LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥 When Natalia Lafourcade sat down to craft 鈥淐ancionera,鈥 she never expected to discover an alter ego that would lead her down a pathway of artistic enlightenment.
She had always worn her heart on her sleeve through her lauded career, but with 鈥淐ancionera,鈥 Lafourcade finally felt she was able to stop holding back, lean into the 鈥渟pirit of play鈥 and showcase all her multitudes on her 12th studio album, out Thursday.
鈥淐ancionera (the character) challenged me and asked, 鈥榃ho are you, really?鈥 鈥榃ho do you think you are?鈥 and 鈥楢re you much more than what you tell yourself? I mean, if you are who you think you are, because, in reality, you are many different things. So it opened up huge possibilities,鈥 said Lafourcade, whose answers have been translated from Spanish. 鈥淐ancionera鈥 translates to 鈥渟inger鈥 in English.
Lafourcade, who has four Grammys and to her name, felt it was time to step into Cancionerasa国际传媒 duality and the varied energies: 鈥渆arthly energy, volatile energy, romantic energy 鈥 they all became a part of her world, and I didn鈥檛 want to interrupt as they began to manifest,鈥 she said.
The 14-track album transports listeners within the trifold theatrical walls of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema 鈥 an era spanning the 1930s to the 1950s when the Mexican film industry cemented its role as a dominant force across Latin America and received international acclaim, creating stars like Pedro Infante and Maria F茅lix and introducing surrealist styles of filmmaking.
鈥淭his album is full of symbolism, inspired by the surrealism of Mexico and the values of our tradition and iconography. I wanted to honor the songs and the path of the cancioneras and cancioneros of life,鈥 said Lafourcade via email.
From the very beginning, with the inviting complex string arrangement of 鈥淎pertura Cancionera鈥 (鈥淥pening鈥), the album sends listeners on their own cinematic journeys as the jewel-toned red curtain ascends to reveal the black-and-white screen.
鈥淚t led me to think of characters, like the ones we saw in the movies, like (Mexican actor) Tin Tan, and these surreal worlds of lots of tropicality, music crafted by Agust铆n Lara,鈥 said Lafourcade. But she says this is her own interpretation of those characters, inspired by the language and stories of everyday life in Mexico.
Lafourcade has paid homage to Lara in the past: She recorded her own interpretation of the Mexican composersa国际传媒 most notable works on her 2012 album 鈥淢ujer Divina: Homenaje a Agust铆n Lara鈥 (鈥淒ivine Woman: An Homage to Agust铆n Lara鈥). 鈥淐ancionera鈥 revisits some of Lafourcadesa国际传媒 past stripped-down work as a singer-songwriter with acoustic tracks like 鈥淐omo Quisiera Quererte鈥 (鈥淗ow I Would Like to Love You鈥), featuring El David Aguilar.
The album was coproduced by Adan Jodorowsky, who also produced (鈥淥f All the Flowers鈥). Lafourcade recorded the album in one take on analog tape alongside collaborators like Aguilar, Hermanos Guti茅rrez, Israel Fern谩ndez, Diego Del Morao, Gordon Hamilton and Soundwalk Collective.
This was Lafourcadesa国际传媒 chance to explore the duality of her artistic self and her alter ego. She created the visual assets for the album in tandem with her unique recording process, which pushed her to express herself through other creative media, like painting and movement.
鈥淭his opened my view and my heart to be more sensitive to the things around me. I began to understand the story behind 鈥楥ancionera,鈥欌 said Lafourcade. 鈥淭hings started to happen, like I started to paint. It unblocked a lot at a creative and imaginative level鈥.
A constant throughout Lafourcadesa国际传媒 music is her roots in Veracruz, the same Mexican state Lara was from. Veracruz, known for its thriving arts and culture scene, infuses the entire album and naturally evokes itself through songs like 鈥淐ocos en la Playa鈥 and 鈥淟a Bruja鈥 (鈥淭he Witch鈥), a reimagined version of a folk song made popular in the region.
鈥淚 love everyday life in Mexico. I love the markets and the streets; I love its nights. I love its clandestine spaces and its characters 鈥 Mexico is full of beautiful things. Strong things, dark things and luminous things. Theresa国际传媒 so much duality,鈥 said Lafourcade. 鈥淚tsa国际传媒 all reflected in the lyrics, in the music.鈥
Fans of Lafourcade will be able to experience the recording artistsa国际传媒 alter ego on the 鈥淐ancionera鈥 tour, which kicks off Thursday in Xalapa, Mexico, and runs through October. The recording artist will tour throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America, along with stops in Spain.
