In the 1990's Anita formed a hip-hop band Los Gemelos (The Twins) with a fellow rapper Zaturno (later became famous as a member of Tiro de Gracia). In 1997 she gained first major attention after singing in a Los Tetas' hit single "La Medicina". Later she joined DJ Squat, Cenzi and Seo2, and Makiza was formed.
After Makiza went on hiatus in 2001, Anita returned to France and took a break from music until 2004. After coming back to Chile in 2004 she became singing with the funk/acid jazz band Aluzinati, and later in 2005 she reformed Makiza with Seo2 and two new members and released the band's final album to date, Casino Royale.
In 2007 Anita appeared on Julieta Venegas' hit single, "Eres Para Mí" and finally released her solo debut, Kaos. Thanks to the first single, "Despabílate", Anita was nominated for the Latin version of the MTV Video Music Awards 2007 under the categories Best New Artist and Best Urban Artist.
In October 2009, Tijoux released her second solo album, titled 1977 after the year she was born. The album was a return to her rap roots, an homage to the "golden age of hip-hop"; it was largely auto-biographical, exploring mature themes from her own life, from the death of a close friend to having a creative crises, from friendship to bad luck, amongst others. It was simple and straight to the point, as emphasized by her leaving behind a lot of the singing she had been doing of late in other more pop collaborations, and concentrating on rap, both in Spanish and French. After years of sharing the spotlight with her group, collaborating with other artists, and trying to find her way as a solo artist, she has finally arrived in her own right—a raw, direct, and mature MC.
Recorded between May and September 2009, the new album was produced by Hordatoj, Foex and Tee, of the label Potoco Discos, together with Habitación del Pánico. Guests on the record include the saxophonist Agustín Moya with whom she worked with in Aluzinati, Andrés Celis, Solo Di Medina, Bubaseta, Stailok from the group Movimiento Original, DJ Dacel, Quique Neira (formerly from Gondwana), Cómo Asesinar A Felipes, and the Detroit-based MC Invincible, whom she met over MySpace and did a virtual collaboration for the song "Sube".
The album and its first single 1977 were an immediate hit in the underground rap circles of Chile, where she was welcomed back after a bit of a stray. The record was amongst the top 10 of 2009 for the blog [worldhiphopmarket.com], and it was soon picked up by the U.S.-based Latin Alternative label Nacional Records, who released it in April 2010. She was invited to attend the prestigious South By South West Music Festival in Austin, Texas, in March 2010, and from there went on to her first ever North American tour. The song 1977 is featured in FIFA 11 soundtrack, and it also appears in episode five of the fourth season of Breaking Bad.
In 2011 Ana released her new solo album, La Bala. The album deals with many political and social issues in Chile, and the lead single, "Shock", was inspired by the strikes of the Chilean students which took part in 2011.
Delta
Ana Tijoux Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cantautores, barítonos, contraltos y artistas
Que me disculpen los intelectuales pensadores
Filósofos, teóricos y creadores
Yo solo sé que escribo, luego existo
Porque la palabra cobra vida y sentido
Me da ese respiro del oxígeno al oído
Como un órgano vital lo que siento y lo digo
El arte es un arte para liberarse
Despojarse de las expectativas y estandartes
Llevarse, mecerse con el pensamiento
Moverse en ideas en continuo movimiento
Mi nombre poco importa, mi cara va cambiando
Con el paso del tiempo, ella se va arrugando
No le temo a la vejez, yo le temo a la tontera
Al vacío sin sentido que invade esta era
Me cuestiono que decir cómo abordar un tema
Un compromiso con el mundo pues, cantar es mi escuela
Rimar es mi academia y a veces mi dilema
Y en ese sincronismo vivir no vale la pena
Vivir lo que se escribe, y escribir lo que se vive
Desvivirse con el texto, desvestirse por completo
Desnudar el sentimiento con el sentir más honesto
Rendirse jamás como primer manifiesto
Sentir lo que se dice, y lo que se dice sentirlo
Vivir cada escrito pues no todo está dicho
Resentir, re-significarlo todo como mecanismo
Primer manifiesto liberar el pensamiento
Así es, buscamos caminos en el tiempo
Sin voces del aire, del cuerpo en un alma
Vive lo que escribes, siente lo que se dice
La música me eligió y yo a ella somos felices
No importa el escenario que pise
Sea en un festival masivo o bajo tierra con lombrices
Son mis raíces las que no pierdo ni olvido
Hacer ruido, mi objetivo soy elegido y bendecido
Perdón por haber mordido el fruto prohibido
Y si hoy vivo es por esto que llevo con-mi
Conmigo del sonido fiel a los míos y a mi principios
Barrio mi inicio rap y ando difícil
Y uno que otro esfuerzo y sacrificio
Como alejarme de este vicio yo
Soy la voz de los anónimos de
Los que rimamos para subir el ánimo humano
Más que colegas hermanos
Dedica y "hácelo" de corazón pana
Que todo lo demás el tiempo se encargará
Hasta que llegue la oportunidad
Hazlo de corazón pana que todo lo demás
El tiempo se encargará, el tiempo se encargará
Vivir lo que se escribe, y escribir lo que se vive
Desvivirse con el texto, desvestirse por completo
Desnudar el sentimiento con el sentir más honesto
Rendirse jamás como primer manifiesto
Sentir lo que se dice, y lo que se dice sentirlo
Vivir cada escrito pues no todo está dicho
Resentir, re-significarlo todo como mecanismo
Primer manifiesto liberar el pensamiento
Así es, buscamos caminos en el tiempo
Sin voces del aire, del cuerpo en un alma
In the song Delta by Ana Tijoux, the lyrics express the power of writing and singing as a form of existence and liberation. Tijoux apologizes to poets, musicians, intellectuals, and philosophers for her simplistic view of art, which is to write and exist. She sees writing as a way to breathe life into words and to express oneself honestly. She discusses how art is a way to break free from expectations and standards, and to engage in a continuous flow of ideas. Tijoux goes on to say that she does not fear aging, but she fears senseless emptiness that is prevalent in today's era. She questions what to say and how to approach a topic, as there is a commitment to the world in expressing oneself through song. She believes writing and rhyming is a form of education and a dilemma at times, but overarches with the idea that living provides meaning behind writing and existence.
