Natalia Lafourcade

• Genre: Latin Pop

About

No one could accuse Natalia Lafourcade of staying in one place too long. Young, precocious and talented, she released her solo debut when she was just 19 years old, and its mix of bossa nova, pop and rock beguiled Mexican audiences -- and the charts, thanks in part to Loris Ceroni's production. Two years later she joined forces with her band, La Forquetina, and released the group's 2005 debut, Casa, which was primarily produced by Cafe Tacuba's Emmanuel del Real. Lafourcade again found herself topping the charts, but she dissolved the band before they had a chance to accept a Latin Grammy for Best Rock Album. Seemingly determined to evade the fame that was dogging her, Lafourcade moved to Canada and began composing classical music. Unusual as it was, the sea change wasn't a total surprise: her parents were both classical musicians, and they trained her on multiple instruments throughout her childhood. In 2008 she released Las 4 Estaciones Del Amor, an instrumental album recorded with Veracruz's youth orchestra and featuring Lafourcade on piano.

- Sarah Bardeen