I just learned the shocking news that singer Lhasa de Sela has passed away. Back in the day when I was an arts journalist I had the privilege to interview her. I was attracted to her border-transgressing music, which was kind of like a Jodorowsky film put to sound. Her earlier work was Tom Waits inflected, but later she evolved her own distinct style, all the while remaining rooted in the serpentine tradition of Mexican crooners. Like ozone after a storm, her voice seemed to emanate from the ancient earth.
Paraphrasing the Aztec poets, empires may come and go, but what remains is flower and song. Cherish this short time together, because our bonds and relationships are far more enduring than delusions of power.
Lhasa de Sela, may you travel well.
