Totó La Momposina

Totó La Momposina was born Sonia Bazanta Vides in Talaigua Nuevo de Mompox, a town in Colombia's Bolívar department. She grew up singing the traditional music of the Caribbean coast, particularly the cumbia and bullerengue rhythms that define the region. Her early recordings like 'El Pescador' from 1982 helped introduce these sounds to wider audiences, though she faced criticism from some purists who felt she was diluting tradition by incorporating contemporary elements.

She kept recording through the decades, putting out albums like 'La Candela Viva' in 1986 and 'La Piragua' in 1993. Songs such as 'Yo Me Llamo Cumbia' and 'Cosas Pa' Pensar' became staples in her repertoire, blending the percussive drive of folk forms with her own vocal phrasing. Her live shows typically feature a band with guitar, bass, and drums, plus traditional percussion and dancers in costume.

Totó La Momposina's work has been less about reinvention than about maintaining a living connection to the music she learned as a girl. She continued releasing material into the 2000s and 2010s, including 'Ondas del Caribe' in 2003 and 'El Asunto' in 2014, without chasing pop trends or abandoning the core rhythms of her hometown.