Lila Downs

Lila Downs
Mexican singer and composer Lila Downs was born in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca in 1968. Her father Allen Downs was a Scottish/English-American and was a professor of art and cinematography by profession and belonged from Minnesota. While her mother Anita Sanchez was a Mixtec cabaret singer.

Downs upbringing took place initially in Oaxaca, Mexico, but as a teenager she lived in California after which she took admission in University of Minnesota in Voice and Anthropology and started living in Minnesota.

After completing her degree at the University of Minnesota, she headed back to Mexico where she learnt to weave. She made her initial step towards the music industry as she started singing in local pubs and clubs in Oaxaca and Philadelphia, accompanied by an American Saxophonist, Paul Cohen.

Apart from their performance in pubs and clubs, she also started collaborating with Cohen on her subsequent recordings as well. The couple later got married and Cohen became Downs artistic director.

Accompanied by her band, Downs have performed live at several venues in South America, Mexico, United States and Europe, in recent years. Her song Burn it Blue that she sang as a soundtrack to the movie titled Frida, was nominated for an Academy Award and she also performed it at 75th Academy Awards.

La Llorona, Benediction and Dream, and Estrella Oscura were the other songs by downs that were featured as the soundtracks of the same movie.

In addition to Frida she also sang for the movies including Real Women Have Curves and Tortilla Soup. In Shanghai, during Twelve Girls Bands concert, she comfortably sang both in English and French.

Her most recent album Shake Away was released on September 2, 2008, comprising of several cover songs along with some of her original material.

The album incorporates the covers of Lucinda Williams song I Envy the Wind and Blue Niles song I Would Never. She also collaborated with Enrique Bunbury, member of the band Heroes del Silencio and La Mari, a member of the band Chambao.

What really got her going on her journey in the music industry was an American Saxophonist Paul who later became her artistic director as well as her husband. After their marriage they couple kept on collaborating hence her fame and exposure kept on rising steadily afterwards.

Downs and Cohen have collaborated ever since and gave out some of their most notable compositions including Tree of Life, La Sanduga, Border, Una Sangre, and La Cantina.

Downs was honored as am accomplished musician for her song Burn it Blue, which she sang for a movie Frida and was also nominated for an Academy Award, from all over the world.

During her recent tours with her husband in South America, Mexico, The United States and Europe, she is not only considered as an ambassador for Mexico but also the medium of spreading Mexican music to all corners of the world.

In 2006, her live performances during her concert in Mexico City and Oaxaca City were released on a DVD in February. In the making of this DVD, Downs and her band collaborated with several film makers.