"I love writing about heartbreak, but in reality, I read a lot and dedicate a lot of my time to happiness, to the love of a partner but also the love of friends and family," says the curious girl on my screen, whose words are already far too wise for someone so young.
That is the sense you get from this singer-songwriter, who is already “one of Mexico’s greatest young talents and vocalists.” Surrounded by plants, the 26-year-old transmits confidence and serenity from her living room and a wisdom beyond her years. Her music has a sense of calmness and introspection, she seems far too aware of and at ease with her feelings, and way too comfortable in her own skin.
In Te Guardo, for example, a melancholic chorus frames the simple acoustic guitar and then a soft voice comes in that reflects on feelings about a loved one.
"My songs emerge from a desire to express my emotions. I'd like to explain events that have happened to me in an unorthodox way. I try to transform them into poetry. I want to address issues that are challenging to talk about, and music can help me do so."
Silvana was born a mere 25 years ago in Veracruz, on the east coast of Mexico, to musician and luthier parents. Despite looking like her path was set, Silvana insists her parents only wanted her to chase what makes her happy.
"As classical musicians themselves; my mum is a clarinetist, and my dad is a bassist, I saw my parents working with musicians and they introduced me to music as a profession but at the same time as a link within the world that can collectively heal. I can say that my life now is nothing like what my parents imagined."
By 13, Silvana was performing in local bars, chaperoned by her parents. Her artistic family and their friends lived on the edge of Coatepec, a town in a region known for its picturesque coffee farms and rivers, but also for drug violence. When, at just 16, Silvana was accepted into the university jazz program in Xalapa, Veracruz’s capital, her parents rented an apartment there for her and her older brother so that they could avoid driving home on the highway after dark (her brother, the “oddball” of the musical family, is a software designer).
She recalls that this was the time she started composing and writing her own songs. In a style very much her own: she composes, writes, plays, and sings all her work. A multi-instrumentalist, Silvana most often plays the Venezuelan cuatro guitar, whose small body and warm sound suits her hands and syncs with the rolling variations of her vocals.
"I do this style of music just because it amuses me and makes me feel good. It is a bit childish, but in a good way."
She claims she has no idea what genre her music and songs belong to because they stand on their own. Raised singing Mexican son jarocho and baroque choir music, and schooled in jazz, she is an iconoclast who dismisses musical trends for a personal, poetic style that goes straight to the heart of listeners. She has the playful of a Bjork, and the serious musicianship of a Natalia LaFourcade. Already, having barely left her crib, she is inspiring young artists.
"I was always like, I am doing this because I want to sound this way. It is more about how honest you are with yourself. It came to a point where I had to ask myself, What makes me happy? And what can I do to be happy? And those questions led me to find my journey."
Silvana believes that is a question we have to ask ourselves every day; for her, music is the way to happiness.
"Being honest with myself has saved me many times from getting lost along the way."
In the following years, Silvana began collaborating with renowned jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter in the United States.
"I recorded an album with Charlie, and I was ready to move to New York and start my career there. But my visa was rejected; they didn’t give me the permit to work or go touring."
Out of disappointment and rejection however, came a defining moment in her career.
"I stayed in Mexico, and I think that was the moment my career path became clearer. You know I create songs in Spanish, it makes more sense for me to be in a place where Spanish is the main language and getting to meet more artists that work in the same industry."
Not long after, Silvana began releasing her music and collaborating with other artists; she released Tenias que ser tu, Me Estas Matando, and later, she released her first solo EP, Primeras canciones, in 2018 that went viral and got invited to perform with Natalia Lafourcade.
"She was saying goodbye to the stage, and I was there in the eight shows at the Metropolitan Theatre in Mexico City doing chorus. But as well, I was able to sing my own songs on acoustic. I believe all these decisions—some I made, others just came—created the path I went through," she said.
In 2022, Silvana released her acclaimed album Marchita which won her a Latin Grammy for Best New Artist. She admits that it was an amazing and fulfilling year for her work, but personally, it wasn’t that simple.
"Getting the Latin Grammy was really exciting, but it came at a difficult time: I was struggling with my health because I was on tour for so long. I also lost very close people, especially one that was very close to me. This path of music can be challenging, and there are many roads that you can take. For this reason, as an artist, you aren’t sure what is going to happen next. Winning gave me some hope and light on this difficult road. It was a kind of star saying: ‘You are doing ok; just keep going.’"
The Grammy, Silvana says, the strength she needed to finish a difficult year.
“In other words, I learned things that I think I had to learn and that changed my life, and in that sense, I am very grateful."
Now, she says, her new EP, Abrazo, released last year, ushers in a new positive Silvana. Those four songs represent a more optimistic mindset that Silvana wanted to share to her public. “I am a very happy person, and I felt the need to show this side of me. Someone who is ready to keep going and work towards my passions.”
"Marchita was a very intimate, dark, but also very lonely album. And I think Abrazo is the opposite; it's a contrast that I needed to really show some part of me that I believe is important.”
With the accolades have come the usual predictions that she will become the next top Mexican female artist and comparisons to Natalia Lafourcade or Julieta Venegas. How does she handle the hype? I ask.
"I think those predictions are won by working. I don’t want to focus on that; instead, I want to keep making new albums. My team is getting better. We are growing. If the moment comes when I take them there and they are super close friends of mine, it will come because of my hard work and songs. I take this calmly, without any expectations; I see this path as a long one, and I don’t want to run for it; instead, I want to enjoy it step by step."
For Silvana, it's all about the journey, the learning, rather than the result. She is ready to release another album, and now she is embarking on long awaited European tour. It is the second time she is coming to London, after a debut sell-out show last summer.
"I am so excited about going back to London. I am back there with my band this time, as last time it was a solo show. I was intrigued by London, so I can’t believe I am back with a bigger show and offering more people to join. I want to do more things in London and enjoy the city."
What can we expect from this show?
"Prepare yourself to sing very loud and bring your mezcal or your tequila, because in my show there is a lot of crying. I hope this show unites us and that it reconnects us with our hearts, with ourselves, and with each other.
Silvana Estrada performs at EartH Theatre in Hackney on Saturday 3rd June 2023
