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Original Latin American Folk/World music - fronted by Chilean singer Valentina Montoya Martinez
A few words from Valentina about
'LITTLE BOOK OF LOVE AND EXILE'.
"I was born in Chile. Because of the 1973 coup my family left the country. I grew up mostly in England, surrounded by the music my mother had brought over from Chile and by the music of other Latin American refugees (from Chile, Uruguay and Argentina). My mother’s music collection consisted of songs from the Chilean New Song Movement, tangos, and Latin American folk.
I remember my childhood and adolescence being framed by the songs of Isabel Parra, Mercedes Sosa, Victor Jara, Alfredo Zitarrosa and El Sabalero. This music always made me feel warm inside. Like I was ‘at home’. I felt secure in its environment, and the warmth of my mother’s love.
It was my mother who bought me my first guitar. The first song I learnt on it was ‘Yo defiendo a mi tierra’, by Isabel Parra. I sang it with a young girl’s high pitched voice, which might have broken a glass or two had it gone any higher! More than anything, I wanted to learn to sing and to sing those songs!
In awe, I watched a singer from Uruguay play his guitar and sing in our living room. I wanted to sing like he did, with just a guitar! Someone said to me that it would take me years to sing the kind of song I wanted, in the way I wanted, because the nature of that music required it: because you needed to live life first.
And he was right. My search for ‘my song’ coincided with my search for my identity, which sat straddled between two cultures.
This album, inspired by a visit to the Island of Ikaria, an island with an history of accommodating exiles, is my tribute to all exiles who have had to undertake that search, and to the people and music which surrounded me then.
I share it with you.
Valentina."
'LITTLE BOOK OF LOVE AND EXILE'.
"I was born in Chile. Because of the 1973 coup my family left the country. I grew up mostly in England, surrounded by the music my mother had brought over from Chile and by the music of other Latin American refugees (from Chile, Uruguay and Argentina). My mother’s music collection consisted of songs from the Chilean New Song Movement, tangos, and Latin American folk.
I remember my childhood and adolescence being framed by the songs of Isabel Parra, Mercedes Sosa, Victor Jara, Alfredo Zitarrosa and El Sabalero. This music always made me feel warm inside. Like I was ‘at home’. I felt secure in its environment, and the warmth of my mother’s love.
It was my mother who bought me my first guitar. The first song I learnt on it was ‘Yo defiendo a mi tierra’, by Isabel Parra. I sang it with a young girl’s high pitched voice, which might have broken a glass or two had it gone any higher! More than anything, I wanted to learn to sing and to sing those songs!
In awe, I watched a singer from Uruguay play his guitar and sing in our living room. I wanted to sing like he did, with just a guitar! Someone said to me that it would take me years to sing the kind of song I wanted, in the way I wanted, because the nature of that music required it: because you needed to live life first.
And he was right. My search for ‘my song’ coincided with my search for my identity, which sat straddled between two cultures.
This album, inspired by a visit to the Island of Ikaria, an island with an history of accommodating exiles, is my tribute to all exiles who have had to undertake that search, and to the people and music which surrounded me then.
I share it with you.
Valentina."
copyright 2011 - Valentina and Voces del Sur - all rights reserved
