One of the single biggest benefits of the annual South By Southwest music conference is the sheer mass of fascinating artists--many of whom come from all corners of the world, gathered together and ready to be seen by music fans who perhaps face a limited travel budget.
One artist who does not come from so far is Ximena Sariñana, the highly talented young Mexican singer, whose latest album is self-titled and sung in English rather than the Spanish favored on her 2008 debut album Mediocre.
A strikingly talented young woman, the singer has a fascinating past, much of it the result of her parents being in the film industry: Her father is a film director and producer, and her mother a screenwriter. The singer herself is no stranger to the screen either; she was four years old when she first starting acting, and to date has appeared in 11 films and 3 telenovelas.
The singer's two Warner Brothers album may be linguistically diverse but similar in their sheer musicality: The show a thoughtful songwriter, an adept instrumentalist, and a stunningly strong and compelling singer with very much to say.
The first performer of this year's Y! Music SXSW sessions, Ximena arrived early in the morning and, to say the least, woke us all up with her emotive performance and very appealing, personality-filled interview. Watch and see.