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Ana Tijoux

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Merino and the second or maternal family name is Tijoux.
Ana Tijoux
Tijoux in 2020 in Mexico City
Tijoux in 2020 in Mexico City
Background information
Birth nameAnamaría Merino Tijoux
Born (1977-06-12) 12 June 1977 (age 47)
Lille, France
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • rapper
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active1997–present
Websiteanatijouxoficial.com

Anamaría Tijoux Merino (French pronunciation: [anamaʁja tiʒu meʁino], Spanish: [meˈɾino]; born 12 June 1977), commonly known by her stage name Ana Tijoux or Anita Tijoux (/tiˈʒuː/), is a French-born Chilean musician. She became famous in Latin America as the MC of hip hop band Makiza during the late 1990s. In 2006, she crossed over to the mainstream of Latin pop after her collaboration with Mexican singer Julieta Venegas in the radio hit "Eres para mí". Tijoux has often been praised for "exploring sensitive matters devoid of violence."[1] She gained more widespread recognition following her second solo album, 1977, and later with La bala (2011) and Vengo (2014) which brought her a Best Artist of the year award in the 2015 Pulsar Awards.

Tijoux is the daughter of Chilean parents living in political exile in France during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile.[2]

Biography

[edit]

Anamaría Tijoux Merino was born on 12 June 1977 in Lille, France. She is the daughter of two Chilean exiles who fled Chile to France after the 1973 Chilean coup d'état. Her mother is Chilean sociologist María Emilia Tijoux. In 1978, her family moved to Paris. It was not until 1983 that Anamaría traveled to Chile and met her grandparents and extended family who stayed in the country despite the coup.

In 1988, Tijoux met Consuelo Vergara, who taught Tijoux how to rap and sparked Tijoux's interest in hip-hop and dance. Tijoux moved to Chile after the return of civil power in 1993. In 1995, influenced by the local rap group Makul in Santiago, Chile, Tijoux formed her own group called Los Gemelos with Zaturno, another rap artist. In 1997, Tijoux became widely popular for her participation in the group Los Tetas and their first studio album release. She and Zaturno collaborated with Seo2, Cenzi, and DJ Squat to form the group Makiza.

1997–2006: Makiza

[edit]
With Makiza in 2005.

In 1997, the group released their first CD, Vida Salvaje, with great success even though it was an independent production.

In 1999, Makiza released "Aerolineas Makiza" on Sony Music Entertainment, who became interested in Chilean rap as a result of Tiro de Gracia, a bestselling Chilean rap group. Makiza's album included new and improved versions of songs from Vida Salvaje with two new songs, one of which was the hit single "La Rosa de los Vientos". This album put Makiza at the top of the Latin American hip-hop market, as their style was much more evolved than other groups at the time. The production style resembled the New York underground sound inspired by the Native Tongues, and the lyrics of Makiza lacked the overwhelming "machismo" and violence of average rap. This helped the group receive approval from a wider population.

In 2000, Makiza covered the popular song "Somos tontos, no pesados" by Los Tres. At the end of that year, the members of Makiza separated due to its members' desire to work on personal projects before their tour through neighboring countries. Tijoux specified that she would be abandoning hip-hop and her music career.

In 2003, Tijoux returned to Chile and worked on musical projects with Aluzinati, a Chilean funk band. She also recorded "Lo Que Tu Me Das" with Mexican singer Julieta Venegas for the soundtrack to the film Subterra, and appeared as a featured artist on Mexican hip-hop group Control Machete's final album Uno, Dos: Bandera.

In 2004, Makiza came back together and announced a tour to promote the re-release of Vida Salvaje, which was remastered and in CD format. Tijoux and Seo2, the only musically active remaining members of the group, decided to reunite the band and work on new material. The group released its third album in 2005, Casino Royale, under the independent label Bizarre Records. The album involved various producers, rather than one producer like previous albums released, and involved a third Chilean MC, Sonido Ácido. During this time, Tijoux also voiced "Nea" in the animated series Pulentos.

In 2006, the group broke up permanently due to differences in beliefs about musical production and direction.

