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.
Intro
Ana Tijoux Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Saltamos mil inviernos a primaveras
Pasamos del trote a la carrera
No hay tiempo para nada
Cambio y fuera
Despréndete, afírmate
Punto aparte
Te toca, me toca, fuerte como roca
Explota, me rebota, pasa la pelota
Tiempo muerto, ya no sirve
Trabajo continuo si persiste
Insiste, ya viste, la hiciste
Resiste, todo es posible
Todo es, todo es
Todo es, todo es
Todo es, todo es
Todo es, todo es
Siento que voy a desvanecer
Pero no voy a dejarme vencer
La defensa contraataca
Primer tiempo se levanta
Pásala, quítala
Devuélvela, rebótala
En nuestro equipo reina el caos
Pero somos adelantaos
Desde Tijuana hasta Santiago
Somos uno ¡que chingaos!
Siento que voy a desvanecer
Pero no voy a dejarme vencer
Ni por la razón ni por la fuerza
Saltamos mil inviernos a primaveras
Pasamos del trote a la carrera
No hay tiempo para nada
Cambio y fuera
Tiro de esquina, que buena la pinta
Que linda la visita, gol a la chilenidad
Te toca, me toca, fuerte como roca
Explota, me rebota, pasa la pelota
Todas las ganas puesta en el juego
Cambio de lado, sácate el miedo
Saque lateral, golpe fatal
Falta por penal, a ganar
Golazo frontal
Insiste, ya viste, la hiciste
Resiste, todo es posible
Todo es, todo es
Todo es, todo es
Todo es, todo es
Todo es, todo es
Pásala, quítala
Devuélvela, rebótala
Pásala, quítala
Devuélvela, rebótala
Pásala, quítala
Devuélvela, rebótala
Pásala, quítala
Devuélvela, rebótala
Rebótala, rebótala
Rebótala, rebótala
Rebótala, rebótala
Rebótala, rebótala
Ana Tijoux's song "Intro" starts with the message that nothing can stop the progress of time. The first line says "Neither by reason nor by force, we skip a thousand winters for springs". The meaning behind this line is that no matter how hard we try, time does not wait for anyone; it moves forward without restraint. Then, Tijoux goes on to encourage people to let go of their fears and doubts and take a leap of faith. She says "Detach, affirm yourself, period. Launch yourself, throw yourself. It's your turn, it's my turn, strong as a rock. Explode, bounce back, pass the ball". This is a message of empowerment and a call for action.
The song then shifts to a sports metaphor, using the example of a football game to depict the idea of teamwork, perseverance, and determination. Tijoux encourages people to keep going and never give up, using lines such as "I feel like I'm going to fade away, but I won't let myself be defeated". She emphasizes that even when things seem tough, there is always a way to overcome obstacles and achieve your goals. The song ends with a repeated chorus of "pass it, take it, return it, bounce it", a simple but powerful message of cooperation, coordination, and trust.
Line by Line Meaning
Ni por la razón ni por la fuerza
We can't rely solely on reasoning or force to overcome obstacles.
Saltamos mil inviernos a primaveras
We skipped over countless obstacles to experience the beauty of spring.
Pasamos del trote a la carrera
We moved from a leisurely pace to an all-out sprint.
No hay tiempo para nada
We don't have time for anything else.
Cambio y fuera
Changed and out.
Despréndete, afírmate
Let go, hold on tight.
Punto aparte
New paragraph, new idea.
Lánzate, tírate
Jump in, dive in.
Te toca, me toca, fuerte como roca
Your turn, my turn, solid as a rock.
Explota, me rebota, pasa la pelota
Explode, bounce back to me, pass the ball.
Tiempo muerto, ya no sirve
Timeout, no longer useful.
Trabajo continuo si persiste
Continuous work pays off if we persevere.
Insiste, ya viste, la hiciste
Persist, you already saw that you did it.
Resiste, todo es posible
Resist, everything is possible.
Siento que voy a desvanecer
I feel like I'm going to fade away.
Pero no voy a dejarme vencer
But I won't let myself be defeated.
La defensa contraataca
The defense counterattacks.
Primer tiempo se levanta
First half rises.
Pásala, quítala
Pass it, take it.
Devuélvela, rebótala
Return it, bounce it back.
En nuestro equipo reina el caos
Chaos reigns in our team.
Pero somos adelantaos
But we are advanced.
Desde Tijuana hasta Santiago
From Tijuana to Santiago.
Somos uno ¡que chingaos!
We are one, what the hell!
Tiro de esquina, que buena la pinta
Corner kick, what a good look.
Que linda la visita, gol a la chilenidad
What a beautiful visit, goal for the Chilean spirit.
Todas las ganas puesta en el juego
All the desires put into the game.
Cambio de lado, sácate el miedo
Switch sides, shake off the fear.
Saque lateral, golpe fatal
Throw-in, fatal blow.
Falta por penal, a ganar
Penalty foul, time to win.
Golazo frontal
Frontal goal.
Pásala, quítala
Pass it, take it.
Rebótala, rebótala
Bounce it back, bounce it back.
Contributed by Addison V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.