A Mexican musician uses a contentious genre to sing of women imprisoned for killing their abusers
Entertainment
“This album has a different heart,” Quintana, 40, said in an interview
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two days before her new album was launched, musical icon Vivir Quintana was behind barbed wire at a women’s prison in Mexico. The singer had spent the past 10 years visiting women incarcerated after defending themselves and, in doing so, killing their abusers.
Their stories became part of “Cosas que Sorprenden a la Audiencia” (Things that Surprise the Audience), Quintana’s latest album, released Thursday.
It tells the story of 10 such women but in a first, Quintana does it through “corridos,” a typically male-dominated and controversial Mexican music genre that’s soared into the spotlight in recent years.
The album, Quintana explained, was born out of her desire to dive into the more complicated aspects of gender-based violence.
“This album has a different heart,” Quintana, 40, said in an interview, donning bright red boots, her signature streak of gray slicing through her black hair. “This album wasn’t made to sell, it’s to change minds.”
‘So many times I didn’t defend myself’
The songs are meant to raise awareness about soaring levels of violence against women across Latin America — human rights groups estimate that an average of 10 women are killed in Mexico every day — and a justice system that many believe protects abusers and silences women’s voices.
In many cases, women like the ones in Quintana’s corridos are charged with “excessive legitimate self-defense,” charges that have fueled outrage among many in Mexico.
“So many times I feared for my life. So many times I didn’t defend myself,” Quintana crooned, cradling her guitar as her booming voice echoed through the halls of her record label building on Wednesday. “Now I live locked up in a prison, and I feel more free than I did in my own home.”
Amplifying women’s voices has been a hallmark of Quintana’s career, and rocketed her to fame in Mexico and beyond.
In 2020, her “Canción Sin Miedo” (Song Without Fear) became an anthem for Mexico’s Women’s Day march and the feminist movement in Latin America.
In 2022, she co-wrote a melancholy hymn about healing and freedom for the album of the Black Panther sequel. And last year, she was recognized at the Latin Grammys as one of four Leading Ladies of Entertainment.
