Once in a while you get to meet extremely talented artists who are very grounded, humble, genuine and very interesting. This is the case of Amanda Martínez, a Toronto-based singer/songwriter whose music exultingly blends her unique Mexican and South African roots with flamenco soul. Her solo CDs have garnered her multiple nominations for Latin Jazz Performer of the Year, and her songs have appeared on three Putumayo world music collections: Bossanova Around the World, Latin Dreamland and most recently, Cafe Latino.
Her third and latest CD “Mañana” was helmed by GRAMMY-winning producer Javier Limón and it was released in 2013. Limón, whose production credits include acclaimed singers such as Buika, Mariza and Diego el Cigala, hails Martinez as “one of the greatest voices in the world.” Martinez has headlined at the legendary Blue Note jazz club, at the 2010 FIFA World Cup Festivities in South Africa, and at the 2011 PanAmerican Games in Guadalajara, and is now honorary co-chair of PanAm 2015’s Ignite program. She will be performing in a series of countdown concerts to the 2015 Games, which will be held in her native Toronto, as well as speaking at events connecting athletes and sports fans with musicians and art lovers.
In addition to her music career, Amanda is also an ambassador for SOS Children’s Villages, a global organization that helps abandoned and orphaned siblings stay united as families. Having learned of her impressive credentials and listened to her soulful, warm and captivating music, Latin Times got a hold of Amanda, and in a telephone interview, this is what she had to say.
Tell us a little about yourself, how did you get started in music? Where did that passion come from?
“Music has always been in my blood ever since I can remember. I was born in Canada to a Mexican father and a South African mother. Every year my parents would take me to Mexico for the holiday season and we always had these huge family gatherings with all my uncles and aunts and cousins, and my uncle and cousins were always playing the guitar, and music was always on. Even in Toronto, there’s always music playing in my dad’s house, there still is. I just grew up listening to music and it’s something that I love to do ever since I can remember… But it wasn’t until I graduated with my MBA that I realized that I can’t ignore this and it’s not just a hobby. I really wanted to take it seriously.”
Which styles would you say have influenced you the most?
“I really love the Nueva Trova music. All through high school I studied classical piano and classical music was always around my house. Also a lot of jazz, music from all parts of Latin America and Spain. I love the flamenco rhythms and Afro-Cuban rhythms, I listen to a lot of music from Brazil… There’s so much!”
Taking all those influences that you’ve mentioned, how would you define your genre?
“It’s always hard to put a label on one’s own music, but I think that living in Canada, I have musicians in my band from Cuba, musicians that grew up here, in Ontario, from Mexico and Peru, so I’d say that for me it’s got a lot of Mexican folklore flavor but also Afro-Cuban jazz and Latin pop and Flamenco. The new album was produced by Javier Limón from Spain, but it’s not like traditional Flamenco, I don’t want to mislead people, but it’s definitely got a little of nouveau-Flamenco flavor.”
Your new album “Mañana” it’s mostly Spanish, why choose that language to sing in instead of English?
“I feel it’s the language of my heart. Even though Spanish wasn’t my first language growing up, it’s the language that for some reason I use when I write. When I first started, I started at a Jazz club singing in English, and I’d test the waters by throwing in one of my Spanish boleros, and people just really responded. I think when I sing in that language it accesses a different part of me, and it’s very difficult to put into words. It’s what comes more naturally to me for music.”
What inspires you to write your songs?
“I feel that when I write I have to do it from a place of honesty. From my life. That’s what inspires me. I’m a mom. I have twins that just turned two and I have a five-and-a-half year old and my husband’s a musician. And I have a very close family with my mom and my dad and my sister, so I just feel like the lyrics and the content comes from my life. Now it’s a little more challenging to find the time and write. I usually do it later at night or early in the morning, but I just draw from my own experiences.”
How do you balance being a mother and a wife with a music career?
“I guess I feel lucky because I work mostly from home. I get up really early, around 5:00 or 5:30, and then I try to take care of business a little bit, exercise, and then I’m kinda hands-on with my kids until my 5-year-old goes to kindergarten and my little kids go to daycare for part of the day. Then I do business either music or working on the promotion of my album, and I’m trying to learn the art of planning because it’s not what comes naturally to me (laughs). So when the kids are with me I try to focus just on them, and when they go to bed I try to do a bit more work or work on my music. But it’s something that really feeds my soul and I think that because I’m always able to do those things, I’m always in a good mood.”
Right now you’re promoting your album “Mañana,” and you’re coming to New York to perform…
“Yes! I’m very excited. I’m going to perform in New York City on May 2 at Joe’s Pub, it’s the early show. It’s a really special show because we’re launching the album there and I’m also going to be screening a video for one of my songs that was inspired by the journey my father took when he was 21 years old. He and his brother came to Canada from Mexico by bicycle. And there was a documentary my uncle’s daughter made, she’s a film director in Mexico, and it’s won a lot of awards. It’s called ‘Ciclo.’ One of the songs on the album is inspired by that journey it’s called ‘Nuevos Caminos’ and we’ll be giving people a taste of the documentary while we perform that song.”
After New York, what’s next for Amanda Martínez?
“After New York I’m going to Chicago and Cleveland to perform there, and then I have some shows back here in Canada. Later on in the fall we’re putting together a tour in Mexico, but I’m also working on a series with my director-cousin called ‘Ingredients For A Good Life’ and it’s a series that I host and coproduce with her about beautiful places in Mexico that are lesser known than the big-resorts. They’re really short vignettes and they’re on YouTube, so we’ll be hopefully doing more of those.”
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
