Lila Tirando a Violeta

Hey Lila! Can you introduce yourself to our readers who may be meeting you for the first time?
Lila: Hi there, my name is Lila Tirando a Violeta, and I’m a music producer and performer from Montevideo, Uruguay.

Your first album Sentient, is very atmospheric with a lot of experimental elements and vocals. However the last track, Hell’s Tempo almost sounds like a little bit of a teaser for your most recent album Limerencia, which is full of a lot of dark and hard elements. Can you tell us how your sound evolved between both albums?
Lila: Limerencia was recorded as a concept album, whereas Sentient was collection of connected singles; so track cohesion and sound curation were something I gave way more thought to. Hells Tempo was actually the last song I recorded for Sentient alongside collaborator Sayveeyun. It was indeed a lot darker, asI was listening to heavier music at the time.Quickly after recording Hells Tempo, I finished another song, also produced with Sayveeyun, that ended up being the first track on Limerencia, called Nuevo Paris Piano, As Limerencia’s introductory track was influenced by darker sounds, it really led to quite a change genre wise for the rest of the album

Limerencia sounds like it has a lot of UK sounds, with obvious UK Funky, Grime and Dub influences throughout the album. Was this intentional, and do you draw a lot of your inspiration from the UK clubbing scene?
Lila: The UK music scene has had a huge impact on me, but not necessarily club music at first. I was very into punk and underground indie scenes growing up.

As a teenager I always dreamt about living there, so when I was quite young dropped out of high school and worked my way into moving to the UK. In a weird turn of events I ended up living in the middle of Wales, but I didn’t last long around there. I did get to play several gigs before moving back home, and was quite inspired and shocked by the art world and cultural differences.

Limerencia was composed during a period of recovery and an ongoing neurological medical treatment. What was this experience like for you?
Lila: The medical treatment has been ongoing since I was diagnosed about three years ago. After being on the ICU for a bit; the worst or I could say life threatening part was supposedly over by the time I started recording my last album. I even got to tour Sentient for a bit around Europe. However, my neurological system got quite affected by it all, and after realising it’s actually a chronic illness, recording Limerencia was a cathartic experience. I channeled all the physical pain and frustration into the only thing I know how to do; music.

Mental health is a very important topic for you. Can you tell us why?
Lila: Well, mind and the body. It’s a whole. My entire life has been complex in that non-neurotypical sense. I’ve seen more doctors than you can imagine. My mental health is not something I talk about as openly anymore because the stigma has been very hard to live with in such a small city. One thing I can say about that applied to my music, is that most of the “adlibs” or vocal moans in my songs are not sang or faked, but actual recordings of my own actual panic attacks or breakdowns.

Can you tell us about your other project with Hiela De Fuego, A.M.I.G.A?
Lila: A.M.I.G.A is quite the opposite musically to my solo project. As a duo we’ve been working on projects together on and off for ten years. Pop music is very important to us, and we try to manage the visual aesthetic and the humor of the lyrics equally. We also usually display shows with several performers and visuals. Hiela is an amazing front womxn, who has helped and inspired me a lot through the years.

A.M.I.G.A’s sound is decidedly more poppy and a lot less dark. The tracks are also accompanied by lyrics. What kind of influences does A.M.I.G.A draw from?
Lila: It’s definitely very different from my solo project. We draw a lot of inspiration from Latin pop culture, kitsch imagery, and cover songs from totally unexpected artists, and always mix in a hint of retro scenes from Uruguay and Argentina. Visual aesthetics and humorous lyrics go hand in hand in A.M.I.G.A. We draw influences from artists like Ivy Queen, Kate Bush, PC music, Gilda, and classic folk acts like Mercedes Sosa and Eduardo Darnauchans.

A.M.I.G.A is also very active in the performance art space, playing Pride parades around the globe. What has this experience been like?
Lila: It’s definitely been busy and interesting. Last year and the year prior, we toured non-stop around the region, playing from small town Pride parades to the main stages of Montevideo and Buenos Aires.

I like to hide behind my synths doing my quirky punk performance while Hiela captivates the audience in full drag mode.

Music often takes on a special meaning for marginalised communities, creating an environment and space for those who are not normally accepted by mainstream culture. What is the queer scene like in Uruguay and how does nightlife and music play a role?
Lila: Uruguay is a tiny country but has always been very progressive towards the arts and culture. The queer scene is rising and solid, with lots of amazing musicians and acts around. But it’s still South America, so there’s not many nightclubs nor budgets [that center or cater to marginalised communities]. That’s both a pro and a con. It somehow makes things more special, since most of our parties are made with tons of effort and DIY inspiration. We host our own shows, we make our own costumes, I do my own sound, and so on. It would be amazing if we had other means around here, and that’s what we all dream and aim for, but for now it’s been a lot of learning, effort, meeting tons of interesting people and having new experiences.
_
Images provided by Lila Tirando a Violeta. To check out Lila’s Bandcamp click here. To keep up with Lila on Instagram click here. For more interviews, click here.