Lila Downs

Lila Downs is an artist I genuinely revere. From Oaxaca, university-educated in Minnesota, she carries both intellectual rigor and the earthy power of singing in indigenous tongues like Mixtec and Zapotec. The Latin Grammy and the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres are real, but what moves me is not the honors; it is her resolve to guard fading languages and melodies through song. Singer, actress and anthropologist, she is in a sense a living cultural treasure, her voice itself a heritage. Watching her carry Oaxacan pride to the world always makes me sit up straighter.

Name (English)

Lila Downs

Name (Japanese)

リラ・ダウンズ

Reading

りら・だうんず

Born

September 9, 1968 (age 57)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Virgo / Monkey

Origin

Oaxaca, Mexico

Occupation

singer-songwriter / actor / film actor / opera singer / recording artist

University

University of Minnesota

Awards & achievements

• 2017 Latin Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album
• Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
• honorary doctor of the Berklee College of Music
• 2019 Leading Ladies of Entertainment

• Official sitehttps://www.liladowns.com/
• Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/liladowns/
• Xhttps://x.com/liladowns
• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lila%20Downs
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%AA%E3%83%A9%E3%83%BB%E3%83%80%E3%82%A6%E3%83%B3%E3%82%BA
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23880

Tags

• Oaxaca
• singer-songwriter
• actor
• film actor

Last updated

2026-06-23

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.