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HEARTSONGS
Lila Downs is back – with not one but Dos Corazones – a new song which she will be debuting live in London this this month. She tells Elizabeth Mistry how her first UK visit in eight years will be an opportunity to talk about…
“FREEDOM IS WITHIN EVERYONE”
The Delinquents is a heist film with a twist: the aim is not for wealth and luxury, but for freedom and the meaning of life. Selected as Argentina’s entry for the Oscars, this latest offering from Rodrigo Moreno is based on the…
LATIN LONDONER #50: LISA LUGO, SVP Marketing & Creative Solutions Live Nation UK
Born and bred a true Nuyorican, after working at Live Nation in the US, Lisa Lugo moved to the UK in 2015 where she oversees a team responsible for developing programmes for brand partners across Live Nation’s festivals and…
Giullianna Martinez - A New Face for Tituba
Ahead of her performance as Tituba in Anthony Lau’s upcoming production of The Crucible, American-Colombian actress Giullianna Martinez talks to LatinoLife about this exciting retelling of a classic play.
Things That Matter… Jards Macalé
Having worked with some of the biggest names in Brazilian music, including Joao Donato, Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso and more, Jards Macalé has garnered status as one of the most influential samba and tropicalia artists. Macalé’s…
WHAT MEXICO IS
Often accused of glorifying violence, Norteño legends Los Tigres del Norte have caused controversy and divided opinion with their musical “story-telling”. Yet there is no denying the huge impact that this highly influential…
Celluloid Colonialism
Felipe Gálvez’s much-anticipated directorial debut, ‘The Settlers’, deals with a taboo topic in Chile’s official history - the genocide of the Selk’nam people in Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost part of South America, at the…
Things That Matter to…Sara Correia
Widely regarded around the world as one of Fado music’s fastest rising stars, Portuguese singer Sara Correia’s profile has continued to rise sharply this year following the release of her acclaimed third studio album '…
True Romantic
We talk to four-time Latin Grammy winner Andrés Cepeda about how girls inspired him to start writing music, his secret shot of aguardiente to calm nerves and love as the engine of life. There's no doubt about it, the much…
“No Tengo Dogma" - an Interview with Mexican Director Lila Avilés
Mexican writer/ producer/ director LILA AVILÉS is reaching audiences far and wide, way beyond her Latin American roots, as her second film TÓTEM (2023) hits the screens in the UK and other countries. Both her films, LA CAMARISTA…
Golden Days
Four-time Latin Grammy winners Aterciopelados defined a new Golden Era of Colombian pop music when it exploded onto the Latin pop scene back in 1993, going on to become one of Colombia’s best known pop bands of the 1990s. With a…
Modern (yet Unashamedly Macho) Malambo
A fiery, young, and scintillating take on traditional Argentine malambo dance, Malevo is a dance troupe based in Buenos Aires, seeking inspiration from the malambo dance, originally from the Pampas plains. Wowing audiences across…
Latin Londoner #49 - Gabriela Vallim, journalist, cultural producer
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Gabriela Vallim is a journalist, cultural producer and founder of Baile Funk Culture, expanding the Brazilian street culture in the UK through events and workshops. She’s curated events at the…
Deconstructing Chile's Past
Up and coming Chilean writer/ director FELIPE CARMONA URRUTIA's 'Penal Cordillera’ (2023) was nominated for the Sutherland Award (Best First Feature) at the 2023 BFI London Film Festival. He talks to Corina J Poore…
Reggaeton’s Romantic
Jay Wheeler has long been known in his native Puerto Rico as “reggaetón’s favourite voice”, due to his romantic lyrics, folky tone and unashamedly sensitive side. He famously got so emotional at one concert in his hometown Ponce…
Things That Matter to…Harold Lopez Nussa
Recently signed to Blue Note Records, Harold started piano when he was eight years old in Havana, Cuba. After graduating from the Instituto Superior de Artes, he toured with Omara Portuondo and in 2003, worked with the Cuban…
Mexican Mambo
Widely regarded as one of the most influential Mexican music bands of all time, La Sonora Santanera’s unique big band style with elements of mambo, cha cha cha, bolero, cumbia and merengue, has made it popular all over Latin…
Big Little Sister
