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Silvana Estrada, a Latin GRAMMY-winner for Best New Artist (2022), three-time nominee, and GRAMMY-nominee for Best Global Music Performance (2024), is a genre-defying multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and activist. Her music takes listeners on an emotional journey, seamlessly shifting from tender intimacy to spine-tingling power, leaving an indelible impression. Estrada is celebrated for her commanding voice, blending North and Latin American traditions with the African-influenced jarocho heritage of her native Veracruz, Mexico.Born in the quaint mountain town of Coatepec, Estrada was immersed in a world of music from an early age, with musicians frequently visiting her parentsboth luthiersto commission new instruments or repair their cherished violins and cellos. As a teenager, she was drawn to the Venezuelan cuatro guitar, a handcrafted gift from her father. It has such a beautiful sound, she shared in a 2022 interview with Rolling Stone. Holding it is like an embrace.At just 16, Estrada was accepted into the jazz program at Universidad Veracruzana, where she began writing her own songs and performing classics by Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. Over time, she shifted away from the English-language canon and embraced Latin American folk, channeling the influences of iconic women like Chavela Vargas, Violeta Parra, and Soledad Bravo.Her encounter with American guitarist Charlie Hunter in 2016, during a jazz seminar in Guadalajara, became a pivotal moment in her career. After hearing her compositions, Hunter suggested they record an album together. Transforming her parents guest house into a makeshift studio, they created Lo Sagrado, a groundbreaking collaborative album that blended contemporary jazz, indie pop, ranchera, cumbia, and bolero in an effortlessly fluid sound.Estrada soon immersed herself in the vibrant indie music scene of Mexico City, selling out shows across the country on the heels of her self-released EP Primeras Canciones while also working on her debut album.Her first full-length, Marchita, was hailed by critics as one of the best albums of 2022, earning high praise and reviews from The New York Times, Pitchfork, BBC Radio, The Guardian, NPR Music, Rolling Stone, and more. Silvana was also honored as the first EQUAL artist from Spotify Mexico and was chosen for Apple Mexicos Up Next program. At just 25, she won the prestigious Latin GRAMMY for Best New Artist in 2022 and received a nomination for Best Singer-Songwriter Album for Marchita.Estradas mesmerizing live performances have led to sold-out shows across Europe, the USA, and Latin America, consistently garnering rave reviews. She has also collaborated with an impressive roster of artists, including Laufey, Ccile McLorin Salvant, Natalia Lafourcade, Susana Baca, Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil, Mon Laferte, Snarky Puppy, Helado Negro, Jorge Drexler, Andrew Bird, and Devendra Banhart, Leiva, among others.Now based in Mexico City, the multifaceted artist is preparing the release of her highly anticipated next album Vendrn Suaves Lluvias October 17 alongside a headline tour in Europe and the United States.
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