Singer. Performing in English, French, and Spanish, she built a cult following and produced three albums of rather divergent genre. Raised in the nomadic lifestyle of traveling musicians, Lhasa (she used only her first name professionally) spent her first 10 years touring and living in a converted schoolbus; following her parents' break-up, she lived with her mother in San Francisco, where, at 13, she made her debut singing in a Greek club. Settling in Montreal at 19, she started appearing locally, and, in 1997, released her first (all Spanish) album "La Llorna". The work won a Felix Prize in the world music category; gradually, her combination of Mexican, French art song, and Gypsy folk got her an expanding audience. After earning the 1998 Canadian Juno Award, Lhasa fulfilled an old ambition by joining three of her sisters in a French circus. Returning to music, she toured on both sides of the Atlantic, and, in 2003, released the tri-lingual "The Living Road". She made her London bow in 2004, garnered a 2005 BBC Award (again, in world music), continued traveling (appearing in 17 countries), sang and recorded with the British band Tendersticks, and, in April, 2009, put-out her first all English disc, the self-titled "Lhasa". In addition to her own records, Lhasa can be heard on the Madonna video "I Am Because We Are", and in the soundtracks for some episodes of "The Sopranos". She died of breast cancer after a 21-month illness.
Singer. Performing in English, French, and Spanish, she built a cult following and produced three albums of rather divergent genre. Raised in the nomadic lifestyle of traveling musicians, Lhasa (she used only her first name professionally) spent her first 10 years touring and living in a converted schoolbus; following her parents' break-up, she lived with her mother in San Francisco, where, at 13, she made her debut singing in a Greek club. Settling in Montreal at 19, she started appearing locally, and, in 1997, released her first (all Spanish) album "La Llorna". The work won a Felix Prize in the world music category; gradually, her combination of Mexican, French art song, and Gypsy folk got her an expanding audience. After earning the 1998 Canadian Juno Award, Lhasa fulfilled an old ambition by joining three of her sisters in a French circus. Returning to music, she toured on both sides of the Atlantic, and, in 2003, released the tri-lingual "The Living Road". She made her London bow in 2004, garnered a 2005 BBC Award (again, in world music), continued traveling (appearing in 17 countries), sang and recorded with the British band Tendersticks, and, in April, 2009, put-out her first all English disc, the self-titled "Lhasa". In addition to her own records, Lhasa can be heard on the Madonna video "I Am Because We Are", and in the soundtracks for some episodes of "The Sopranos". She died of breast cancer after a 21-month illness.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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