She is the daughter of Anita Sánchez, a Mixtec cabaret singer and Allen Downs, a Scottish-American professor of art and cinematographer from Minnesota. Her albums are One Blood, Shake Away, and Sins … Downs' mother, Anita, a willful, intelligent woman, decided at an early age that she would escape the chains of her ancient village.
I've learned to respect the mysterious force of music, and been humbled by it. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies.
A common introduced the two at the club, and they fell in love, prompting Downs’ father to go home to Minnesota where he had a wife and family, seek a divorce, and return to Mexico to marry Downs’ mother.“I was born five years later, and that’s how I grew up in both countries,” Lila explains.The bulk of her early childhood was spent in Oaxaca, where she grew up mostly speaking a mixture of Spanish and Mixtec. And they talk like we are no longer here, but we are, we’re all here,” she says.Discovering this heritage could be as easy as looking at a map of all of the Americas and trying to identify which places are, in fact, indigenous names, then tracing those names to the peoples and languages spoken there.In fact, why not start with Lila’s native Oaxaca, a very indigenous Mexican state, with a very indigenous name? “Folk is universal,” she explains.A classic example of this is the medley she made of the songs Pastures of Plenty and This Land is Your Land, originally penned and recorded in the 1940s by legendary American folk artist and human rights activist Woodie Guthrie. It also catapulted her into a growing trend toward diversification of pop culture and the telling of stories of unsung heroes.For example, she contributed multiple songs to the soundtrack of the Academy Award winning 2002 film Lila would go on to win five Latin Grammys, including one for Best Traditional Pop Album for her 2017 recording But even with all these successes, Lila is as concerned as any Latino about the intolerant or unaccommodating state of the world, especially against immigrants, people of color, or people whose first language isn’t English.
The follow-up in 2006, La Cantina, was notable for the subtle inclusion of loops and electronic effects on a traditional collection of ranchera songs.Downs vocal range is wide and she employs her rich sound to very good effect on a broad variety of musical forms. That’s the secret of folk, right? Her musical vision is anthropological in nature, as varied as the ancient and earthy cultures that continue to nurture and inspire her.
She grew up in Oaxaca, California, and Minnesota, where she graduated from the University of Minnesota in voice and anthropology. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Her mother, Anita Sanchez, worked as a cabaret singer there and her father, Allen Downs, a cinematographer and biologist who taught at University of Minnesota, had come to Mexico making a film about the migration patterns of the blue-winged teal duck.
And long before any of those empires were expanding, there were mighty ones flourishing in what is now known as North, Central, and South America.“I think one of the very bewildering sensations for us who have indigenous origins is that we are spoken about as if we were in the past. That is no small feat,” she says.There are many indigenous names on the maps of Mexico and Guatemala. I think that’s why it’s so very universal.”Progress Report brings a Latino focus to state and national education issues. Downs subsequently toured Mexico and the USA and also visited South America and Europe. You can find information about UnidosUS's advocacy and policy work, the activities of our Affiliates, and read stories and perspectives from Latino educators from around the country.Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.
And today, those are all topics she uses to educate her audiences in her alter-Latina songs.Earlier this year, ProgressReport.co had the opportunity to talk to her about her life story, her music, and her ideas for helping indigenous Latino school children feel welcomed, valued, and recognized in the United States.Lila’s life story begins with her parents’ chance meeting in Mexico City. Lila Downs was born on September 19, 1968, in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca, Mexico.