her previous album,Las 4 Estaciones del Amor, is noticeable in this album. In December 2009,HU HU HU had its official presentation at theTeatro Fru Fru, in Mexico City, where it had guests such as Denise Gutiérrez of Hello Seahorse!, Furland, and Carla Morrison. It was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Album at the 2009Latin Grammy Awards (won byLaura Pausini) and Best Latin Pop album at the 2010Grammy Awards (won byLa Quinta Estación).Club Fonograma also named the album the second best of 2009,[14] and the seventh best of the decade.[15]
She joined the non-profit projectUn Techo para mi País, which aims to promote community development through the construction of temporary housing for low-income people and other social empowerment projects. She voice-acted for the role of the princess in the Spanish version of the animated filmThe True History of Puss 'N Boots, a French production distributed by MK2 Diffusion. There she shared credits with Kalimba andJuan José Origel.
2010 was the year of collaborations for Natalia. She recorded the song "Contigo" with the Spanish bandEl Canto del Loco, and the song "Quisiera Saber" with the Mexican group Los Daniels. Together withManolo García, she performed the duet "Pájaros de Barro" and "Cursis Melodías" forLunas del Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. In 2011, Lafourcade won the Best New Producer of the Year award in the Indie-O Music Awards, for her work withCarla Morrison'sMientras Tú Dormías... album, and aTelehit Award.
In the same year, she went on tour again, in Japan, and did so on a more instrumental plane, in which her musical and artistic growth was noted. This is how she made the documentary14 Días en Japón, which was included in theHU HU HU reissue.
HU HU HU's tour spanned South America, Europe, the United States, Mexico, and Japan, and ended with a successful presentation at theVive Latino 2011 Festival Iberoamericano de Cultura Musical, thus achieving a reconciliation with this audience after her unfortunate reception at the presentation in 2003. In 2012, she performed an ensemble with theBanda de Música del Estado de Oaxaca [es], offering a concert in the Plaza de la Danza inOaxaca City, where she performed traditional Oaxacan songs, boleros, as well as songs from her repertoire.
Her albumMujer Divina – Homenaje a Agustín Lara was released 18 September 2012. For this production, Natalia was accompanied by guest musicians, with whom she reinterprets the classic songs ofLara, to be compiled on a double disc containing a DVD, recorded in the forums of her record company.
Among the guests on this album areMiguel Bosé,Leonardo de Lozanne,Gilberto Gil, the Uruguayan singer-songwriterJorge Drexler,Café Tacvba's Emmanuel del Real,Lila Downs, the Venezuelan-American musicianDevendra Banhart, the group DLD, andKevin Johansen, the latter who participates in the song "Fugitiva", the production's first single released in digital download. With the song "Azul", featuringRodrigo Amarante, she contributed to the soundtrack of the Mexican filmGüeros.
For this album, Lafourcade obtained, in December 2013, a platinum and gold record for having over 94,000 sales.
Her next album,Hasta la Raíz, was released in March 2015. "Nunca Es Suficiente", the first single off the album, was released on 10 February. The track"Hasta la Raíz" was No. 5 of the Viral 50 Global Spotify Chart and No. 1 on the Viral 50 México chart.[citation needed] It is with this album that, in the sixteenth version of theLatin Grammys, it won the awards for "Song of the Year", "Best Alternative Song", and "Record of the Year" for"Hasta la Raíz", and "Best Alternative Music Album" and "Best Engineered Album".
She performed on theNPR Music Tiny Desk series on 27 October 2017. In the video's first month onYouTube, it was viewed more than 1,350,000 times.[16] As of 25 February 2024, that same video has been viewed over 30,407,169 times.[17]
On 5 May 2017, Natalia Lafourcade presented her new album,Musas, Vol. 1, accompanied by Los Macorinos, old-school musicians who previously worked with artists likeChavela Vargas. The album's first single, "Tú Sí Sabes Quererme", reached 22 million streams onSpotify in the first two months of its release. In this album, Lafourcade takes up the trend that began inHasta la Raíz of paying homage to the authors who have influenced her musical career. The album was certified gold in Mexico for exceeding 30,000 sales.
From 19 to 30 August, she toured Argentina, called the "Tú Sí Sabes Argentina" tour, with overwhelming success:Córdoba,Rosario,Buenos Aires,La Plata,Mar del Plata, andMendoza were witness scenes of a walk through the music of Mexico and other regions in the Americas. On this occasion, the stages that received her were strongly attended, including two sold-out presentations atLa Trastienda Club and the famous "Ballena Azul" concert hall at the CCK Centro Cultural Néstor Kirchner, which left a large number of fans outside since tickets were sold out in fifteen minutes.
