This Tuesday, the Colombian joropo band "Cimarrón", premiered its new album "La Recia" as a musical manifesto that comes to shake the concept of folklore starting from the original and spiritual sounds of the Orinoco region, in the contemporary key that has characterized the band throughout 22 years of artistic career. 

Al Día News spoke with Ana Veydó, leader and director of the band, who developed the artistic, musical and scenic concept of this new album. 

Veydó told how difficult it has been to be a woman within an artistic scenario led by men, especially in joropo, where the rules have been imposed from the beginning with a male order. 

"When I started singing there were no women in the spaces where joropo was performed, because it is a place that was born in the cattle-breeding endeavor led by men", said Ana, emphasizing how her life has also influenced the becoming of the band and this new musical album. 

"La Recia is a product full of reflections and questions about what folklore is today. It is also a critique of commercial folklore, where we seek to delve into traditions, into what is typical and talk about what is not commonly told," emphasized the singer, adding that the album uses some indigenous instruments such as the manguare. 

Cimarrón shows an expression that goes beyond the traditional joropo that is known inside and outside the country, that is why Ana calls the music they make as "anti-folkloric".

"Folklore is not only happiness, the folklore of joropo has also been built on pain, on the mestizo and what we are", mentions the artist. 

With their album Orinoco (2019), they were nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Folk Album and during the pandemic they were consecrated as the Best Band 2020 in the UK at the Songlines Music Awards that are delivered annually in London.

Cimarron has made history on stages such as Newport Folk Festival, Mawazine Festival in Morocco, Rainforest World Music Festival in Malaysia, Paléo Festival in Switzerland, Rajasthan International Folk Music Festival, Abu Dhabi Culture & Heritage Festival, Førde International Folk Music Festival, Musashino Concert Hall in Japan and the National Grand Theater in Beijing, China.