La Doña How multiculturalism has influenced one singer-songwriter’s debut album BY MICHAEL DAK S P H O T O C R E D I T @ T H A L I A G O C H E Z & @ _ N ATA L I E A L E M A N
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A R T, M U S I C & F I L M
TROORA MAGAZINE
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e c ilia Cas s andra PeñaG o vea is a singer, songwri ter, and mul tiinstrumentalist who wri te s and re c ords music under the name L a Doña. Her unique mi x o f L atin rhy thms and hip -hop b eat s re f le c t s her li fe on the S an Franc isc o Mis sion D istric t stre e t s . Her EP is c alle d A l go Nuev o, or “S ome thing Ne w.” The first time I listened to a song by La Doña it really stood out to me as something different and exciting. I went to Mexico on my honeymoon (many moons ago), and I still have a soft spot for Mariachi bands. La Doña’s music lusciously combines that positive energy
with a modern hip-hop sensibility. Latino/Salsa beats mingle provocatively with her lyrics, inspired by her life and loves, feminism, sexuality, and the sounds and rhy thms of the street. Her videos are also so much fun to watch. Her song “Quién Me La Paga?” (who pays me?) was filmed in her family home in Bernal Heights. I knew it was too authentic to be a set , and she confirmed my suspicions. She was born upstairs! For our video inter view, La Doña was sitting in the back of a minivan on the way to a gig in Palo Alto. Having seen her video for Algo Nuevo, I was expecting to see her lounging in a ’64 Chevy Impala lowrider, but she assured me it was on her list once the dollars roll in.
