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| Lhasa de Sela | |
|---|---|
| Name | Lhasa de Sela |
| Birth name | Lhasa Alejandra Félix de la Fuente |
| Birth date | 27 September 1972 |
| Birth place | Big Indian, New York, United States |
| Death date | 1 January 2009 |
| Death place | Montréal, Quebec, Canada |
| Nationality | Mexican-American-Canadian |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1995–2009 |
Lhasa de Sela was a Mexican-American-Canadian singer-songwriter known for her multilingual vocals and genre-blending recordings that drew international acclaim. Born in Big Indian, New York, and raised across North and Central America, she built a transnational career centered in Montréal and Mexico City, releasing acclaimed albums that engaged audiences in Europe and Latin America. Her work connected traditions from Mexico City to Québec, and she remains cited alongside contemporaries in world music and singer-songwriter circles.
Born Lhasa Alejandra Félix de la Fuente in Big Indian, New York, she was the daughter of a Mexican poet and an American mother; her family included creative figures who moved through California, Texas, Mexico City, Vancouver, and Montréal. Her upbringing intersected with communities around San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Texas, and Oaxaca, exposing her to languages and repertoires including Spanish, English, and French. She completed formative years amid cultural centers such as Santa Fe, New Mexico and traveled through regions tied to artists from Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera historical milieus, later settling in Montréal where she connected with musicians who had links to Cirque du Soleil and the Québec music industry.
Lhasa began performing in the mid-1990s, entering scenes that overlapped with artists associated with Nana Mouskouri, Joni Mitchell, Mercedes Sosa, Édith Piaf, and contemporary world-music figures like Cesária Évora. She signed with labels that operated within networks stretching to Sony Music, Warner Music Group, and independent houses used by peers such as Khaled (musician), Rokia Traoré, and Buena Vista Social Club. Her touring itinerary included venues and festivals associated with Glastonbury Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, Victoires de la Musique, Primavera Sound, and circuits frequented by performers like Sting, David Byrne, and PJ Harvey. Collaborators and session musicians in her projects had backgrounds linked to ensembles appearing with Annie Lennox, Loreena McKennitt, and members of Arcade Fire.
Her musical style synthesized elements connected to traditions of Fado, Flamenco, Corrido, Bolero, and Americana, drawing comparisons to voices like Kate Bush, Nina Simone, Joan Baez, Sinead O'Connor, and Tori Amos. She cited inspirations from literary and artistic figures including Octavio Paz, Gabriel García Márquez, Pablo Neruda, José Saramago, and visual artists echoing Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Sounds in her work reflected production approaches used by producers who worked with Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Rick Rubin, and arrangements reminiscent of ensembles tied to Yo-Yo Ma and Ravi Shankar. Her multilingual delivery connected her to performers like Céline Dion, Julieta Venegas, Caetano Veloso, and Mercedes Sosa.
Her debut album, recorded with musicians who had credits alongside artists such as Gordon Gano and producers from Montréal studios, achieved success in markets including France, Spain, Mexico, Germany, and Canada. The follow-up continued ties to labels working with acts like Émilie Simon and Zazie, and singles received airplay on stations associated with public broadcasters such as Radio-Canada, BBC Radio 3, and France Inter. Key songs from her catalogue were programmed on playlists shared with tracks by Leonard Cohen, Serge Gainsbourg, Caetano Veloso, and Nick Drake, establishing her among a generation of international singer-songwriters touring with ensembles that had opened for performers like Sting and Lou Reed.
Her music featured in film and theatre projects linked to directors and companies comparable to Pedro Almodóvar, Atom Egoyan, Wim Wenders, and national film bodies such as the National Film Board of Canada. She collaborated on stage projects with artists from the Montréal theatre community and contributed to soundtracks that placed her alongside composers connected to Howard Shore, Ennio Morricone, and Alexandre Desplat. Her presence extended to television appearances on networks like TF1, CBC Television, and cultural festivals curated by institutions such as La Fête de la Musique and the Montreal World Film Festival.
Her recordings received awards and nominations in systems including the Victoire de la Musique, Juno Awards, and national honors given in Québec and Mexico City cultural circuits. Her albums achieved sales milestones and certifications in territories often recognizing artists under organizations like SNEP, IFPI, and Music Canada. She was acknowledged in critics’ lists and publications alongside recipients of prizes such as the Polar Music Prize, Graham Greene International Literature Prize-adjacent cultural lists, and shout-outs by journalists from outlets like Le Monde, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The New York Times, and Le Figaro.
Her personal narrative touched international arts networks spanning Montréal, Mexico City, San Francisco, Barcelona, and Paris. She died in Montréal after a battle with cancer, and posthumous tributes came from fellow artists and institutions including ensembles and festivals linked to Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, and cultural programs associated with Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura. Her influence is cited by later generations of singers occupying spaces shared with Natalia Lafourcade, Lila Downs, Susana Baca, Bebel Gilberto, and Ana Tijoux, and her recordings remain part of curricula and retrospectives organized by musicology programs at universities such as McGill University, Université de Montréal, and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Category:1972 births Category:2009 deaths Category:Mexican singers Category:Canadian singers Category:Multilingual singers