At the end of 2017, Lafourcade participated in the original music forDisney-Pixar's filmCoco, playing two versions of the song, "Recuérdame" in Spanish and"Remember Me" in English. For the Mexican and Latin American version, she interpreted a solo version that did not appear in the film, but was included on the album. The final version was that ofCarlos Rivera. In the U.S. version, Lafourcade interprets the song together with American musicianMiguel, being the main theme. This version won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
In February 2018, she released the albumMusas, Vol. 2, which includes songs she personally composed, such as "Danza de Gardenias", "Hoy Mi Día Uno", and the rerelease of the protest song "Un Derecho de Nacimiento". Also included are songs by great Latin American composers, such asÁlvaro Carrillo,Augusto Polo Campos, andMaría Grever. After the release ofMusas, Volumen 2, she toured Europe, performing at the KOKO Theater inLondon, at theBataclan inParis, at the Sala Apolo inBarcelona, and in the cities ofMadrid andFerrol. After the European tour, Natalia Lafourcade appeared on the stage of the90th Academy Awards together withGael García Bernal andMiguel, due to the nomination of"Remember Me".[18] The song was chosen as the winner. In mid-April 2018, she announced that she would continue with the "Musas Tour", with two concerts at theTeatro Gran Rex inChile,Canada, and theUnited States, and finish the tour inMexico. After this, she announced that she would be taking a break from her musical career.
After concluding theMusas tour, she announced that she would dedicate her time away from the stage to the reconstruction efforts of theSon Jarocho Documentation Center that was damaged after the earthquakes in Mexico in 2017. She occasionally left her break to perform at theGrammys andLatin Grammys' ceremonies.
As the first step for new record material, Lafourcade held press conferences from 30 September 2019 to 5 December 2019, and the music video for her single "Una vida" was published on YouTube. On 8 May 2020, Lafourcade officially launchedUn canto por México, an album with a cause, since the proceeds from it were allocated to the reconstruction of the Centro de Documentación del Son Jarocho, located in the city ofJáltipan de Morelos, Veracruz, which was affected by the2017 Puebla earthquake. Likewise, this album houses a series of collaborations by artists such asCarlos Rivera,Los Auténticos Decadentes,Jorge Drexler, Emmanuel del Real,Panteón Rococó, and Los Cojolites, a group from Son Jarocho.Un canto por México is inspired byLuis Miguel's studio album¡México Por Siempre!.
In Lafourcade's words, the album "tastes likemole" and contains melodies from past albums as new versions, such as "Hasta la raíz" in the style of Son Jarocho in the company of Los Cojolites and Los Auténticos Decadentes. Other songs included are "Mexicana hermosa" in a mariachi version with Carlos Rivera, "Un derecho de nacimiento", "Ya no vivo por vivir", "Nunca es suficiente", "Lo que construimos", "Mi tierra veracruzana", and "Cucurrucucú paloma", among others. The video clip for the single "Mi religión" was released on 7 May 2020, and was recorded on the streets of Guanajuato andSan Miguel de Allende. The song focuses on Lafourcade's love of music.
On 28 May 2021, Lafourcade officially released the second part of what turned out to be a two-part series,Un canto por México, vol. 2. The profits were also donated towards the reconstruction of the cultural center of Veracruz.
After traveling to Hacienda San Lorenzo inParras, Coahuila (the oldestwinery in Mexico), Lafourcade was inspired to collaborate with poet Citlali Aguilera Lira to produce the single "Tierra querida."[19] The song was released on June 17, 2022.
On October 28, 2022, Lafourcade released her first album in seven years to be composed entirely of original songs,De Todas las Flores. She premiered the album atCarnegie Hall on October 27, 2022.[20] The album was produced by Franco-Mexican producer,Adán Jodorowsky, with musicians including guitaristMarc Ribot, bass playerSebastian Steinberg and drummer Cyril Atef.[21] In 2019 and for a second time in September 2024, Lafourcade performed at the 18,000-capacityHollywood Bowl withGustavo Dudamel and theLos Angeles Philharmonic.[22]
Lafourcade released her 12th studio album,Cancionera, on 24 April 2025. The album was met with international critical acclaim for its introspective lyrics, symbolism to Mexican folk culture, and Lafourade's collaboration with several notable Latin American artists during the album's production. It was recorded live on analogue tape with 18 musicians and Lafourcade recording the songs in one take.[23] The album was produced by Adán Jodorowsky who previously worked on her album,De Todas las Flores. The album's songs were heavily influenced by Lafourcade turning 40 and thegolden age of Mexican cinema during the 1930s to the 1950s.[24][25] To promote the album, Lafourcade will perform throughout North America, marking her most extensive tour since 2018.
