The Red Bull Estados Unidos de Bass livestream is set to kick off tonight, Friday 12/4, celebrating Latinx culture and music across the US. Returning in 2020 as a virtual livestream series, the three-week-long event begins this weekend with two nights of action all kicking off tonight, 12/4 at 6 p.m. PT / 8 .p.m CT / 9 p.m. ET via Red Bull Radio on Mixcloud Live.
We spoke to La Doña, one of the local Bay Area artists set to perform, about what inspires her to create music, how growing up in the Mission has influenced her music, and what LatinX means to her.
What is your earliest memory of music?
My earliest memory of music is singing the mariachi song “Corazon, corazon” at the top of my lungs in my family home while my parents accompanied me and laughed at my exuberance. This must have been when I was two or three because I couldn’t say any of the words besides “Corazon, corazon.”
What inspires you to create music?
It is the pain and beauty of this life that inspires me to create. Music is my way of processing my reality, while simultaneously issuing a personal call to action or take-away.
How would you describe your sound?
I combine elements of folkloric Latinx music with afro-diasporic rhythms and traditions and contemporary dance-music styles. I love the sound of acoustic instruments over a synthetic bass-heavy beat.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
I love to collaborate with my family and the people I grew up learning with and from about countless genres of traditional music.
How has growing up in the mission molded you as an artist?
I grew up in Bernal Heights which was as heartbreaking to be so young and see so clearly the effects and violence of gentrification, first during the dot-com era and now during the more recent tech-boom. The Mission is where I came up and spent most of my creative time- it provided me with cultural information from hella different countries, it showed me how beautiful these moldings of cultures can be. The Mission continues to be my creative home, and I have been blessed with support from my Mission natives, organizations, schools, and organizers. I believe this makes me a more conscious, intentional, and radical artist.
What are some of your favorite hangout spots in the Bay Area?
Warm-water cove, el Rio, China Basin
You’re set to perform at the RED BULL ESTADOS UNIDOS DE BASS. What can fans expect during the live stream?
Expect me to play trumpet and shake my ass 🙂
What does LatinX music mean to you?
Latinx is the term I use to be inclusive of non-binary people of Latin American Heritage.