It would be surprising if iLe, Puerto Rico’s latest hot musical export, had nothing to say. Not only was she the sole female vocalist in rap group Calle 13, she has been performing with her politically astute half-brothers, Rene…
'THE BREATHING ISLAND', Ismael Rodríguez’s first solo show in London
In this multi-media debut show ‘The Breathing Island, Ismael Rodríguez has focussed on life in this world. Expressing a keen awareness of the complexity and diversity of this planet, Ismael Rodríguez’s thought-provoking mixed-…
She Who Demands the Stage
Diva is the Latin word for goddess and Cuban-Spanish singer, Lucy Calcines, became just that when her performance on The Voice UK in 2020 raised the studio to its feet, got four judges turning and became the most streamed…
Finding Freedom
After a decade as one of the most sought-after salsa musicians in Europe, Rene Alvarez is embarking on a long-life dream of fusing his Afro-Cuban heritage with his love of North American funk. His new band, Alvarez Funk, departs…
Things That Matter to...Alfredo Rodríguez
Widely considered to be one of the most gifted and exciting jazz pianists of his generation, Alfredo Rodríguez’s high-octane, warm and joyous musicianship won him at first the mentorship of Quincy Jones then a Grammy nomination.…
The Reluctant Artist
When his debut album 'Veneer' went platinum back in 2006 while a Phd student at Gothenberg University, José González’s life changed forever. About to embark on a career as a ground-breaking scientist, his instantly…
Things That Matter to…Eliane Correa
Eliane Correa studied piano and composition at the Instituto Superior de Arte in Havana, before relocating to London where she quickly gained fame for her work as a composer, musician and bandleader. After years as arranger,…
Peru 1982: A Six-month Photo Odyssey in South America
An exhibition at the Peruvian Embassy by photographer Tony Hutchings showcases the country's stunning landscapes and rich cultural diversity, captured during a six-month trip to South America.
Prodigious Child
Silvana Estrada grew up in rural Mexico in a home where music and instruments were made; both of her parents are luthiers. She was raised singing Mexican son jarocho before studying jazz and absorbing the music of the likes of…
Street Elegance
L-Gante is one of the most exciting, original and successful urban artists to emerge from Latin America in recent years. Emerging from the working-class suburbs of Buenos Aires, the boy from el barrio came out of nowhere and…
Things That Matter to…Susana Baca
Three-time Latin Grammy winner, Susana Baca is Peru’s most internationally renowned artist, who shone a light on the previously little known world of Afro-Peruvian rythmns. In 2021, she marked the 50th year of her career with the…
"Don’t Even Try": Breaking Shakespeare’s Glass Ceiling
"I loved Shakespeare, but almost every fellow actor, manager and director told me: ‘don’t even try.’” Mexican-born Jimena Larraguivel didn’t want to be in telenovelas. She wanted to be on stage. But with her strong accent…
Latin Londoner #48 - Gustavo Nenao, street artist
Gustavo Bordin (akak Gustavo Nenao) is a Brazilian street artist who has developed works in three continents and 42 countries and was the only Brazilian to join the selected group of artists chosen by the former U.S. first lady…
Hot Steppin’ Chamo
With his latest single ‘Hot Steppa’ breaking records as the fastest-growing UK-produced Latino song ever, clocking over 160k views in YouTube in 4 days, Angelo Flow is on a high. The song, a collaboration with dancehall legend J…
Latin Londoner #47 - Esco, Music Producer
Esco is an young up-and-coming sound engineer and producer. Born in Camden to Jamaican and Colombian parents he has absorbed two musical cultures in a very London way. After being heavily involved in gangs as a teenager which…
A Megaphone for Peru's Musical Wealth
One of Peru's most groundbreaking bands, with a trajectory of almost 40 years, PeruJazz has germinated the fusion between traditional and contemporary, folkloric and urban, the cajón and the saxophone. Drawing inspiration…
SON OF HIPHOP: An interview with Trueno
Of the dozens of artists being hailed as the ‘next big thing’ in Argentine urban music, one has caught our attention. The son of a true pioneer of Argentine hiphop, Trueno has grown up immersed in the genre: a technically…
Brave New Woman: An Interview with Nathy Peluso
Fiery and fearless, big and bold, Nathy Peluso aims to provoke. A woman’s woman, she creates characters and shape-shifts between styles, genres and languages; hiphop, R&B, salsa or jazz - nothing fazes this Spanish raised-…
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