Uxía

ARTIST: Uxía

COUNTRY: Spain

GENRE: Folk, Roots, World Music

DESCRIPTION: Taking the tradition and the atmospheres of her birthplace, Galiza, as her starting point, Uxía reinvents and personalises the sounds that related her to countries such as Portugal, Brazil or Cape Verde.

MORE ABOUT: Uxía Senlle – known to many simply as Uxía – is without a doubt one of the very greatest Galician singers. The traditional songs and contemporary poetry of Galicia in northern Spain form the core of a repertoire which also dips into the cultures of other regions of Spain and Portugal. The resulting mixture is at one and the same time limpid, disconcerting and contemporary in style, taking inspiration from the rich musical heritage of this region at the crossroads of so many cultures. Uxía’s songs are those of warm and sunny climes, inspired by Brazilian, Spanish and African musical styles.

Uxía creates by writing words and music that always originate in the deepest part of her, her soul. The twenty years of her artistic career have made her one of the most popular and valued voices in her language. Her songs are always tinged with an element, whether latent or explicit, of traditional music, to which she gives her personal and innovative touch.

Ever since her debut with Folliada de Marzo in 1986, her work has meant a meeting point for different cultures, a communication bridge between peoples and persons. A member of the group “Na lúa” up to 1991, Uxía embarked on a solo career in the natural evolution of her artistic development. That same year she published Entre Cidades and four years later, Estou vivindo no ceo, the record that established her as an international figure.

In 1997, working in collaboration with Rasha and María Salgado and guitarist Cuchús Pimentel, she published La sal de la vida, a record characterized by diversity and crossing cultures. In 2000, she released Danza das areas, a record that meant a turning point in her career with her own compositions and more contemporary sound.

It was always her belief that a people that has sung since time immemorial cannot afford to lose such a fundamental instrument as its voice. That is why she has promoted the creation of groups of cantareiras, and has taken part in numerous musical experiences with the likes of Jessie Norman, Dulce Pontes, Noa, and Chico.

Uxía brings together in her compositions the essence of all those experiences that have brought her in permanent contact with persons and artists of related cultures. It comes about naturally from the attentive and continuous listening to their music or the music that inspired them. Her passion for mixing cultures results in a union and fusion of voices, instruments, rhythms, sounds… It becomes a magnet for talent, as is apparent in her role as Artist Director in the creation of the Festival Internacional de Lusofonía Cantos na Maré, a show conceived as a meeting point for artists from the Portuguese speaking world, where the stage turns into a multicultural celebration, and where the best voices from Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, etc, are brought together.

DISCOGRAPHY:

- “Eterno Navegar” (World Village/Harmonia Mundi, 2008)
- “Danza das Areas” (Virgin, 2000)
- “La Sal de la Vida” (Nubenegra, 1997)
- “Estou Vivindo No Ceo” (Nubenegra, 1995)
- “Entre Cidades” (Sons de Galiza, 1991)
- “Foliada de Marzo” (Edigal, 1986)

SELECTED VIDEOS:

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