Something to sing about
Young Chang
Lila Downs knew that unless she really had something to sing about,
she couldn’t be a singer and be happy.
She had trained vocally since her teens, but the 34-year-old wondered
if the art would stimulate her intellectually.
And then she found her calling.
When the Mexican American performer was in her mid-20s, she went from
being confused to appreciative of being multiethnic. She studied
anthropology as a student at the University of Minnesota to the point
where it changed her perspective on life.
“I came back being a little more subversive, I guess, in what I wanted
to say,” said Downs, who will perform today at the Irvine Barclay Theatre
as part of the Philharmonic Society and the Barclay’s World Stages
series. “I also had more to say.”
Today, after creating three soulful albums mixing everything from
blues and jazz to the Mayan and Zapotec languages, the Mexico City
resident says her goal is to make music that makes the world a little
less cold.
“I truly hope that people can like each other a little bit more,” said
Downs, who is also a featured act at Los Angeles’ Conga Room for Cinco de
Mayo. “I hope that we can smile at one another and see our differences
and love them.”
It took Downs half her life to love her very own differences.
She spent much of her early years in Mexico with her grandmother -- a
wonderful, warm lady who couldn’t read or write but spoke endlessly of
beautiful legends involving ghosts and spiritual matters, Downs said.
Downs’ mother was a business woman and was often away on trips. She
was Mixtec Indian, had spent some years singing during a time when female
singers were considered inappropriate and later ran a car parts store in
Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca.
But Downs spent most of her childhood with her Scottish American
father, who died when she was 16. He was a cinematographer and painter
who met Downs’ mother in Mexico while making a documentary about teal
birds. He eventually also taught at the University of Minnesota.
When he died, Downs found herself suddenly and heavily involved with
her mother.
“I was faced with a very Indian mother who was quite different from
me. Suddenly, we were stuck together,” Downs said.
On top of being confused by her dual ethnicity, the performer also
found herself confused and embarrassed in general because she was a teen.
“When you’re an adolescent, you’re so ashamed of yourself in the first
place,” Downs said.
But living closely with her mother changed things. Downs grew to stop
being ashamed of her thick Indian accent when speaking Spanish and also
started seeking her respect and emotional support.
She also returned, both physically and symbolically, to her homeland
of Oaxaca, where her umbilical cord was buried beneath a maguey plant
after birth. Tradition has it that one is bound to where the umbilical
cord is.
“I learned to appreciate that side of my family from then on,” Downs
said. “Now that [my mom] sees I’m working to build respect for our Indian
ancestors and the Indian migrant workers, she’s very proud.”
Downs’ latest album, “Border,” addresses and pays tribute to Mexican
migrants who died trying to cross the border, as well as those who made
it across.
“I am very privileged because I can see the different perspectives in
this phenomenon,” said Downs, whose other albums are “Tree of Life” and
“La Sandunga.” “I think, in the U.S., we need to learn the work of all
migrant laborers.”
Her husband, Paul Cohen, saxophonist and musical director of Downs’
band, agreed with his wife about their goal as musicians.
“The goals are both artistic and also social,” he said. “I’m very
happy making the most beautiful music that we can make and apart from
that, hopefully the music that we make has a spiritual message that can
take a little bit away from people’s misery in this world.”
FYI
* What: Lila Downs performs
* When: 8 p.m. today
* Where: Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine
* Cost: $24, $28
* Call: (949) 854-4646
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.