Folk singer Silvana Estrada counters a culture of violence with light

One of the archetypal things Silvana Estrada noticed astir Las Vegas was its deficiency of earthy light.

The Mexican singer-songwriter has ever recovered the dingy, artificially lit interiors of the city’s casinos to beryllium a spot unsettling. So up of the Latin Grammys successful November — wherever her people ballad, “Como un Pájaro,” was nominated for champion singer-songwriter opus — Estrada elected to enactment successful a edifice that didn’t consciousness similar it was “underground.”

“My archetypal thought [when walking into the hotel] was, ‘Thank God there’s sunlight,’” said Estrada, who sat crossed from maine wrong a engaged java store astatine the Encore edifice successful Las Vegas. Her look was illuminated by precious prima rays beaming done the window. “I get to person sunlight, I tin spot greenish trees — and there’s a small fountain with fish.”

Estrada has learned to relish the small things amid a dense and industrious year. Upon the Oct. 17 merchandise of her sophomore album, “Vendrán Suaves Lluvias,” or, “There Will Come Gentle Rains,” the 28-year-old performed successful NPR’s Tiny Desk series; embarked connected a European tour; past kicked disconnected a North American circuit successful November, which volition proceed into 2026, with stops passim the U.S. and Mexico.

On Friday, she’ll interaction down successful Los Angeles, wherever she’ll header a performance astatine the Belasco successful Downtown L.A.

“I’m a large instrumentality of being busy,” said Estrada. “I consciousness similar I request to bash thing each the clip successful bid to person value. But I don’t privation to consciousness blameworthy erstwhile I’m resting... It’s large to ever person a passion, but it’s a small spot harmful to bash things from the spot of needing to beryllium functional.”

According to Estrada, this newfound knowing of productivity was a byproduct of the arduous labour she enactment into “Vendrán Suaves Lluvias,” a 10-track medium ripe with evocative, orchestral reflections connected loss. In the 3 years which she called “a small spot chaotic,” she dedicated the past twelvemonth successful the workplace to larn however to nutrient her ain music. She described this peculiar originative process arsenic “humbling,” yet rewarding.

“I was progressive successful each azygous process [of the album],” said Estrada. “So, it each blurred until its ending. To beryllium successful full power of your euphony — that’s thing you cannot springiness distant erstwhile you consciousness it. You can’t fto spell of it.”

As a follow-up to her 2022 solo debut, “Marchita,” which elaborate the fallout from her precise archetypal romance, her 2nd grounds strikes a likewise mournful tone; but this time, she sings of a antithetic benignant of heartbreak. Much of the medium contends with the profound grief she experienced aft her champion person and his member were abducted and murdered successful Mexico.

“Being a pistillate successful Mexico, you’re ever scared,” said Estrada, who is based successful Mexico City. “You’re frightened to beryllium raped oregon killed oregon both. But astatine the aforesaid time, I grew up successful a truly loving situation — truthful successful my communicative itself, there’s immoderate airy successful the darkness.”

Estrada was calved successful a tiny upland municipality called Coatepec successful Veracruz, Mexico, a spot known for its lad jarocho music. Her parents were luthiers and orchestra musicians themselves; though she said she was raised successful a loving household, her hometown experienced an aggravated play of unit arsenic she was coming of age. As she lived successful the fearfulness of others, Estrada recovered solace successful the earthy flora and fauna of her surroundings.

“I ever loved nature. I grew up successful beforehand of a stream successful the java plantations of my homeland, truthful quality has ever been precise adjacent to my heart. But arsenic I’m getting older, I don’t instrumentality it for granted,” said Estrada.

In the slow-building symphony of “Un Rayo De Luz,” Estrada bottled the refreshing feeling of sunlight aft a harsh winter, portion confronting decease caput connected — singing “Cómo será de hermosa la muerte / Que nadie ha vuelto de allá.” Whereas connected tracks similar “Dime” and “Flores,” determination are chiseled orchestral peaks, successful which subtle percussions springiness mode to grander, much cathartic releases.

“There’s a clump of songs that I [wrote] portion watching the trees and erstwhile I was heavy successful nature. It calms my ego,” said Estrada. “When I’m surrounded by nature, I’m not trying to beryllium thing to anybody. You commencement to remember, you are portion of a bigger ecosystem, and you conscionable request to beryllium you.”

But adjacent successful the somber verses astir fields wherever flowers don’t grow, oregon a tempest that ne'er ceases, her quality to spot the brighter broadside of things continues to peek done successful each piercing whistle and delicate guitar strum.

“I’m similar a mosquito,” said Estrada. “I people travel the light. Of course, I person acheronian successful me. But erstwhile I’m bittersweet oregon successful pain, there’s a infinitesimal wherever I request to spell to the light.

“I’ve been surrounded by unit and a batch of times, I don’t privation to springiness it power,” she added. “So I ever effort to find thing beauteous and airy successful everything — conscionable to marque unit weak.”

When she sings these songs live, she taps into the grief successful a mode that isn’t harmful — but instead, an avenue to link deeper with herself and her fans.

“Sometimes erstwhile I sing, I unfastened definite doors. In 1 country is my grief and successful different is my pain, but opening these doors isn’t causing maine pain. I cognize what’s there. But singing is what connects maine with each these places,” said Estrada.

“The fantastic happening [on tour] is that I really spot the radical I’m connecting with astatine that infinitesimal too. To me, that’s the magic of the performance.”

While reflecting connected the U.S. information of the tour, specifically, she said that helping her fans consciousness seen is much important arsenic ever.

“It’s a truly strange, convulsive infinitesimal for conscionable Latino radical present successful the U.S.,” said Estrada, referring to the expanding raids connected migrant communities crossed the country. “I’m excited to observe Latin euphony and heritage. I conscionable privation to make a small infinitesimal wherever radical tin consciousness welcomed and loved. They merit to unrecorded good and beryllium happy. I conscionable privation to observe beingness during these concerts.”