Peruvian singer and folklorist Susana Baca would have to wait many years before finally making her debut recording; it seemed that no one in the music industry was interested in (or knew anything about) her genre of choice: Afro-Peruvian music. Committed to changing this, Baca sought to tirelessly document and preserve the folk music of mixed races that was the love of her life, and now heads the Instituto Negrocontinuo (Black Continuum Institute) along with her husband, sociologist Ricardo Pereira, dedicated to the dissemination of this rich tradition.
As a young girl, Baca was exposed to many genres, and grew up singing and dancing in her family. She had wanted to become a singer since seeing her sister enter a competition, but opportunities for women, and black women in particular, were few and far between. One of her early inspirations was singer Chabuca Granda, a legendary figure in Afro-Peruvian music who mentored Baca and encouraged her to record an album.
While her first attempt at a deal fell through, Baca's curiosity for the origins of the songs and rhythms she had heard as a child lead her on a journey of research and discovery, and her efforts finally paid off when American musician/producer David Byrne included her version of "Maria Landó" on his Luaka Bop compilation The Soul of Black Perú. Since then, she has several recordings to her credit, and continues an active performing schedule in the midst of her musical research. —Rebeca Mauleon
