Lido Pimienta
Lido Pimienta is a Colombian Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter.[1] She rose to prominence after her 2016 album, La Papessa, won the $50,000 2017 Polaris Music Prize.[2] Her music incorporates a variety of styles and influences, including traditional indigenous and Afro-Colombian musical styles, as well as contemporary synthpop and electronic music.[3]
Lido Pimienta | |
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Birth name | Lido Maria Pimienta Paz |
Born | Barranquilla, Colombia |
Origin | Toronto, Canada |
Genres | Synthpop, Latin-American music |
Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, songwriter |
Years active | 2010–present |
Website | lidopimienta |
Early life
Originally from Barranquilla, Colombia,[4] she later immigrated to Canada, settling in London, Ontario,[5] before moving to Toronto, where she is currently based.[4] Her father died when she was six years old.[5]
Career
Pimienta released her debut album, Color, in 2010.[6] The album was produced by Michael Ramey, Pimienta's husband at the time,[7] and was released by Los Angeles based music label KUDETA.[7] After Pimienta and Ramey separated, Pimienta took time to pursue a degree in art criticism, in addition to learning more about music production, before releasing her second album, La Papessa, in 2016.[3] That year, she also collaborated with A Tribe Called Red on several tracks for their 2016 album We Are the Halluci Nation.[8]
Following the release of her experimental album La Papessa, which was self-produced by Pimienta, she was awarded the $50,000 2017 Polaris Music Prize,[2] which is considered Canada's top juried music award.[5] The Globe and Mail called her "the future of Canadian rock and roll", and dubbed her the "artist of the year".[5]
During her performance at the Halifax Pop Explosion music festival on October 19, 2017, Pimienta, as she often does during her concerts, invited the "brown girls [in the audience] to [come] the front".[9] According to a statement that was subsequently released by the festival, "the incident involved a white volunteer photographer and several white audience members who reacted negatively" to Pimienta's request.[9] When the photographer refused to move after ten separate requests, Pimienta said, "you're cutting into my set time and you're disrespecting these women, and I don't have time for this". The volunteer was removed from the show and the festival organizers later apologized to Pimienta, and said they would increase "anti-oppression and anti-racism training".[9]
In addition to working as a musician, Pimienta is also a visual artist and curator, and her work has been described as exploring "the politics of gender, race, motherhood, identity and the construct of the Canadian landscape in the Latin American"; her work was exhibited in the group exhibition FEMINISTRY IS HERE at Mercer Union gallery in Toronto.[10]
Personal life
Pimienta identifies as queer.[11] She is of mixed Afro-Colombian and Wayuu descent.[3] She is a single parent.[5]
Discography
- Color (2010)
- La Papessa (2016)
- Miss Colombia (2020)
Awards and nominations
Year | Association | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Polaris Music Prize | Polaris Music Prize | La Papessa | Won | [12] |
2020 | Miss Colombia | Nominated | |||
2021 | Grammy Awards | Best Latin Rock, Urban, or Alternative Album | Pending |
References
- "How Lido Pimienta found freedom in music". Q, February 2, 2017.
- "Lido Pimienta Wins 2017 Polaris Music Prize", Exclaim!, September 18, 2017.
- "Meet Lido Pimienta, The Art Pop Warrior of the Latinx Underground". The Fader, October 31, 2016.
- "Lido Pimienta Takes Control". Noisey, March 21, 2014.
- "The Globe's artist of the year: Lido Pimienta". Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- "Lido Pimienta en su exploración de género, raza, maternidad e inmigración". Univision, November 5, 2016.
- "Lido Pimienta is done with your ideas of “world music”". Chart Attack, January 29, 2017.
- "Innovative DJ trio willing to stand up; A Tribe Called Red's new album described as a 'lightning rod'". The Gazette (Montreal), December 15, 2016.
- Friend, David (October 27, 2017). "Halifax music fest apologizes for 'overt racism' at Lido Pimienta concert". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
- "Mercer Union | FEMINISTRY IS HERE". www.mercerunion.org. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- "What It’s Like to be Queer and Latinx During Pride". Torontoist, June 30, 2016.
- "Lido Pimienta Takes The Polaris Prize Over Leonard Cohen, Feist". NPR.org. Retrieved December 3, 2020.