Q&A: Chilean-French rap star Ana Tijoux makes Vancouver debut
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Chan EXP: Ana Tijoux Vida Tour
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When: May 2, 8 p.m.
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Over the course of five award-winning hit albums, she has delivered political rallying cries around issues ranging from women's rights to the challenges of the globally dispossessed and migrant experience.
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Billboard.com listed her in the third spot on its Most Essential Spanish-Language Rappers of Yesterday and Today, noting her velvety flow and the fact that 'she broke barriers as a female rapper in a predominantly male-dominated genre, back when a female presence was rarer.
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'The ferocious-yet-mellifluous flow of the French-Chilean poet carries an unapologetic spirit that has been nothing short of empowering, resonating with audiences worldwide.'
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On her fifth album, 2024's Vida, the Latin Grammy-winning artist dropped her first new collection in nearly a decade. Reviews across the music media praised the album for both its ferocity, as well as its optimism.
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Tijoux discussed her art before her coming Chan Centre performance and her latest EP, Serpiente de Madera (Wood snake), which reunited her with longtime producer Hordatoj:
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A: It has been a long time between albums. But everything from Vida onward has been new material that I've been writing specifically for each release. I don't release older material.
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A: Totally. The snake is all about adapting and mutating into new skin and identity, reflecting what's going on around us. Wood is more about balance and calm, things like family and friends. Perhaps because of where I am in life, that is something I am thinking of and why I identified with the Chinese horoscope for the new EP.
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