Latin Grammy winner Mireya Ramos will perform at Casa de Teatro.
Latin Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Mireya Ramos will make her Dominican debut with her solo offering, " Guerrera ," in which she pays homage to her Dominican and Mexican roots with mariachi fusions.
The American of Dominican descent will offer her first concert in Santo Domingo on May 22 at Casa de Teatro at 9:00 pm.
Mireya Ramos shared details of her staging with Diario Libre in an interview in which she also referred to her career .
—How did your connection with music and mariachi , a traditionally masculine genre, begin?My dad is Mexican and my mom is Dominican. They're both music lovers and sing beautifully. My mom is very romantic and always listened to Mexican music , especially rancheras. So much so that she ended up marrying a mariachi (laughs). My dad also sang mariachi . So I grew up listening to that music and fell in love with it.
I grew up in Puerto Rico, and that also gave me a strong connection to the Caribbean. My mom collected Latin American folk music records, so I had a broad musical education at home. Although I studied classical music in New York, specifically violin, I started playing mariachi very organically. They invited me, and it just happened.
Yes, I founded Flor de Toloache in New York. It's the city's first all-female mariachi . Although we started playing in the subway, restaurants, and at quinceañeras, we gradually evolved into an alternative band. We've played at festivals, on the Tiny Desk program—we were the first mariachi to do so—and we've fused many musical genres. It's an international all-female collective with a history spanning over 17 years.
—What was the experience of receiving a nomination and then winning a Latin Grammy ?It was totally unexpected. We made our first album independently, investing our own time and resources. We submitted it to the Latin Grammys without much expectation, and surprise! We were nominated. It was incredibly exciting.
The second album, Las Caras Lindas, was the one that won. It was also released independently, with the support of a small New York label, Chulo Records. All of our families were there. We cried a lot. It was the first time a female group won in the Best Ranchero/Mariachi Album category. That award wasn't just for us, but for all the women who are making their way in regional Mexican music.
—What impact did that award have on your career and that of the group?The Latin Grammy put us on the map. It gave us visibility. People who had never heard of Flor de Toloache became interested. That opened doors for us to collaborate with artists like John Legend, Miguel, Natalia Lafourcade, Lila Downs, Dan Auerbach, and Cultura Profética. I hope one day we can collaborate with Juan Luis Guerra! That's a dream come true.
Latin music has always been present and leaves its mark. I think there's been a new boom with reggaeton and songs like Despacito, but also thanks to social media and YouTube. Collaborations are easier now, and people don't think so much about genres, but rather about how to create together.
The beautiful thing is that the diversity of Latin music is now recognized. Today it's reggaeton, tomorrow it's bachata , the day after it's vallenato or salsa. Everything has value and beauty. Even here in the Dominican Republic , I've seen many young people listening to regional Mexican music . I find it fascinating.
"The Latin Grammy put us on the map. It gave us visibility. People who had never heard of Flor de Toloache became interested." Mireya Ramos Singer-Songwriter
My new album is called Guerrera , and I'm releasing it on May 23rd. It's an independent production that celebrates women in all their dimensions: strength, sensuality, vulnerability... All of that is part of being a warrior.
It includes a cumbia that gives the album its title, rancheras with a lot of spite (which I love), and also a bachata . I recorded it with Christian Alexis, a very talented Dominican artist. The song is called Un invierno (Un invierno) and is the second bachata I've released; the first was with Flor de Toloache , although it's more fused.
—Where will you be presenting this new project?- The tour kicks off in this country, at Casa de Teatro , which is very special for me because it's my first time performing here. I then have several festivals in the United States and some performances planned in Colombia and Mexico, where I also compose a lot. This tour is my calling card in Latin America, where I dream of playing more frequently.
Those who want to listen to my songs can visit my website : mireyaramos.com. I'm @yeyasmiles on Instagram and Mireya Ramos on Facebook. I hope you connect with my music , follow me, and that this is just the beginning of many wonderful things.
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