Teen Talk

Girl Power: Natalia Lafourcade in action!

We sat down to chat with Natalia Lafourcade, powerful Latina musician whose lyrics have become Girl Power anthems for teens and young ladies around the world!

Click on the pic to listen to “Ella es Bonita”, popular hit from 2009

1. Hello Natalia, it’s a real pleasure having an artist with such an impressive career featured on our blog. Thank you for participating! Did you ever celebrate your Quinceañera? If so, where did you celebrate it, and what were some of the cool things you did? If not, did you do anything special for your 15th birthday?

Firstly, thank you so much for inviting me and including me in this blog! Yes, I did celebrate my Quinceañera and it was a very special day. What I wanted most was to travel to Canada with my best friend to learn English, but my mother could not afford it. Instead, she organized a party and invited my friends. I wore a long blue dress, put on makeup for the first time (believe it or not, I did not like makeup in those days!), and wore high heels, just like the ones you see princesses wear. I think the most fun I had that day was singing for my friends with the Mariachi band. In those days, serenading my friends was one of the things I enjoyed most. We also spent hours dancing to and singing the songs of the artists we loved most.

2. Even though this song came out at the start of your career, we must admit we love “En El 2000” and the video is really fun! Can you tell us the story behind it? Also, can you explain why there seem to be 2 versions of this video? Which one is your favorite?

I like both versions! The story behind this song is interesting and pretty funny. When I wrote “En El 2000” (“In the Year 2000”) I had just turned 15, but the song became famous in 2002. I never thought this song would become as popular as it did, but my girlfriends warned me it might. In 2000, I used to sing this song to my High School friends, and they would get so happy…all they wanted was for me to keep playing it so they could learn it. I wrote it at a time in my life when it was hard for me to imagine myself fitting in anywhere, when I felt I didn’t want to follow the same career path as my other girlfriends…at times I felt like the world was huge and at other times I felt it was small. Around me, the world was moving fast, hundreds of things were happening at once, and I really wanted to express this feeling in that song.

Once the song was released and became a hit, I was not prepared! Everywhere I went, people asked me to sing it. I sang it so many times that I ended up hating the song, and I stopped singing it for a number of years. Three or four years later, I started feeling comfortable with the song again and went back to playing it live. That’s when I decided to make a second video for the song that copied the theme in the original video. I wanted people to remember the old times in which they identified with the song, while bringing it back into a time when I felt comfortable with it again, so we could sing together and be happy in the present. I now once again love “En el 2000” and have lots of fun playing it live.

3. We absolutely LOVE your style and fashion sense. If you were 15 today, how would you dress? Where would you shop?

If I were 15 again today, I would probably make more feminine fashion choices than I made back then. I used to dress in pants and shorts a lot; I was messier and probably dirtier because I was busy all the time. I would aim to look nicer than I used to hahaha 😉 I would probably shop at H&M, Forever XXI or Top Shop.

Check out her personal IG account here!

4. What was your favorite thing to do when you were 15? Were you writing lots of songs back then? What did you do in your free time? Do you still do that?

I loved writing songs and gifting them to the boyfriend I had back then. I loved dancing to Hip Hop music; I often exercised, and played basketball a lot. Furthermore, I also enjoyed buying records and eating ice cream. I had a lot of fun going out with friends and learning to play the guitar. I used to watch MTV like crazy, as in those days it was a super popular music channel in Mexico.

Nowadays, I enjoy nearly all the same things, only I depend on writing songs to live and grow, so I take everything a bit more seriously. However, I keep trying to have fun and entertain myself in the things that I do. I try to keep my Quinceañera spirit with me wherever I go!

Check out more pics of Natalia Lafourcade‘s on her Facebook account here!

5. Have you ever played a Quinceañera show? Which of your songs would you be most excited to play if you performed at a Quinceañera party?

Clearly, performing “En el 2000” at a Quinceañera party would be a very special and fun moment for all. I have performed at some Quinceañera parties in the past, and we had tons of fun! Even though I’m 30 years old now, I will always love the fifteen-year-old energy. One of the things that I love at my shows is to see the reaction people have when they hear “En el 2000”, and seeing girls singing it with all their heart…makes me feel great!

6. What are your plans for this year? Will you be traveling to the USA a lot? Where can we see you perform?

I hope to travel to the US a lot. It’s always fun to play for my fans in the US. In March, I will release my new record, which I worked on these past three years as I toured singing the songs of Agustin Lara. This release is the fruit of months of work and making music. What I wish for the most, my biggest dream, is to keep playing shows and meet more friends with whom I can share my music and my songs…so wherever you are, I hope we can see each other soon and sing together.