Lafourcade lives inCoatepec,[26]Veracruz[27] in the family home she grew up visiting as a child, which was inherited by her mother. She began singing in public at age 10. At the suggestion of amariachi singer who commented on her lack of proper vocal technique, she sought voice lessons as a child with the goal of appearing on television.[28] She announced on social media that she and her husband, whom she married in 2021, had gone on their honeymoon after two years of marriage but did not disclose her husband's name nor their wedding date.[29] She enjoys painting in her spare time.[30]
Lafourcade has two half-sisters named Katherine and Andrea, whom she reportedly did not meet until she was an adult.[31] The song "Que te vaya bonito, Nicolás", from her studio albumDe todas las flores, is dedicated in memory of her nephew, Nicolás, who died in 2021 in an accident on a mountain.[32] In July 2025, Lafourcade announced that she was expecting her first child, while still touring through Europe.[33] On 23 December 2025, she announced the birth of her son.[34]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEX [35] | US Latin [36] | US Latin Pop [37] | SPA [38] | |||
| Natalia Lafourcade |
| 1 | – | – | – | |
| Casa |
| 1 | – | – | – | |
| Hu Hu Hu |
| 9 | – | – | – | |
| Mujer Divina – Homenaje a Agustín Lara |
| 3 | – | – | – |
|
| Hasta la Raíz |
| 1 | 8 | 4 | 73 | |
| Musas: Un Homenaje al Folclore Latinoamericano en Manos de Los Macorinos, Vol 1 |
| 3 | 30 | 9 | 97 |
|
| Musas: Un Homenaje al Folclore Latinoamericano en Manos de Los Macorinos, Vol 2 |
| 8 | 31 | 5 | 43 | |
| Un Canto por México, Vol. 1 |
| – | – | – | 85 | |
| Un Canto por México, Vol. 2 |
| – | – | – | – | |
| De Todas las Flores |
| – | – | – | 94 | |
| Cancionera |
| – | – | – | – | |
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Las 4 Estaciones del Amor |
|
 | This section needs to beupdated. The reason given is:Some eight singles are missing, the most recent one being released in 2025 (La Cometierra).. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(February 2026) |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEX [42] | US Latin [43] | ||||
| "Busca un Problema" | 2002 | – | – | Natalia Lafourcade | |
| "En el 2000" | – | – | |||
| "Te Quiero Dar" | 2002 | – | – | ||
| "Mirame, Mirate" | – | 34 | |||
| "Elefantes" | – | – | |||
| "Ser Humano" | 2005 | – | – | Casa | |
| "Casa" | – | – | |||
| "O pato (El Pato)" | 2006 | – | – | ||
| "Solamente te lo Doy a Ti" | – | – | |||
| "Azul" | 2009 | – | – | Hu Hu Hu | |
| "Ella Es Bonita" | 4 | – | |||
| "Cursis Melodias" | – | – | |||
| "No Viniste" | 2010 | – | – | ||
| "La Fugitiva" (withKevin Johansen) | 2012 | – | – | Mujer Divina | |
| "Limosna" (with Emmanuel del Real) | 2013 | – | – | ||
| "Mujer Divina" (with Adrián Dárgelos) | – | – | |||
| "Aventurera" (with Alex Ferreira) | – | – | |||
| "Nunca Es Suficiente" (solo or withLos Ángeles Azules) | 2015 | 7 | 7 |
| Hasta la Raíz |
| "Hasta la Raíz" | 27 | – | |||
| "Lo Que Construimos" | – | – |
| ||
| "Mi Lugar Favorito" | 19 | – |
| ||
| "Tú Sí Sabes Quererme" (with Los Macorinos) | 2017 | – | – |
| Musas, Vol. 1 |
| "Soledad y el Mar" (with Los Macorinos) | – | – |
| ||
| "Mexicana Hermosa" (withCarlos Rivera) | – | – |
| ||
| "Danza de Gardenias" | 2018 | 34 | – | Musas, Vol. 2 | |
| "Alma Mía" | – | – | |||
| "Desdeñosa" (withEugenia León andOmara Portuondo) | – | – | |||
| "Que la Vida Vale" | – | – | N/a | ||
| "Una Vida" | 2020 | – | – | Un Canto por México, Vol. 1 | |
| "Veracruz" | – | – | |||
| "El Balajú / Serenata Huasteca" | – | – | |||
| "Alfonsina y El Mar" | 2021 | – | – | N/a | |
| "Cien Años" | – | – | Un Canto por México, Vol. 2 | ||
| "Tú Sí Sabes Quererme" | 31 | – | |||
| "Nada es Verdad" | – | – | |||
| "Tierra Querida" | 2022 | – | – | N/a | |
| "De Todas las Flores" | – | – | De Todas las Flores | ||
| "Mi Manera de Querer" | – | – | |||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEX [42] | US Latin [43] | SPA [44] | ARG [45] | ||||
| "Quisiera Saber" (with Los Daniels) | 2010 | 24 | – | – | – |
| A Casa |
| "María" (withLa Oreja de Van Gogh) | 2013 | – | – | 26 | – | Primera Fila: La Oreja de Van Gogh | |
| "Gulliver" (withMiguel Bosé,Alex González andSergio Vallín) | 2016 | 37 | – | – | – | Bosé: MTV Unplugged | |
| "Golpes en el Corazón" (withLos Auténticos Decadentes) | 2021 | – | – | – | 36 | Capítulo A | |
| Title | Year | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Remember Me (Duo)" (withMiguel) | 2017 |
| Coco |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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