Still only 28, Mexican singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Silvana Estrada has enjoyed a meteoric rise since releasing her debut solo album Marchita in 2022. The album's spare, tasteful arrangements and songwriting sophistication, coupled with a voice of rare emotional intensity and quiet beauty, propelled her to world renown as she won the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist, racked up tens of millions of streams, embarked on an extensive international tour, and played the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the LA Philharmonic.
'She has a presence in her music that is magnetic, drawing you in until you're encircled in her voice'
NME
It's been quite a journey for the singer, born and raised in the small Mexican mountain town of Coatepec. She was surrounded by musicians as she grew up, and as a teenager first picked up the Venezuelan cuatro guitar, hand-crafted by her father, that has become her signature instrument. Estrada needs no more than a voice and a guitar to work her magic, but she already has an impressive list of collaborations on her CV, including work with American jazz guitarist Charlie Hunter, Devendra Banhart, and Snarky Puppy. Jazz has long fascinated her, and the influences of her heroes Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald can be heard in her voice, alongside those of Latin American folk singers like Chvela Vargas and Mercedes Sosa. It is her ability to bring together elements of North American and Latin American musical traditions that makes her so compelling for audiences across the musical spectrum. And yet this is no mere crossover of fusion: Estrada's influences are always subservient to her unique artistic vision, and the poetic and deeply emotional quality of her writing: the songs on Marchita deal with the pain of lost love; they resonate with the integrity of lived experience.
Estrada's Prague Sounds concert is her first ever in the Czech Republic, and will showcase different facets of her art: as well as solo performances, it will feature chamber orchestra arrangements and a special section marking the Mexican Day of the Dead, featuring tributes to some of that country's most revered singers.
Line-up
Silvana Estrada – vocals, quitar
Ensemble