Solo career

[edit]
Ana Tijoux in 2009

In November 2006, Tijoux released her first single "Ya no fue" and debuted as a solo artist. Due to problems with "La Oreja" record label, her first album which was produced by Erasmo de la Parra and Camilo Salinas was never released. In January 2007, Tijoux collaborated again with Julieta Venegas on her song "Eres para mi" from her album Limón y sal. The two artists achieved major success in Latin America.

In September 2007, Tijoux released her first solo album under the independent label Oveja Negra, founded by the Sociedad Chilena del Derecho. The album was titled Kaos, and its first single, "Despabilate", was well accepted by the Chilean public and nominated at the Latino MTV Video Music Awards under the categories Best New Artist and Best Urban Artist. She was also nominated for Song of the Year with Julieta Venegas for their collaboration "Eres Para Mi".

On 29 June 2009, Tijoux performed at the Mexican music festival Vive Latino and continued touring across Mexico soon thereafter.

In March 2010, Tijoux released her second solo album, 1977, titled after the year she was born.[3] The album was very much a return to her rap roots, paying homage to the "golden age of hip-hop". The album was largely autobiographical, exploring themes from her own life that included the death of a close friend, experiencing creative crises, friendships, and bad luck, among others. The album marked a significant distancing from the pop music and pop collaborations Tijoux had been doing in collaboration with other artists. She rapped on this album in both Spanish and French as a raw and direct, as well as mature, MC. The album was produced by Hordatoj, Foex, and Tee of the Potoco Discos label with Habitacion del Panico. The album and single 1977 were immediate hits in the underground rap circles of Chile. The record was amongst the top 10 in 2009 for the blog WorldHipHopMarket.com and it was picked up by the United States–based Latino Alternative label Nacional Records, who released it the next year. Tijoux was invited to perform at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival in Austin, Texas. She soon began her first North American tour. On 24 May 2010 Thom Yorke, the lead singer of Radiohead, advised his listeners to listen to 1977, on a list he created of his favorite bands and songs.[4] The list also featured popular artists such as The John Coltrane Quartet Plays and Björk. Yorke introduced the song as one of his favorite ones of the summer. In 2011, the song was featured on the EA Sports video game FIFA 11. It also appears in Breaking Bad (season 4, episode 5).[5]

In September 2012, Tijoux was featured in a campaign called "30 Songs / 30 Days" to support Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a multi-platform media project inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book.[6] On 19 September 2011 MTV Iggy put her in the first position of his list "Best New Female Emcees Dominating Mics Everywhere".[7]

In 2014, Tijoux performed at the SXSW music festival, and based on her performance she was subsequently named "Best Rapper en Español" by Rolling Stone magazine.[8] This year Tijoux also won her first Latin Grammy for Record of the Year for the song "Universos paralelos", a collaboration with Uruguayan musician Jorge Drexler.[9]

In 2020, Tijoux's feminist-themed song "No estamos solas" was chosen as the theme song for La Jauría, the first Chilean Amazon Prime Video original series, which premiered on 10 July.[10] In November 2020, Tijoux was included on the BBC's 100 Women 2020 list, highlighting her involvement "in campaigns against inequality and oppression in the world".[11]

Personal life

[edit]

Tijoux was born in Lille, and moved with her parents to Paris when she was 6 years old. She returned to Chile with her parents aged 14, and was given a scholarship to study at a private school for French immigrants located in Vitacura.[12] After finishing school, she entered university to study design and began working as a part-time waitress.[12]

After the 1998 debut of Makiza and the sudden fame and recognition she started to acquire, Tijoux felt overwhelmed and decided to put a halt on her musical career and return to her anonymity in France, where she started working in a variety of jobs, such as a waitress, school inspector, janitor, and pollster. Subsequently, she decided to return to Chile and resume her solo career as a rapper.[12]

In February 2019, Tijoux married Jon Grandcamp Jr, a French fellow musician. In June 2019, Tijoux left Chile to permanently settle in Paris, France, with Grandcamp and her two children.[12]

Political views

[edit]

