“Downs is perhaps one of the most recognizable traditional singers in Latin alternative music, boasting track streams and YouTube views by the millions.”
Lila Downs
NPR has called her a “warrior woman” and the Guardian says her voice is “almost superhuman,” but Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning singer and activist Lila Downs is beloved by her legions of fans for not letting it all go to her head—while always staying true to her roots. The Mexican American star, raised in Minnesota and Oaxaca, has built a career connecting the folk and indigenous music of Mexico to contemporary music genres and modern social movements. Her latest cumbia-infused release, Al Chile, explores themes of pleasure and pain, suffering and redemption, through the metaphor of Mexico’s ubiquitous chili pepper.