LILA DOWNS

Daughter of a Mixtec Indian woman and Anglo-American father, Lila Downs unites cultures and boundaries with her extraordinary voice. Born in the mountains of Oaxaca, she studied music and anthropology at the University of Minnesota and at the University of the Arts in Oaxaca.

But it was only through music that Downs reconciled her heritage. “It took a long time to decide that I wanted to sing,” she says. “Something needed to motivate me.” That motivation was the songs and stories of the Oaxacan people. Her Mixtec mother spurred Downs to sing these songs with sentimiento – a deep, almost empathic emotion which has left audiences of all cultures and countries spellbound.

Downs recalls the first time she was struck with this particular 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.”

Since then, composing has become a powerful artistic and cultural outlet for Downs. She researches the ancient codices of the Mixtec and Zapotec people and sets them to music. Downs 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, Downs – with her thick braids and soulful, ink-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 Mexican and Mixtec traditions. Her intense performances and provocative lyrics have captivated audiences around the world and made her a legend in her native Mexico. Transformed by the lyrics she sings, Downs penetrates the soul and the mind as she retells the often bittersweet stories of her ancestors and homeland. She is an artistic phenomenon to be experienced, a world music diva in the making.

On her new CD - Border - Lila Downs forges a bridge between cultures and time  with a collection of stirring songs inspired by border life, the plight of migrant workers, and the hardships and racism endured by indigenous peoples. Accompanied by pre-Colombian and Mexican folk instruments, Downs infuses jazz, gospel, and hip-hop influences into traditional cumbias, creating powerful music in any language.

BORDER is dedicated to the Mexican migrants, to the spirits of those who died crossing the line.

 | Friday Main Stage 21.00 |