The song Delta is not just about the power of words, but also about choosing to live your words. The chorus emphasizes the importance of embodying what you write and feeling what you say. Tijoux notes that music chose her and she chose it, and that they are both happy in their partnership. She is not restricted by where she can perform or who she can perform with; her roots and aim are to make noise and to be heard. Being a rapper had its challenging moments, but she values the sense of community and brotherhood that stems from people rapping to lift human spirits. The song concludes with the idea that the passage of time will take care of everything else until the opportunity arrives to take a chance on what you believe.
Line by Line Meaning
Que me disculpen los poetas, trovadores y coplistas
Apologizing to poets, troubadours, and lyricists
Cantautores, barítonos, contraltos y artistas
Apologizing to singers and artists
Que me disculpen los intelectuales pensadores
Apologizing to intellectual thinkers
Filósofos, teóricos y creadores
Apologizing to philosophers, theorists, and creators
Yo solo sé que escribo, luego existo
Expressing the importance of writing and self-expression
Porque la palabra cobra vida y sentido
Believing that words have life and meaning
Me da ese respiro del oxígeno al oído
Feeling a breath of fresh air when hearing words
Como un órgano vital lo que siento y lo digo
Comparing writing to a vital organ
El arte es un arte para liberarse
Asserting that art is a means of liberation
Despojarse de las expectativas y estandartes
Rejecting societal expectations and norms
Llevarse, mecerse con el pensamiento
Allowing oneself to be swayed by thoughts
Moverse en ideas en continuo movimiento
Thinking and evolving constantly
Mi nombre poco importa, mi cara va cambiando
Valuing personal growth over external appearances
Con el paso del tiempo, ella se va arrugando
Accepting physical aging and change
No le temo a la vejez, yo le temo a la tontera
Fearing ignorance and foolishness more than old age
Al vacío sin sentido que invade esta era
Referring to the meaninglessness present in today's society
Me cuestiono que decir cómo abordar un tema
Questioning what to say and how to approach a topic
Un compromiso con el mundo pues, cantar es mi escuela
Stating that singing is a commitment to the world
Rimar es mi academia y a veces mi dilema
Viewing rhyming as both a learning experience and a challenge
Y en ese sincronismo vivir no vale la pena
Reflecting that life is not worth living without creative expression
Vive lo que escribes, siente lo que se dice
Advocating for living the words that one writes and feeling them deeply
La música me eligió y yo a ella somos felices
Acknowledging the joy found in musical expression
No importa el escenario que pise
Not caring about external circumstances
Sea en un festival masivo o bajo tierra con lombrices
Accepting both high-profile and humble performances
Son mis raíces las que no pierdo ni olvido
Valuing personal roots and not forgetting them
Hacer ruido, mi objetivo soy elegido y bendecido
Seeing making noise as a goal and feeling blessed to do so
Perdón por haber mordido el fruto prohibido
Apologizing for breaking societal rules and expectations
Y si hoy vivo es por esto que llevo con-mi
Attributing one's continued survival to creative expression
Conmigo del sonido fiel a los míos y a mi principios
Valuing sound and personal principles above all else
Barrio mi inicio rap y ando difícil
Acknowledging the challenges of starting out in rap music
Y uno que otro esfuerzo y sacrificio
Recognizing the hard work and sacrifice required for success
Como alejarme de este vicio yo
Struggling to break free of the creative habit
Soy la voz de los anónimos de
Proudly assuming the voice of the unknown
Los que rimamos para subir el ánimo humano
Using music to lift the spirits of others
Más que colegas hermanos
Viewing collaborators as family
Dedica y "hácelo" de corazón pana
Encouraging others to dedicate themselves to creative expression wholeheartedly
Que todo lo demás el tiempo se encargará
Believing that everything else will fall into place with time
Hasta que llegue la oportunidad
Waiting for the right opportunity to come along
Hazlo de corazón pana que todo lo demás
Encouraging others to create with passion and let everything else fall into place
El tiempo se encargará, el tiempo se encargará
Emphasizing the importance of patience and time in the creative process
Así es, buscamos caminos en el tiempo
Acknowledging the search for creative paths and progression
Sin voces del aire, del cuerpo en un alma
Referring to music as an expression of the soul rather than just a physical presence
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANA MARIA MERINO TIJOUX, ANDRES CELIS MUJICA, DANIEL CORREA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind