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5 Women Who Rock
Whether their genres of choice are rock or
classical, these five women are all helping to usher in a new sound,
from a singer-songwriter who waxes poetic to a rising conductor
putting her stamp on the world’s most beloved scores.
Kani Garcia
By Diana Montané
Double Latin Grammy winner Kany García’s
new album, Boleto de Entrada, signals a return to her roots, but
also a more international sound than in her debut album, Cualquier
Día.
“Yes, that is true, that is what I tried to do,” she
agrees in a telephone interview, adding that, in some of the songs
she also wanted to pay tribute to the music of her native Puerto
Rico.
It was on the island that Kany (Encarnita) García tried to
jump-start her career in 2004 by entering the contest Objetivo Fama,
a Spanish-language version of American Idol. But on her way to the
studio, exhausted, she fell asleep at the wheel of her car and was
in an accident, sustaining fractures to her pelvis and clavicle.
While in the hospital, she received an unexpected visitor: Gloria
Estefan, who had suffered a similar accident in1990.
“Gloria was playing in Puerto Rico [and] was at a local radio
station. My friend called in and told her about my accident,”
she says. The star rushed to the hospital. “And she didn’t
want any cameras or any publicity,” García emphasizes.
García attracted the attention of executives
at Sony Music, and in 2007 she released her debut album, Qualquier
Día, which received four Latin Grammy nominations in 2008,
for Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Best New Artist and Best
Female Pop Vocal Album. In this last category, she beat out the
reigning queen of rock, Alejandra Guzmán. “I don’t
think she was angry at me, but angry that she did not win. She has
a long legacy of excellence.”
García won another Grammy over Ximena Sariñana as
Best New Artist, and has high praise for the young singer. “Hers
is a very fresh voice and a very daring musical proposition.”
Feliz, the single from Boleto de Entrada, which was released in
September, has broken musical and gender barriers, especially with
the much touted and musically infectious line: “Las calles
son mas grandes desde que no estás” or “The streets
are so much wider since you are not here.” García elaborates:
“It does talk about a breakup, and that we women can be strong
alone, but it was really about a male friend and a falling out we
once had.”
García laughs about her controversial song about a friend
of a different kind, Mi Amigo en el baño (My Friend in the
Bathroom) pointing out the different perceptions between male and
female singer/songwriters. “If a man had written that, nobody
would question him. But since I’m a woman they even question
me about my sexuality. They ask me what my boyfriend thinks about
mi amigo en el baño, they imply that I’m a lesbian,
you name it.”
García is engaged to Carlos Padial, who plays guitar in her
band. But despite rumors of an upcoming marriage, she says it would
be impossible to set a date now with the new album and promotional
tour.
At 26, Kany García says she feels a responsibility, as a
Latina artist, not only to keep proving herself, but also to give
back. “First I have to prove that I wasn’t a fluke,
a fly-by-night,” she says. “But I believe that when
you are in the public eye and people listen to what you have to
say, there is an inherent social responsibility. I am looking very
carefully at causes that I want to embrace.”
 CéU
By Lissette Corsa
Brazilian singer/songwriter CéU garnered worldwide
accolades in 2007 with her eponymous debut on Six Degrees Records.
She scored both a Latin Grammy and Grammy nomination after becoming
the first Latina and international act featured on Starbucks’
Hear Music debut series. The album, a mélange of samba, electronica,
hip-hop, jazz and soul, imbibed in the folkloric roots of her nation’s
vast musical landscape, even landed the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s
World Music charts and ranked at 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. It
was the best showing for a female Brazilian artist since Astrud
Gilberto sparked the U.S. Bossa Nova craze with The Girl From Ipanema
in 1963. But CéU is no quintessential siren from Rio. This
São Paulo native is rooted in her native burg’s urban
underground, where the different sonic sub-cultures from Brazil
and beyond collide in an explosion of cutting-edge music. On her
latest disc, Vagarosa, the sultry-voiced chanteuse takes her sinuous
sounds to a new realm of endless musical possibilities. Teaming
up with old accomplices artist/producer Beto Villares, touring engineer
Gustavo Lenza and soundtrack producer Gui Amabis, who collaborated
with her on the Sonantes project, the highly anticipated sophomore
album strikes a balance between downbeat ruminations and restless
experimentation.
