Lila Downs

Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Lila Downs is among the most globally popular singers of Latin music. One reason is that despite long established roots in Mexico and the United States, her cultural vision is anthropological. Hers is informed by ancient and earthy cultures both from her native Oaxaca -- boleros, rancheras, and mariachis -- and U.S. with its jazz, blues, and soul standards. Her own songwriting topics reflect themes of political and social justice, immigration, transformation, and environmentalism, all rooted in the human condition. Possessed of a big, throaty alto, her performances are dramatic contrasts in cultures as they seek connections between them and highlight the necessity of difference among them, whether she's singing jazz ballads, bouncy norteños, or blues. She has performed everywhere from the White House and Carnegie Hall to Mexico City's Auditorio Nacional, Bueños Aires' Teatro Gran Rex, and Harlem’s Apollo Theater. She is capable of delivering jazz ballads, mournful rancheras, and bouncy norteño dance music, show tunes, and blues with passion and pathos as well as humor and warmth. 2000's Tree of Life offered lyrics derived from the religious codices of the Mixteca and Zapotec people. The album was recorded in Oaxaca. In 2002, the singer appeared in the film Frida and contributed to its soundtrack with the song "Burn It Blue" that was nominated for an Academy Award in the category of Best Original Song. It expanded her fan base globally, allowing her to take more chances, as she did on 2004's Una Sangre (One Blood), where she succeeded in organizing a complicated network of global influences into a distinctive whole rooted in Mexican music. 2011's Pecados y Milagros was another global hit and won both a Grammy and Latin Grammy; it peaked in the top spot on the Latin Albums chart