UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Lila Downs, a Grammy Award-winning Mexican-American singer-songwriter and social activist, will share her revolutionary spirit with a performance of traditional Latin American folk songs, Cuban son, rancheras, boleros and more at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, in Eisenhower Auditorium.
Downs, the daughter of a Mixtec cabaret singer and a Minnesota university professor, started her career at a young age by singing with mariachis. In addition to traditional Latin American genres, the trained opera singer uses blues, hip-hop and jazz to tell stories about indigenous people, cultural identity and issues of social justice.
Downs’ discography includes nine studio recordings with songs delivered in English, Spanish and the native languages of her mother’s homeland. She is the recipient of a 2012 Grammy Award for “Pecados y Milagros.” Other albums have garnered her three Latin Grammy Awards. In June, she released “Salón, Lágrimas y Deseo,” a collection of songs dominated by themes of female empowerment.