Interviews
A Megaphone for Peru's Musical Wealth

One of Peru's most groundbreaking bands, with a trajectory of almost 40 years, PeruJazz has germinated the fusion between traditional and contemporary, folkloric and urban, the cajón and the saxophone. Drawing inspiration…

SON OF HIPHOP: An interview with Trueno

Of the dozens of artists being hailed as the ‘next big thing’ in Argentine urban music, one has caught our attention. The son of a true pioneer of Argentine hiphop, Trueno has grown up immersed in the genre: a technically…

Brave New Woman: An Interview with Nathy Peluso

Fiery and fearless, big and bold, Nathy Peluso aims to provoke. A woman’s woman, she creates characters and shape-shifts between styles, genres and languages; hiphop, R&B, salsa or jazz - nothing fazes this Spanish raised-…

UnStrictly Tango: German Cornejo

For those of us appalled by BBC Strictly’s unashamedly banal demonstrations of tango dance, the yearly visits of German Cornejo and his dance troupe of world class Argentine dancers have been a welcome oasis of authenticity. We…

"They Looked for Them out of Love"

'Abuelas' is a film about a group of ordinary grandmothers who became extraordinary women. Known as the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, these women have spent almost 50 years looking for their ‘disappeared’ grandchildren who…

Latin Londoner #46 - Patricia Bidi, Visual Artist

Peruvian artist Patricia Bidi has been living in London for over 20 years and exhibiting her work all over the world. After working on Cecilia Vicuña's Brain Forest Quipu at the Tate Modern, Patricia explores these themes in…

"I thought, what might happen if those trees would someday disappear?"

Following her highly successful film ‘Summer 1993’ (2017) Carla Simón Pipó has created a moving, award-winning tale of a family trying to save a threatened peach farm in Catalonia. Corina J Poore talks to the writer and director…

Untangling to Reveal

Chilean-born Cecilia Vicuña is one of Latin America’s most celebrated artists. Her most ambitious work yet is currently being shown at the Tate Modern - a multi-part installation made up of sculpture, sound, music and video. At…

The Things That Tie Us

During his day job as a Spanish criminal interpreter in a small town in California, filmmaker Rodrigo Reyes met a young man named Sansón, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who was sentenced to life in prison without parole.…

"Transforming one body into another’"

Flamenco's experimental bailaor extraordinaire, Israel Galván, will be mesmerising audiences at Sadler’s Wells for two nights on November 25 and 26th with his original interpretation of ‘The Rite of Spring’ by Igor…

“…And Some Have Greatness Thrust Upon Them.”

‘Argentina 85’ directed by Santiago Mitre and starring Ricardo Darín and Peter Lanzani, is a taut, fact-based courtroom drama that is as suspenseful as it is intense. It tells the story of how Julio César Strassera and his…

Alejandro Loayza Grisi: Director of 'Utama'

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival 2022, ’Utama’ is a journey through the eyes of a Quechua couple that are battling between life and death with the climate change crisis affecting their home, forcing them…

“The Horror Seeps Through the Cracks”

Set during the harshest period of the Pinochet Dictatorship, ‘1976’ (2022) is an intelligent and moving study of a well-to-do housewife, Carmen, who, after being asked to care for a wounded activist, finds her life changing and…

Latin Londoner #45: Marcos Mereles, Film Director

Born in La Rioja, Argentina in1990, Marco Mereles is a filmmaker, based in London. His first feature film ALL IS VANITY (UK, 2021) had its world premiere at the 65th BFI London Film Festival and will be released in UK cinemas…

THE POWER OF NOW: An Interview with Cultura Profética

Cultura Profética is one of Puerto Rico's most influential bands. Formed in 1996, the group came to encapsulate what it is to be Latin Caribbean with its unique fusion of Caribbean reggae and Latin genres such as bossa nova…

Mexico in Kew: A Floral Celebration of Life

“Our Day of the Dead is an affirmation of life”, says Betsabeé Romero, the internationally renowned Mexican artist who has created a riotously-colourful Día de Los Muertos installation at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. As…

CAMUFLAJE (Camouflage) 2022 by Jonathan Perel

A jogger decides to run around the largest Military garrison camp in Argentina. On his travels he meets an array of people whose lives have been affected in various different ways by living close to Campo de Mayo, that had become…