Tijoux is a feminist activist, and feminist themes play a major role in her music.[13][14][15][16][17] Tijoux is a supporter of Palestinian liberation.[13][18] In 2022, Tijoux signed onto the Musicians For Palestine pledge, refusing to perform in Israel.[19] Tijoux is an anti-capitalist.[15][16]

Discography

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Studio albums

[edit]

Singles

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  • "Calaveritas" (feat. Celso Piña) (2016)
  • "Luchín" (2016)
  • "Cacerolazo" (2019)
  • "Libertad" (2020)
  • "Antifa Dance" (2020)
  • "No estamos solas" (2020)
  • "Pa que" (2020)
  • "Rebelión de octubre" (feat. MC Millaray) (2020)
  • "Hijo de la Rebeldía" (feat. Cidtronyck, Masquemusica, Stailok & Valtònyc) (2021)
  • "Mal" (2021)
  • "Niñx" (2023)

Collaborations

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Grammy Awards

[edit]
Year Category Nominated work Result
2011 Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album 1977 Nominated
2013 La Bala Nominated
2015 Vengo Nominated[22]

Latin Grammy Awards

[edit]
Year Category Nominated work Result
2012 Best Urban Music Album La Bala Nominated
2013 Best Urban Song "Sacar la Voz" (featuring
Jorge Drexler) 		Nominated
2014 "Vengo" Nominated[23]
Record of the Year "Universos Paralelos" (with
Jorge Drexler) 		Won
Song of the Year Nominated

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ana Tijoux on World Cafe: World Cafe". NPR. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  2. ^ National Public Radio; "Tell Me More" interview; 29 July 2010
  3. ^ "Hip-Hop Artistry Knows No Borders". NPR. 29 July 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  4. ^ "Chilean Rapper Anita Tijoux Gets Plug From Thom Yorke – Terra USA". Music.terra.com. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  5. ^ "Chilean rapper Ana Tijoux brings the sound of protest and nostalgia to the New Parish". Oakland North. September 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  6. ^ "Half the Sky". Halftheskymovement.org. 30 August 2012. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  7. ^ Bryan, Beverly (19 September 2011). "The 12 Best New Female Emcees Dominating Mics Everywhere". Mtv Iggy. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  8. ^ Rolling Stone Magazine (17 March 2014). "48 Best Things We Saw at SXSW 2014". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Jorge Drexler gana el Grammy Latino por canción grabada junto a Ana Tijoux". Emol (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Estrenan primer trailer de "La Jauría", serie chilena inspirada en el caso de La Manada". CNN Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  11. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2020: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  12. ^ a b c d Guerriero, Leila (23 November 2019). "Ana Tijoux: "Yo estaba feliz rapeando, pero la fama me enajenó"". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Chilean Musician Ana Tijoux on Politics, Feminism, Motherhood & Hip-Hop as "a Land for the Landless"". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  14. ^ Alonso, Laura de Grado (11 August 2023). "Ana Tijoux, la tercera mejor rapera en español según Billboard". EFEMINISTA (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  15. ^ a b Tijoux, Ana (8 March 2017). "Ana Tijoux: "No podemos pensar un feminismo, un antipatriarcado, sin un anticapitalismo"". Radio Villa Francia (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 13 March 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  16. ^ a b cuslar (10 March 2017). "Ana Tijoux: 'We can't think of a feminism, an anti-patriarchy, without anti-capitalism'". Committee on U.S./Latin American Relations. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  17. ^ Writer, Zoë Schlanger Senior (18 March 2014). "Chile's Hip-Hop Heroine Goes Deep". Newsweek. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  18. ^ Murray, Nick (10 June 2014). "Watch Ana Tijoux's 'Somos Sur' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  19. ^ Jones, Damian (27 September 2022). "FKA twigs, Denzel Curry and Marianne Faithfull join Musicians For Palestine pledge". NME. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  20. ^ "National Public Radio "Alt. Latino Blog" February 14, 2011". NPR. 14 February 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
  21. ^ "Ondatrópica". Ondatropica.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  22. ^ "Grammys 2015: Complete list of winners and nominees", Los Angeles Times, 8 February 2015, retrieved 5 January 2016
  23. ^ 15th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards Nominations, 24 September 2014
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