La Paula Herrera

Description

La Paula Herrera is a modern, Chilean singer-songwriter. She takes inspiration from the folkloric root of the Southern Cone.

Her music travels through folklore and pop, with delicate touches of electronic music. In February 2013 she was awarded with the Gaviota de Plata Award for best song in the International Folk Competition of the prestigious Song Festival of Viña del Mar, the most important event in Ibero-American music.

This 2022 Paula and her band will present her new album "Yo no sé", a work that mixes Southamerican roots, singer-songwriter songs, jazz harmonies with latin beats and indie sounds.

Work Sample

"Yo no sé" (4:30 minutes) is a song who belongs to my new album that it will be released in June of 2022 in a concert at Old Town Folk School of Music. This work shows how I mix the typical traditional song from South Cone, inspired in "Canto a lo Divino” (a religious style from the center of Chile) and inspired in "Huaynito" (typical of songs of northern Chile).

I composed this album in the little town of Los Molles near to the Pacific Ocean in Chile. This album was produced by Marcos Meza and its particular sound is a mix of latin american folk roots music with jazz harmonies and trova songs. This is the fifth album of my independent carreer as a songwriter. 

"La Tormenta" (4:16 minutes) is a song from my fourth album called "La Tormenta". This album was released in 2020 and produced by Marcos Meza, a chilean musician who resides in Berlin. This is a singer-songwriter song with influences from Latin American trova song with soft touches of folk of the southern cone music. This album includes some traditional songs of the latin American repertoire.

"El aroma del Querer" (4:03 minutes) was played in Noviembre 2016 in Santiago de Chile. This song was composed by myself and included in my third album "De la Rosa y el espino". This album was produced by Federico Vindver, an argentinian producer who currently works with Christina Aguilera, Timbalan and many others figures of the American music Industry. Before the release of that album I made a tour in Mexico to share it.

El aroma del querer is an Argentian "Zamba", typical song from the South Cone (southamerica) and its particularity is the modernity of its arrangements that make folk music sounds like a bright pop song.

I chose those songs as a sample of all my work because in them there is a search to integrate the old and bring it into a contemporary context. Also all these songs reflect my freedom to create and my commitment to my way of seeing life.
How I integrate the folk culture from the south and north of my country, the modern songwriter style and trova song in a free and unpretentious way, is very unique and of my own creation.
The lyrics of all my work are deep, poetic, describing my personal quest to find my own voice and path in the middle of these crazy times that we are living in.

History

La Paula Herrera is a Chilean modern singer & songwriter who graduated from Escuela Moderna de Música. She has been passionately pursuing her dreams over the years and has released six independent albums.

In 2011 Paula released her third album "Verde Y Celeste", a break into a unique style of "electronic folklore".

In 2012 she presented her fourth album “La discreción del caracol”, a work charged with modern folklore that shines from its "minimalist' approach.
In 2013, Paula represented Chile and won "La Gaviota de Plata Award” for best song in the prestigious Song Festival of Viña del Mar, the most important event in Ibero-American music.
In 2014 Paula was invited to Exib Music (Iberoamerican Expo of world music) and she made her second tour of Europe.

In 2016 Paula launched her album "De la rosa y el espino” following a successful tour in Guatemala and Mexico.

In May 2020 Paula launched her sixth album, “La tormenta”.

Today Paula lives in Chicago and she is finishing her latest album "Yo no sé" (I don't know) completely composed during the pandemic while isolated in the Chilean little town of Los Molles.

Artistic Vision

My music is based on singer-songwriter songs inspired by folk music from the Southern Cone (the last corner of South America) and my creations are modern latin "trova" songs.

My own vision as an artist has been the inner search of my own roots as a Chilean female independent-artist .

For many years I have been pursuing a path of finding myself, finding my own voice as an artist, as a singer and as a human being. 

Music has been part of me since I was born and part of my mission is to share my voice and the joy of music with others.

Traditional Folk/Ethnic Artform Statement

My heritage and the role that my music plays is a link to the actual movement of everything: to the traditions and to the root. To make something new but with a base remembering where we come from, and an "air of folk" without being folk. Something new that reminds us of something old but tender, sweet and refreshed. Music with artistic content, not just words that rhyme. Music with roots and a message for the soul, that reminds us of who we are, so that we can continue our journey with our own identity as human beings. 

One of my goals and I hope part of my heritage, is to increase appreciation between North American and Latin cultures and share human elements.
The beautiful thing about this, is the music goes beyond mere language. My music is a celebration of my heritage and my wish is to share in Illinois my vision of Cone South music and the joy of experiencing it.