![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/La-Dona_2_web.jpg?resize=1228%2C1818&quality=89&ssl=1\")
La Do\u00f1a cites her upbringing among musicians and educators as one of the most significant influences for her music. \u201cHaving the childhood that I did pretty much put me on the path to pursue my music further,\u201d she says. \u201cThis is how I choose to contribute to my community and I\u2019m very thankful to have been raised in a community-oriented household.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Growing up during the rise of the Bay Area\u2019s historic Hyphy movement has also served as a major influence in La Do\u00f1a\u2019s work. Nods to Bay Rap legends like Too $hort and JT the Bigga Figga seamlessly fused with her signature Latin rhythm perfectly encapsulate the eclectic culture that she along with fellow Frisco natives of her generation were raised in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tributes aside, La Do\u00f1a\u2019s music performs work on an even deeper level in which she addresses social issues that current mainstream music normally attempts to avoid.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTaking historically significant rhythms and repoliticizing them is an important part of my project. The diasporic nature of these types of music has been depoliticized and co-opted to not have a message, especially in crossover mainstream reggaeton and pop,\u201d she says. \u201cBut this music is a result of a lot of liberation and identity struggles, so I try to utilize this musicality in a way that addresses more substantial topics\u2014topics that pertain to my life and the lives of the people I grew up with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her bilingual single \u201cLe Lo Lai,\u201d for example, offers a glimpse into the life of a playerette, \u00e0 la Too $hort\u2019s classic \u201cFreaky Tales.\u201d In this song, La Do\u00f1a flips the common narrative of the glorified player and champions sexual liberation for women\u2014reappropriating the player trope to highlight a radical feminist perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her most recent single \u201cQui\u00e9n Me La Paga\u201d tackles the issue of San Francisco\u2019s impossible cost of living\u2014a subject most city natives identify and struggle with. \u201cI wrote this song to talk about the tensions of living here and the things we need to do just to survive here,\u201d she says. \u201cEveryone has a full-time job and one or two side hustles and their creative outlets, so it became almost impossible to marry all of those things and live comfortably in the city I was born and raised in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n La Do\u00f1a\u2019s mission to keep her work authentically reflective of her life here in San Francisco is made evident in her music videos as well. The videos for both \u201cLe Lo Lai\u201d and \u201cQui\u00e9n Me La Paga\u201d\u2014songs that both will be featured on her upcoming EP \u201cAlgo Nuevo\u201d which drops March 12\u2014highlight the sanctity of friendship with imagery of La Do\u00f1a and her homegirls either chopping it up on the stoop or partying and playing music together. Naomi Garcia, Alyssa Aviles and Lauren D\u2019amato, who are featured in La Do\u00f1a\u2019s music videos, are close friends and close collaborators in her musical projects in providing artwork and creative direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As her music gains more recognition far beyond the San Francisco county line, one might think it\u2019d become increasingly difficult to maintain a type group of friends as collaborators. Thanks to La Do\u00f1a\u2019s unwavering foundation and clear vision, however, she hasn\u2019t had a problem with ensuring that her team remains comprised of those who understand and support her truth.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe only reason I would want to grow in scale is so that I can cash out my homegirls who have been doing this work with me and have been down to ride,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve been really lucky to not have had a problem with keeping my team the way I want it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While her work becomes more widely known across the globe, La Do\u00f1a makes a point to remind folks that her loyalty has been and will always remain with her community in San Francisco.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI got all of my beginnings and first words of encouragement and support from this community,\u201d she says. \u201cSo I will always continue to work for this community and encourage people to really value the impact their art has at home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n La Do\u00f1a\u2019s EP \u201cAlgo Nuevo\u201d debuts March 12th at her show \u201cCasa de La Do\u00f1a\u201d at The Chapel @ 8pm.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" San Francisco is widely considered to be the cultural capital of the West Coast. Historically, folks from across the globe have made the move to the city by the Bay to bask in its rich bohemian atmosphere full of artists, makers, movers and shakers. Over the years, as the influx of new arrivals has risen, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":42893,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"coauthors":[18445],"class_list":["post-42892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/La-Dona_3_web.jpg?resize=1228%2C1818&quality=89&ssl=1\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eltecolote.org\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/La-Dona_1_web.jpg?resize=1228%2C1818&quality=89&ssl=1\")