Ana Tijoux
Ana Tijoux is the Chilean hip-hop protester. Her cover letter could well be what media outlets like The Rolling Stones who chose her as the best rapper in Spanish, The New York Times who points to her as the Latin American response to Lauryn Hill, or magazines like Newsweek who ranks her as the most important Latin American rapper on the international scene. Ana Tijoux was born in Lille in 1977. Her parents went into exile during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship in Chile, which has left a mark on her career, marked by a special sensitivity to political and social issues. Her music dialogues to the sound of hip hop, fused. A feminist and activist in her lyrics, she denounces social and cultural deficiencies. In favor of women’s rights and against gender violence, in 2014 she highlighted in her album “Vengo” the song “Antipatriarch”. They frequently participate in campaigns against inequality and oppression in the world. Tijoux is committed to defending women’s rights and has denounced gender violence and inequality. Also the inequality faced by artists in the world of cinema, or singers.
“We realize that in every place we visit, in every news item we see, violence against women is reiterated, multiplied and totally normalized (…) deep down you are being asked with whom you abandon your children when you go on tour, and many times it is women journalists who ask you that, so I wonder: when are the daddy men who leave their children when they go on tour going to ask this question?
“We have to be young, we have to be attractive, we have to be intelligent, but they hope we don’t talk too much, and sing very beautifully and hopefully see ourselves very sexy above the stage (…) one as music questions oneself and says: ‘chucha, what is my capacity for movement here’, because finally if one says that one has critical thinking, one is still confronted daily with this, from advertising, from atrophied bodies”.
Ana is a global artist. About to publish her first book of poetry and her fifth studio album, she dares to go through all the creative processes: she composes, writes and arranges both her own themes and those she develops for different audiovisual projects, from films to documentaries. She has also put herself in front of the camera in films such as La Isla de los Pingüinos or a Chilean series of upcoming premieres and feminist theme called La Jauría.
CAREER
Her recognition in Latin America began in the late 90’s as a femcee of the hip-hop group Makiza, consolidating her worth and success with her second solo album “1977”.
His first solo album, titled Kaos, produced by Nicolás Carrasco (Foex) of the Potoco Discos label, together with guitarist and producer Cristóbal Pérez (Pera Prezz), would be released in 2007 under the Oveja Negra label, founded by the SCD, with his first single “Despabílate! In this album she fuses funk, soul and other black rhythms, giving himself the freedom to compose sad, cheerful, dynamic and melodic songs with the desire to show a whole range of emotions.
With her 1977 album (2009), Ana Tijoux showed her skills through sophisticated rhythms and lyrics, wrapped in a voice with a touch of jazz. The album, named for being her year of birth, paints a picture of her childhood in France and pays tribute to the Chilean hip hop that inspired her in the early ’90s. That same year Radiohead leader Thom Yorke recommended his followers listen to the artist’s 1977 song, which raised Tijoux’s popularity in Europe.
In March 2014 she released her fourth solo album, Vengo, musically produced by Andrés Celis, mixing different rhythms and cultures. The artist releases a set of 17 songs, ranging from tinku to the most contentious hip hop, with instrumental nuances full of political manifestos, contingency themes, social and cultural deficiencies. The initial track “Vengo”, which gives the plaque its name; continues with the aforementioned “Somos Sur”, together with the Palestinian femcee Shadia Mansour; “Antipatriarca”, produced by Cristóbal Pérez (Pera Prezz), dedicated to women’s liberation, women’s autonomy and the vindication of their rights and the denunciation against violence against women; and “Somos Todos Erroristas” which, following the line of collaborations, has the contribution of Hordatoj. In the song “Creo en Ti”, also produced by guitarist Cristobal Perez, has the company of Juanito Ayala, with a cheerful lyrics, positive, full of awareness and hope, nuanced with sounds of charangos, quenas and redobles nortinos, demonstrating the versatility of styles combined in the work, Tijoux manages to impress a new local musical environment, as well as opening the door to new exponents in search of consecration. It is with this album that he manages to captivate the ears of great international exponents such as Iggy Pop, who incorporated in the playlist of his BBC radio program the song “Somos Sur”, appealing to “this girl if she has balls”, or as the Japanese composer and activist Ryuichi Sakamoto who shared on his Facebook wall the song “Antipatriarch” and “No TPP” (2013), pointing out that there are no borders for music.
PRIZES
She has dozens of nominations for various awards such as the MTV, 40 Principales, Indie Music Awards and has eight Grammy nominations (both Latin and Anglo), making her the Chilean woman with the most nominations for these awards.
Winner of the 2012 Altazor Awards, with “Sacar la voz” feat. Jorge Drexler in the “Best Urban Song” category, in 2015 she won first place in the categories of Best Artist of the Year, Best Album of the Year (Vengo), Best Song of the Year (Vengo), and Best Urban Music Artist of the Pulsar Awards, with her fourth solo album “Vengo”.
In 2011, she was nominated for the Grammy Awards with “1977” in the category “Best Latin/urban/alternative rock album”, which would be repeated in 2013 for “La Bala” and in 2015 with “Vengo” in the category “Best Latin/urban/alternative rock album”. Likewise, in the Latin Grammy Awards, she has been nominated with “La Bala” for “Best Urban Music Album” (2012) and with “Sacar la voz” (2013).
In 2014, she won a Latin Grammy with “Universos Paralelos” with Jorge Drexler in the “Song of the Year” category and, in 2014, she was nominated with “Vengo” in the “Best Urban Song” category.
Considered one of the top MCs in Latin America, Ana Tijoux has been nominated to the MTV Video Music Awards Latin America as “Best New Artist”, and “Best Urban Artist”.
Carol C (of Si*Sé)
Carol C on Twitter | Carol C on Instagram
Carol C is the lead singer and co-founder of the popular NYC-based electro soul band Si*Sé. With a musical style the Los Angeles Times described as “edgier than Sade, but more accessible than Everything But The Girl”, Carol helped Si*Sé gain the attention of David Byrne of Talking Heads back in 2001. He quickly signed them to his Luaka Bop label and took them along on his Look Into The Eyeball world tour.
Already established in NYC’s music scene as a globetrotting drum & bass DJ and party promoter since before the band’s inception, the success of Si*Sé made Carol C’s vocals, songwriting, and impeccable ear for production high in demand. Collaborations with David Byrne, Thievery Corporation, The Phenomenal Handclap Band, Federico Aubele, Madrid De Los Austrias, Ursula 1000, and King Britt soon followed. Her work with Nickodemus of the popular Turntables On The Hudson parties yielded “Cleopatra In New York”, a huge favorite of chill out, lounge, and world music compilations worldwide. In the past year Carol has also become an intricate part of Bjork’s Biophilia project, teaching music theory to elementary school students throughout New York City.
Though her work with Si*Sé continues, Carol’s solo performance will give audiences a chance to experience something different. A collection of brand new originals and reworked favorites from her diverse body of work, many of which have never before been performed live, will be brought to life in Carol C’s own unique vocal style.
“Carol C is like a modern-day Elysian goddess, wooing and wailing over atmospheric electronic vibes.” — CMJ
“Her combination of passion and softness and her tranquil poetry—which flows as if heated by an internal, inquisitive burning—make[s] the heart melt.” — XLR8R
“Singer/DJ Carol C’s voice evokes a sophisticated sensuality.” — Giant Step