While growing up in Austin, Texas, folk singer Gina Chavez didn’t listen much to Latino music. Artists from Lyle Lovett to Michael Jackson interested her more.
But during her first year in college, Chavez, who was beginning to write music and lyrics, spent several months studying in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The experience changed her world.
“I remember being at this restaurant, and it was packed. This band gets on the stage and all of a sudden played a chacarera,” an Argentine folk music and dance. “It was like nothing I had ever heard before.”
Since that trip, Chavez, selected as Austin Musician of the Year, has incorporated Spanish lyrics and Latino rhythms into her songs, which she will bring to a free concert Friday at the University of Arizona’s Gallagher Theater. Her appearance is sponsored by the UA Guerrero Student Center as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.
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She has been performing since 2004, and in 2007 released her first recording.
Slowly but steadily, Chavez has gained traction, including a performance for National Public Radio’s Tiny Desk concert series earlier this year.
Her newest recording is called “Up.Rooted,” a collection of songs about her experiences and duality in life: being a lesbian and a Catholic, being a Latina and a gringa. One song, “Siete D,” reflects the time she spent in El Salvador, the small Central American country hurting from violence and the consequences of U.S. foreign policy.
Just as Argentina was a musical turning point, El Salvador was a social-political turning point for Chavez in 2009. She and her partner spent nine months working with teen women living in gang-filled barrios.
Returning from El Salvador, “I intentionally decided to pursue a full-time music career,” she said in a telephone interview.
“It’s kinda one of those moments when you realize when your passion and gifts align.”
Chavez created Niñas Arriba, a foundation to assist the Salvadoran girls.
