Natalia Lafourcade

When Natalia last played in Austin in 2019 at Austin City Limits Festival, I remember it for two different reasons. For starters, she played the same day as The Cure and I had to make the difficult decision to miss her set. And secondly, this was around the time of one of her peaks in popularity in the US. By the time she rolled into town there was no escaping hearing her music. "Hasta la Raíz" was on all of my playlists, I contributed to probably 100 of her Tiny Desk performance views, and I'd even gone to a wedding that played "Amor de mis Amores" during the cake cutting. Had it been anyone else but Robert Smith and Co, I would have been at her stage watching her set.

I finally got my chance to see her last week when Natalia returned to Austin on June 5th, 2025, in support of her latest album, "Cancionera". The album was produced by Adan Jodorowsky and was recorded live on analog tape with 18 musicians (including Hermanos Gutierrez who seem to be everywhere nowadays) and captured in single takes. For her tour, Lafourcade brought the same intimate experience to the stage with a twist - a concept where music, theater, and visual storytelling converge to create a unique concert experience.

From the beginning you could tell that this was going to be a unique evening. The bars that flank both sides of the pit were closed, with only the small back wall bar serving patrons briefly before a pre-recorded announcement from "Radio Cancionera" asked everyone to make their way to their seats and turn off their phones. The recording encouraged attendees to have their own experience and to not record or photograph during the set to increase the personal impact. When the show began, the evening unfolded as a career-spanning journey through musical personas, each marked by distinct costume changes that aligned with the setlist's thematic sections.

Throughout the evening, Lafourcade paid homage to the cancioneras and cancioneros who came before her—the traditional songwriters and storytellers who form the backbone of Mexican musical culture. Lafourcade's deep reverence for the people who came before her was palpable. She mentioned multiple times that this was an homage to those who paved the path for her - giants such as Chavela Vargas, Lino Chavez, and Juan Gabriel.

But while Natalia paid reverence to the greats, in her final act she established firmly where she stands in this specific moment in our cultural zeitgeist. Prior to launching into "Un derecho de nacimiento," Natalia took a moment to recognize the anti-immigrant rhetoric and enforcement from our current administration. Just as the music of those cancioneras served as cultural touchstones during their eras, Natalia's music functions as a similar beacon today. Her songs and lyrics have become part of the soundtrack of both Mexican pride and resistance—threading through social media posts, protests, and moments of cultural affirmation as communities face an unprecedented wave of anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Natalia may be reverent towards the greats, but everyone in that room was there to see her, another beloved cancionera in the country's long line of musical heritage. She and her songs touch something deep within all Mexicans and Latinos, and in times like these, her music serves as both comfort and defiance.

Find Natalia Lafourcade at the following: Instagram, Facebook, and her own website of course. Her latest album is streaming everywhere you scroll for music.

Words and photos: Victor Gonzalez