Natalia Lafourcade at the 16th annual Latin Grammy Awards on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, in Las Vegas. (ap)
Miami – All those tears and sleepless nights composing and recording paid off for Mexican singer Natalia Lafourcade, last night’s biggest winner at the Latin Grammys.
She took the first award, record of the year, along with song of the year (in collaboration with Leonel García), best alternative music album and best alternative song.
“I’m very emotional,” she said as she received her first award. “This has taught me that whatever hurts us can be transformed into beautiful moments, shared with friends.”
In a one-on-one interview with Fox News Latino before her big night, Lafourcade said she wrote her most recent album during a difficult time in her life. She was going through a bad breakup, she said, and spent many nights in tears.
She called her album, “Hasta La Raiz” (Up To the Root), her most honest album to date.
“I realized that the album was coming in a very personal way. I was going through heartbreak and I was in an emotional catharsis, trying to forgive, to heal,” she told FNL.
Lafourcade surrounded herself with a group of musician friends and allies, “people really close to me” with the purpose of having a good time in the process of creating the album.
The album’s title song, “Hasta La Raiz,” was one of the last ones composed by her and Garcia.
“This song is about the importance of keeping your roots,” she said. “I mean, all of what builds you as a person, all of your experiences, good and bad moments, your origin, where you are from, no matter how far you go, you should always keep that with you.”
The rhythm of the song is inspired by a traditional Mexican folk genre, the huapango.
“It’s not quite a traditional huapango but we wanted the song to have Latino and Mexican influx as I wanted the album to sound as a very Mexican alternative pop album,” said the singer-songwriter.
Songs like “Palomas Blancas” (White Doves), “Antes de huir” (Before Fleeing) and “Lo Que Construimos” (What We Built) talk specifically about the difficulty of separating ones' life from that of the one we loved.
Throughout the album, there is a melancholic, nostalgic, bittersweet and emotional vibe that will resonate with anyone who has had a broken heart. But, she said, she believes her album is actually full of love.
“I wanted to put all this energy of faith, light, good vibes and piece for the music of the album. Yes it’s a heartbreak album but it’s also an ‘everything is OK, we will get through it’ album.”
Asked about whether “Hasta La Raiz” reflects her maturity as a person and musician now that she is in her 30s, the artist said the album is more about opening herself to the world without fear of judgement.
“I believe the album reflects what I am today. I don’t know if more or less mature, but just the way I am,” she told FNL. “In this one, there is nothing, nothing to cover me, and it’s incredible to open up and show yourself to the world and say ‘this is me, good, bad, whatever.’”
Regarding this year’s Latin Grammys nominations, she said what was most beautiful and gratifying was realizing that people “connect with your music,” she said. “When people get emotional and sing the song with you – it’s an incredible thing.”
“It’s recognition from people in the industry that know how hard it is to put together an album. It’s the album itself, connecting with the people, and here I am as a first soldier being loyal to the album, defending it until the end.”
Lucia Suarez contributed to this report.
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