Lila Downs

Lila Downs (born Ana Lila Downs Sánchez on 9 September 1968) is a Mexican singer-songwriter known for her diverse musical style. Born and raised in Oaxaca, she studied at the Institute of Arts by Oaxaca and briefly attended the University of Minnesota before focusing on her music career. Downs incorporates indigenous Mexican influences into her music, singing in languages such as Mixtec, Zapotec, Mayan, Nahuatl, and Purépecha. Her debut album, Ofrenda, was released in 1994, and she gained widespread recognition with her second album, La sandunga, in 1999. Internationally acclaimed, she achieved success with her album Border in 2001, which emerged in the music scene of Mexico and Latin America.