Mexican-American singer-songwriter Lila Downs has been making music for decades. Her debut studio album La Sandunga was released in 1999, and she gained widespread recognition when several of her songs were featured in the 2002 movie "Frida," a biopic about the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Her latest single, "Cambias mi Mundo," or "You Change My World," is out now. It's the title track from an upcoming album by Downs of mostly original material. She is performing in Santa Cruz at the Quarry Amphitheater on March 6.
I spoke with Downs ahead of the upcoming performance, and she began by telling me what audiences can expect:
Lila Downs: "This time around, we're going to be doing some new songs from our recent album, which are more boleros and some of the kind of Afro music from Mexico and Latin America...and also some of the classics that people are expecting us to perform."
Click the audio player at the top of this story to listen to the interview or read the highlights below. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
On the lead single from Downs' upcoming album, Cambias mi Mundo:
Dylan Music: So the lead single off the as-yet-to-be-released album is also the title track, "Cambias mi Mundo," or "You Change My World," and it features San Jose rapper Snow Tha Product...and the chorus refrain on this song is "You change my world in a second. You change my world in a second, and you go free..."
Lila Downs: "I had a marriage that lasted close to 30 years, and my husband died three years ago. We had a difficult time towards the end there because he was conscious. We knew that he was going to go, and so it was stress on the relationship for the last 10 years. Then three years ago, we lost him, and it was very difficult. And then three years after, I met a person that I fell in love with, and life changed for me, and my world changed. The song itself is inspired by students who are young ladies who are of Indigenous background, which is kind of my story. So I participate in this scholarship fund that supports young women, and it's beautiful to see the transformation. And that's what the song is about. It's about how you can transform things. I mean, it's incredible how education can give and empower young people and make them have freedom or find their freedom. And that's what the lyric says: "Freedom to express yourself and the power to have a language that liberates."
"Cambias mi Mundo" by singer-songwriter, composer and social activist Lila Downs is out now. It's the title track off of her upcoming album. Downs is performing at the Quarry Amphitheater in Santa Cruz on March 6. KAZU is a co-sponsor of the event. Our editorial decisions are made independently of sponsorship agreements.
