NPR podcast host, Tom Wilmer met up with Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Perla Batalla in Ojai, California. Come along and join Perla as she shares her musical journey through life.
A former back-up singer for Leonard Cohen for ten years, since then she’s recorded seven albums, been featured in films and television, and taken her unique sound on tour in some of the most prestigious venues around the world.
Perla was born in Los Angeles, California, to a family immersed in music; her father, a Mexican singer and radio personality, and an Argentine mother who ran a bustling record store called Discoteca Batalla.
At the family record shop, literally at her Mother's knee, Perla was exposed to an education of non-stop music that cut across genre and language.
Hearing Perla Batalla's voice for the first time is an epiphany. There is a tone, a depth of emotion and a sublime expressiveness along with her transcendent voice that makes the experience unforgettable.
The L.A. times writes, “Batalla is comfortable in both English and Spanish, proud of her mestiza heritage, musically adventurous and always accompanied by impeccable performers…. above all, she is a born storyteller with a rambunctious sense of humor.”
Perla Batalla is the recipient of the United Nation’s Earth Charter Award for “extraordinary devotion to social and economic justice” and the Premio Fronterizo Award for “healing work in the world”.
