Totó la Momposina

Totó la Momposina
Background information
Birth nameSonia Bazanta Vides
Also known asTotó la Momposina
Born (1940-08-01) 1 August 1940 (age 84)
Talaigua Nuevo, Bolívar, Colombia
GenresCumbia, Bullerengue
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
InstrumentVocals
Years active1964–present
LabelsReal World Records
Websitetotolamomposina.com

Sonia Bazanta Vides (born 1 August 1940), better known as Totó la Momposina, is a Colombian singer of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous descent.[1] She reached international attention with the release of her 1993 album La Candela Viva on Peter Gabriel's Real World Records label.[2] Totó accompanied Gabriel García Márquez to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982 as part of a Colombian cultural delegation performing during the award ceremony.

Biography

Totó was born in the northern Colombian town of Talaigua Nuevo near Mompox in the Bolívar Department. She is from the fourth generation of her family to be involved with music.[2] Her father was a drummer and her mother was a singer and dancer.[3]

She studied at the National University of Colombia. She then studied for a year at the Sorbonne in Paris.[4]

She received the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.[5]

In 2017, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the National Pedagogic University in Colombia.

Discography

  • Cantadora (MTM Auvidisc, 1983)
  • Colombia – Totó La Momposina y sus Tambores (Auvidis 4513, 1989)
  • La Candela Viva (Real World Records 31, 1992)[6]
  • Carmelina (MTM, 1995)
  • Pacantó (Colombia: MTM/Europe:Nuevos Medios/USA: World Village, 2000)
  • Gaita y Tambores
  • Total: 2-disc compilation
  • La Luna (Armada Deep, 2016) with Jude & Frank

Notable usage

  • Michel Cleis feat – Totó La Momposina – La Mezcla – samples tracks "El Pescador" and "Curura" from the La Candela Viva album (2009)
  • Two songs from La Candela Viva were included on the soundtrack of the 1997 movie Jungle 2 Jungle.
  • Her song "La Verdolaga" was sampled on Rich Boy's "Get to Poppin'" produced by Brian Kidd. It has also been sampled by Jay Z for the song "Blue's Freestyle/We Family" on his 4:44 album. The song featured his daughter Blue Ivy Carter. The track was released as a bonus song several weeks after the albums original public release.
  • Two of her songs, "La Verdolaga" and "Mohana", were featured in the soundtrack for John Sayles' 1997 movie, Men With Guns.
  • Her song "La Verdolaga" was covered on P18 (band)'s "Urban Cuban'" in 1999.
  • Her 1993 Colombian cumbia classic "Curura" was sampled by Major Lazer featuring J Balvin in the song titled "Que Calor".
  • Her songs "El Pescador" and "Curura" were once again sampled in the 2023 song "Curura" released on Belgian label Smash The House by Wolfpack, Jaxx & Vega and DJ Junior. It was premiered by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike four years earlier on Tomorrowland.
  • Her song "Rosa" was sampled in 2024 by Iranian-Dutch artist Sevdaliza in her songle "Alibi" also featured Brazilian singer Pabllo Vittar and French singer-songwriter Yseult.

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2015 El Asunto Best Tropical Latin Album Nominated

Latin Grammy Awards

Totó la Momposina has two Latin Grammy awards from four nominations for her collaboration with the urban group Calle 13 on their song "Latinoamérica", receiving in 2013 the lifetime achievement award.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2000 Pacantó Best Folk Album Nominated
2002 Pacantó Best Traditional Tropical Album Nominated
2009 La Bodega Best Traditional Tropical Album Nominated
2011 "Latinoamérica" Record of the Year Won
"Latinoamérica" Song of the Year Won
2013 Special Awards Lifetime Achievement Award Won
2014 El Asunto Best Folk Album Nominated

Premios Nuestra Tierra

A Premio Nuestra Tierra is an accolade that recognize outstanding achievement in the Colombian music industry. Totó la Momposina has received a nomination.[7]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2014 "La Candela Viva" (with Jorge Celedón) Best Folk Performance of the Year Nominated

See also

References

  1. ^ Enciso, Ana María (4 September 2020). "Totó La Momposina, A Powerful Voice Transformed into Heritage". BELatina. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  2. ^ a b Biography at Real World.
  3. ^ "Totó la Momposina". Real World Records.
  4. ^ "Totó La Momposina - an icon of Colombian music". The Bogotá Post. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Meet Toto La Momposina: A Colombian Music Icon". Colombia Country Brand. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  6. ^ Wiser, Danny (29 April 2021). "COLOMBIA: La Candela Viva - Totó La Momposina". 200worldalbums.com. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Nominados a los Premios Nuestra Tierra 2014" (in Spanish). La Mega. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2014.