Lila Downs is one of the most influential artists in Latin America. Growing up in both Minnesota and Oaxaca, Mexico to a mother from the Mixtec indigenous group and a Scottish-American father, Lila’s music often focuses on social justice, giving a voice to migrants, indigenous people and women. She sings in Spanish, English and various Native American languages, such as Zapotec, Mixtec, Nahuatl, Maya and Purepecha.

Lila’s compositions combine genres and rhythms as diverse as Mexican ranchers and corridos, boleros, jazz, hip-hop, cumbia and North American folk music, to create a distinctive sound that has earned her international recognition on the world stage. She has collaborated with the likes of Mercedes Sosa, Norah Jones, Yo Yo Ma, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, as well as Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.

Mariachi Las Adelitas UK, in support, are in the business of subverting gender norms, mainly the venerable male-dominated mariachi tradition. The mariachi classics are included in their repertoire, plus original songs and beautiful arrangements of well-known songs including classics in English arranged in an authentic mariachi style. The most recent step beyond the traditional was to cover Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black. Amy would definitely have approved.

Part of La Linea – The London Latin Music Festival 2024