 Alondra
de la Parra
In the world of conductors, Alondra de la Parra is breaking the
mold beyond gender and nationality. The 27-year-old classical maestra,
who was born in New York and raised in Mexico City, projects a new
energy and femininity that breaks from the pretentious, stuffy aura
of traditional conductors. Hailed as one of the most compelling
conductors of her generation, de la Parra founded and directs the
Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas based in New York City. Since
its formation in 2004, the group has generated a lot of buzz for
its broad repertoire, which is heavy on south of the border compositions
interpreted by a roster of mainly Latin-American musicians and emerging
soloists. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, de la Parra
has been equally touted for her vibrant expressions and skills behind
the baton. Because she champions the rich tradition of Latin American
concert music—particularly from Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina,
and Brazil—her orchestra encompasses symphonic sophistication
as well as swinging syncopation, not unlike that of a Latin dance
band.
 Bebe
In 2004 Spanish singer/songwriter Bebe was reluctantly thrust into
the spotlight by the success of Malo, a fiery song denouncing domestic
violence. A year later her debut disc Pafuera Telarañas snagged
a Latin Grammy for best new artist. Then in 2006, at the height
of her popularity Bebe announced to the world that her debut album
would also be her last. Now, after years under the radar, the 31-year-old
pop star is making a comeback with her recently released disc Y.
(period). On her first single Me fui Bebe sings a list of reasons
she dropped out of sight, one of which was so that she could return
again. One thing that hasn’t changed is Bebe’s deft
ability to embrace the many contradictions that drive her. Her rousing
mix of pop, flamenco, acoustic guitar music, and Euro-reggae, in
the vein of Manu Chao, percolates beneath her reedy voice. But this
time the sound is leaner and more polished; it’s clear that
at least for the long haul, Bebe’s here to stay.
 Lhasa
de Sela
Lhasa de Sela is one of those enigmatic figures whose stories are
interesting from the day they enter the world. Born in the Catskills
to an American mother and Mexican father, de Sela was named for
the capital of Tibet and raised on the road between the U.S. and
Mexico on a converted school bus before her family decided to settle
in San Francisco. After the worldwide success of her first record,
La Llorona, she went underground and joined a traveling circus in
France with her sisters—a clown, a contortionist and a tightrope
walker. So it should come as no surprise that her sonic musings
are a confluence of gypsy music, cabaret, Mexican folk, klezmer
and emotion-drenched singer/songwriter reflections sung in Spanish,
English and French. On her new album called Lhasa, the artist offers
her most intimate work to date entirely in English. Her lyrics have
a powerful undertow and the moods she conjures can sometimes be
eerie, but de Sela magically transforms the unadorned simplicity
of raw emotion into song.
If You Like...
Kany Garcia
you might enjoy: Ednita Nazario
Puerto Rican rocker Ednita Nazario also has an enjoyable pop rock
sound. All husky voice and rock balladeer, Nazario belts out songs
of lost love and new beginnings better than most.
CéU
you might enjoy: Sara Tavares
Boasting an easy, melodic sound, the work of Portuguese songbird
and guitar strummer Tavares is pure artistry. Along with her soulful
voice, Tavares is also a talented producer and composer.
Alondra de la Parra
you might enjoy: Ana Karina Alamo
The Venezuelan-born pianist and former child prodigy is at the forefront
of classical music and has been lauded for a virtuosity that projects
honesty and vulnerability.
Bebe
you might enjoy: Ojos de Brujo
Spanish group Ojos de Brujo specializes in the unique fusion of
hip hop and flamenco. Like modern gypsy musicians, they project
an original sound that is a mix of old world and new.
Lhasa de Sela
you might enjoy: Marta Gomez
Following in the tradition of folkloric song, Gómez sound
is as much about her sweet, clear voice as it is about the story.
Her approach mixes styles from all over Latin America.
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