An Aural Mapping of Nostalgia

One of the most critically and commercially successful bands to emerge from Latin America, Café Tacvba have come to define the essence of Mexican rock. Ahead of their European Tour this September, Shyal Bhandari speaks with…

TIMBA’S TRIUMPHANT RETURN

Those who were enjoying Eliane Correa and su Evolución at this weekend's LatinoLife in the Park, are no doubt are fans of Maykel Blanco - today's bonafide guru Cuban Timba. Lucky for them, for the first time in six…

Reclaiming The Streets

Ryan Castro is the latest in a string of Medellin music sensations to reach global fame, with hits such as Jordan, Wasa Wasa, Malory and Mujeriego. Just as Colombia’s ‘City of Eternal Spring’ has come to be known as the new…

Mexican artist Perla Krauze at the Cadogan Gallery

‘The crevices talk of what has gone before, which is life’ (Las grietas hablan de lo que ha pasado… que es vida’) Mexican sculptor and painter, Perla Krauze, is exhibiting a fascinating selection of her sculptures and…

Mexican Maverick

Striking gold in 2018 with his diamond-certified hit ‘Fuentes de Ortiz’, Latin Grammy-winning 21-year-old Mexican, Eduardo Hernández Saucedo, also known as Ed Maverick, became one of Latin America’s most in-demand talents…

Britpop's Favourite Timbalero

When Colombian timbal player Roberto Pla arrived the UK in the 1970s, the Latin music scene was practically non-existent. But the boy from Baranquilla soon became the percussionist of choice for UK pop artists such as Joe…

Emotional challenges for a Colombian immigrant in the UK

Santi (2021) is a 10-minute short film directed by up-and-coming talent Harry Richards. He talks to Latino Life about the film and its inception, and explains that the short is a taster for what will become a 90-minute feature…

The Juanes Mash Up

The Colombian music landscape has transformed dramatically over the last 10 years, with reggaetón becoming the new pop, but one Medellín rockero has transcended all trends and remains as relevant today doing the music he loves.…

"At the end of the day what's most important is family"

We talk to Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, Adria Arjona (daughter of Guatemalan singer Richardo Arjona) and Diego Boneta (hot off his title role in Netflix's Luis Miguel: The Series) who make up the stellar Latino cast of a…

Odd One Out

Hailed as one of the most promising jazz musicians of her generation, Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana is somewhat of an anomoly. Amaranta Wright meets Blue Note’s latest signing and discovers an incredible journey from a…

The Brit-Latin Underground

Photographer Alicia Colarusso delves into the underground Latin music scene in London to capture the essence of five up-and-coming artists - Fluffy, Luisa Santiago, Guala, A Nahomy and P Man – all born or bred in the capital or…

Nature’s Children

We can all recognize the low whistle opening To My Love, or the growing drum and guitar rhythm of Fuego. Fans of Colombia’s hippest electro-tropical outfit will be dying to see Bomba Estereo after its 4-year break since Ayo. With…

Food, Femininity and Theatre: The Life of Pepa Duarte

Theatre maker, and drama teacher, Pepa Duarte, is author of the self-performed play Eating Myself. Directed by Sergio Maggiolo, the play will be showing at Peckham Fringe this 16 and 17 May and has been hailed by The Guardian as…

The Wild South

After years touring the most successful and innovative tango shows around the world, most notably Tango Fire Immortal Tango, Argentine choreographer and lead dancer Germán Cornejo and his company of 10 men and 3 girls, challenge…

Crossed Off the Map: A Writer Beguiled by Bolivia

Since leaving a desk job at the Evening Standard 15 years ago, Shafik Meghji has authored and co-authored over 40 guidebooks and visited all seven continents, but when it came to his first full-length travel narrative it was…

Breaking Convention in Peru

From the barrios of Lima, 12 dancers arrive in London next week to perform an exciting work with Latin and hip hop influences at Sadlers Wells' 19th Breakin' Convention. We talk to D1 Dance Company founder Vania Masias…

Rebel Spirit

Ana Tijoux is well known for her strong lyrics that question the status quo, whether social, political, religious, cultural or economic. In the best tradition of Latin American cantaurores, the Chilean-French hip-hop singer…

Latin Music 2.0: Meet Candela Records’ Rising Stars

Ever since reggaetón became the world’s most streamed music genre, the major music labels have been on the hunt for the Latin music stars of the future. In a brave move, one global brand decided to look to UK shores for a new and…

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