Argentinian-Winnipegger Onna Lou has been a backup vocalist at the Latin Grammys and has performed on stages around the world. With her two musical degrees – one in classical composition, and a second music degree with honours in contemporary writing and production from the world renowned Berklee College, Onna Lou is a powerful musician and producer, deeply rooted in and always exploring the expansive variety of sounds in Latin American music. Ranking among the 2.1% of female producers in the industry today and laser focused on musical integrity, Onna Lou’s mastery of her craft has allowed her to share stages with Latin music icons Alejandro Sanz and one of her musical heroes, Rosana.
With the goal of uplifting listeners through her music, Onna Lou’s songs focus on humanity and social issues. In preparation for the release of her sophomore album next year, Onna Lou is gearing up to release her third single from the project, titled “Sonriamosle a La Pena”– a song about accepting sorrow as a part of life, is set for release on Monday, December 20 2021.
About “Sonriamosle a La Pena”:
A song about acknowledging that sorrow is a part of life, “Sonriamosle a La Pena” aims to look at the often considered negative emotion from a different lense, concluding “that the presence of sorrow doesn’t equal unhappiness”. Facing the devastating illness of a sibling while adapting to being a newcomer in Canada, Onna Lou “realized there is room for everything that makes us human and alive in our heart, every day.” Directly translating to “let’s smile at sorrow”, the song shines a light on the acceptance of things as they come, and that sorrow can exist alongside positive emotions of joy and peacefulness, especially when acknowledged. Using the saying “a burden shared is a burden halved” Onna Lou poignantly states that “a sorrow embraced is a sorrow that can be felt without fear… and can even coexist with joy.”
Set to an upbeat, warm melody in direct contrast with the lyrics, the song features strong Cuban instrumentation and features local Winnipeg musicians from the world renowned Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and local Cuban-Canadian singers performing the background vocals to the song. With lyrics by Onna Lou, the artist co-produced the track alongside Julian Vidal who also served as the engineer on the song.
Quote:
We all have days when we flow with ease and feel great, and days when nothing seems to work and our lights go dim. I used to resist so strongly these days, feeling bad that I was feeling bad which of course only made things worse. I thought sorrow was something wrong with me that I needed to fix. Life taught me that there is something else I can do in the face of sorrow.
This song emerged after going through the saddest, most challenging moment in my life. After the devastating illness of a sibling and while starting a new life in Canada, in the midst of feeling of desolation and loss, something opened up in me. I realized there is room for everything that makes us human and alive in our heart, every day. – Onna Lou
If you would like to chat with Onna Lou about her music, let me know and we can set something up!
Biography:
Onna Lou is a singer and a songwriter born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her sweet yet powerful voice has captivated listeners in genres like flamenco, Latin American folk, tango, jazz, pop and rock. She can really take any musical piece and make it come to life in a beautiful and unique way.
She majored in Classical Composition at Universidad Catolica Argentina in Buenos Aires in 2012. That same year she moved to Boston and two years later majored with honors in Contemporary Writing and Production at Berklee College of Music.
In the last few years she has studied and worked with the multiple Latin Grammy winner producer and songwriter Javier Limon. During that time, she produced a music video with Berklee College students for the multi Latin Grammy winner Alejandro Sanz. This experience gave her the opportunity to participate in the 2013 Latin Grammy Awards performing with the artist. In 2015 she met internationally acclaimed Spanish singer songwriter Rosana and performed as a guest artist at her New York show during her USA Tour that year. Rosana has been a great influence in her music.
Onna Lou has lived in Winnipeg since 2016 and since then she has received the support of Winnipeg Arts Council, Manitoba Arts Council, and Canada Council for the Arts.
“Ahora” (Now), her first album, is warm and intimate with a mainly acoustic sound. Onna Lou’s second album, “Diamante” (Diamond) will be released in the spring of 2022, and blends a strong Latin American musical identity into a contemporary sound.
Connect with Onna Lou:
https://www.instagram.com/onnaloumusic/
https://www.facebook.com/onnalou/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1sZhR3jxcD2kLRYG0XiOWp
https://twitter.com/Onna_Lou?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
