By Jibu Elias
New Delhi: In the world of global music, Mexican artist Magos Herrera is a rare gem. Magos, a Grammy-nominated artist, is considered as one of the most expressive and beautiful voices in contemporary jazz music.
Despite being a renowned singer and musician, Magos is also known for strong voice when it comes global gender inequality and violence against women. She has been a spokesperson for UN’s programs aimed at promoting elimination of violence against women.
Magos Herrera, along with the Brazilian jazz band Trio Afora, is now in India in a different role. She is currently a summer faculty at the Global Music Institute in Greater Noida providing classes till the end of this month. Additionally, Magos and the Trio Afora are gearing up to set Delhi alight with their jazz music this Tuesday.
According to Magos, Jazz is the perfect language that enables her to improvise and express. Her journey to stardom and a successful career spanning over 20 years had humble beginnings in Mexico.
Finding her voice in Jazz
“I was born in a very artistic family, I was exposed to the love of the arts at a very young age,” said Magos to Azhimukham.
“I was drawn by music in general, and it was only when I went to my school in Los Angeles that I actually got exposed to jazz music for the first time. I thought this is what I want to do, I found so much freedom and I found my voice in jazz,” explained Magos about her humble begging to an illustrious career.
“Since then, I have found my voice incorporating Latin American music, Brazilian music, and everything I love in the vein and in the structure and in the heart of the jazz,” she added.
“What I love about Jazz is that it is a language that allows you to improvise, and I like the way it interplays with musicians. I like its harmonic sophistication, and love the idea of approaching my voice as an instrument. But most of all jazz for me represents the values that I believe in, such as democracy, conversation, and equality,” she explained.
Unlike many artists, who get caught in the trap of their own success, forced to repeat the same style of music over and over in attempt to recreate success, Magos is a striking example of how an artist must grow and evolve. In fact, according to Magos, her career of 20 years is all about reinventing herself and her music.
In 2008, when Magos Herrera decided to shift her stage to New York from Mexico City, she was at the zenith of her career in Mexico. Her first five albums Orquídeas Susurrantes (2000), País Maravilla (2002), Todo Puede Inspirar (2004), and Soliluna (2006) had brought her stardom and fame in “the land of three lands.”
“I had a very successful career in Mexico, but it was very local. My voice back then represents what I was at that moment living in Mexico with obvious influence from jazz and Brazilian music. But then I moved to New York, where I was no one,” Magos recalls.
“I was ambitious in the sense that I wanted to create certain kind of music and wanted to explore other music genres, importantly I wanted to grow as a musician. At that moment in my career, despite being very famous in Mexico, it was also a limitation because soon they will define you as Latina jazz singer. Hence I moved to New York,” said Magos about a major turning point in her career.
It was in New York, Magos Herrera’s second half of the career was born. She describes her early works in New York as super jazzy, but the opportunity to meet and collaborate with many musicians in New York aided Magos to develop her own voice.
“It was there I met Javier (Javier Limon- the famous Spanish singer and record producer), and I was remarried to my singing. At this point in my career, when looking back I can see how good two things came together -me as a singer as well as a jazz musician. It was then I learned that in jazz you can define yourself as an instrumentalist,” added Magos Herrera.
The voice for gender equality
One key aspect that separates Magos Herrera from the rest of the crowd is her strong adherence to values, which has its roots in the challenges and obstacles she faced while growing up in the conservative Mexican society.
She points out, “I had determination in what I was going to do. I come from a country where jazz is not like a big thing and to live as an artist is very unusual. I had to overcome many challenges of being a woman in a conservative society, especially being married to a foreigner, to follow my dreams.”
It is this strength that she gained in her life that has enabled her to constantly redefine her own life and journey as a musician as well as an activist.
“I have been an UN spokesperson for six years, and hear many stories about the reality of the inequality and violence towards women around the world. Today in every society, in all socio-economic structures, from the most remote villages to the richest family in the world, violence and inequality exists,” stated Magos.
“When I hear the stories of women that are scared to go to the bathroom in remote corners of the world, because they are scared to be raped, it is just a reminder that there is so much work to do,” as she paused for a minute to control her tears.
While explaining her role as spokesperson for UN, Mago raises a serious question about the state of gender inequality. “What can we do? Changes have to come on all levels. One important thing that the UN has been doing is to raise the question. Every change starts with raising questions.”
“The key question here is how can we start a conversation, and because I come from a family with my parents having certain beliefs by which I was affected. I had to break the paradigms and constantly create and recreate my own paradigms. Instead of just reacting to women as victims, think the question here is how can we change paradigms, and what are the rules for changing it,” she asks.
New album in the age of Trump
For Magos living in New York and the recent political events have been a major source of inspiration for her upcoming album. She says that her response to Trump, as a Mexican, as an immigrant, and as an artist, has been the core component in the upcoming work.
Unlike before, the new album is an experiment featuring string music.
“The new album is a collaboration with one of the best string quartets of today, the Brooklyn Rider. It is a collaboration of voice, string quartet and percussions,” she explained about her upcoming album.
However, her music is also her voice to recent political events.
“Because I wanted to stand up in the conversation, in what’s happening in the world as an immigrant. I hear everybody saying the world is horrible, but I want to invite people to keep dreaming. The new album will contain songs from some of best poets from the Americas that have oppressive regimes, but what remains is their poetry and love for humanity and democracy,” she explained,
“Hopefully I can inspire people to keep dreaming,” concluded an optimistic Magos Herrera.
Magos Herrera and the Trio Afora are set to perform at the Kamani Auditorium in Delhi in association with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the embassies of Mexico and Brazil on Tuesday evening.
Be First to Comment