Natalia Lafourcade

A soul-stirring singer-songwriter, composer, and producer, Natalia Lafourcade is one of this century’s most influential voices in Latin popular culture. Since launching her solo career in 2002, she’s earned countless prestigious prizes and honors, including 18 Latin Grammy awards—more than any other female artist since the Latin Recording Academy was established in 1997. For her debut appearance at BAM as part of this year’s Next Wave festival, this global superstar promises a powerfully intimate experience like nothing she has offered before.

From her start in breezy Latin pop and rock, Lafourcade has created a sophisticated style all her own, fusing beloved idioms like mariachi, son jarocho, and bolero with a modern sensibility that bridges genres and generations. Her urge to bring people together transcends art: as an activist and advocate for charitable causes, Lafourcade was named the first Ambassador of Music for Peace at the XIX World Summit of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Monterrey, Mexico, last September.

Now, in the wake of bicoastal concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and an iconic live album recorded at Carnegie Hall, Lafourcade strips her presentation down to voice and guitar only for her Cancionera tour, named after her latest album. “Cancionera, no dejes de sorprenderme” (”Songstress, don’t stop surprising me”), she sings—and in this exclusive BAM appearance, she’ll deliver on that promise.