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.
Pie Izquierdo
Ana Tijoux Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hoy es martes creo
Bajo el sol nada nuevo
Ansio mirar el cielo
Y solo veo el rascacielos
Mi pie izquierdo me mira
Con esa sonrisa
Empieza uno de sus días
De los que prefieres
Borrar del calendario
Que parece un calvario
De lo fome y rutinario
El mismo uniforme uniformado
Puesto por todo el vecindario
Será necesario vestirse así a diario
Mientras el diario y su portada
Otra modelo enamorada
De un famoso con la labia
Pero yo sigo
En la fila del metro
Con la esperanza
De un boleto
Que me lleve allá al desierto
Ya que solo tengo
Mi pie izquierdo
Con la mala suerte en los bolsillos
Y sin dinero
Camino sin ruta
Con la esperanza de una suerte
Que cambie mi destino
Para empezarla yo otra vez
Me equivoqué
No sé porque
No quiero volver por ese camino
Será otra vez
Quizás tal vez
Debería seguir mi propio destino
Dímelo
Me salgo la cama
Cerca las siete
Los siete días de la semana
Un viaje hice el adiós que me promete
Un nuevo día
El tabaco salvador del paradero
El sendero rutinario
De un trabajador
Yo
Esa es la que hay
Un vaivén
My friend
De mala racha
Que sabe comer barato
Y vestir mala facha
Hu ha
Bienvenido al mundo de las cucarachas
En el de fuerte con el débil
Debilita que lo depredaran
Fácil en este mundo
De mas grandes vadades
Simios
En la rutina
Que se lleva
Para engañar memoria
Mañana será otro día
Y la misma historia
Me equivoqué
No sé porque
No quiero volver por ese camino
Será otra vez
Quizás tal vez
Debería seguir mi propio destino
Dímelo
Me equivoqué
Será otra vez
Me equivoqué
No sé porque
No quiero volver por ese camino
Será otra vez
Quizás tal vez
Debería seguir mi propio destino
Dímelo
In the song "Pie Izquierdo" by Ana Tijoux, the singer is stuck in a monotonous and unfulfilling routine, symbolized by the constant mention of the left foot, which is associated with the mundane and tedious aspects of daily life. The singer longs for something more meaningful and fulfilling, as expressed in the lyrics "Con la esperanza de una suerte / Que cambie mi destino / Para empezarla yo otra vez" (With the hope of luck / That changes my destiny / To start over again).
Throughout the song, Ana Tijoux critiques the societal pressures to conform and the limited opportunities for upward mobility. The singer describes the daily grind of wearing the same uniform as everyone else and taking the same metro to work. Meanwhile, the media glorifies consumerism and celebrity culture, creating an unreachable ideal for the working class. However, the singer realizes that they can break away from this cycle and pursue their own destiny, as shown in the chorus "No sé porque / No quiero volver por ese camino / Será otra vez / Quizás tal vez / Debería seguir mi propio destino" (I don't know why / I don't want to go back down that path / Maybe it'll be different again / Perhaps I should follow my own destiny).
Overall, "Pie Izquierdo" is a commentary on the struggles of the working class and the importance of self-determination in the face of societal pressure. The singer's search for meaning and fulfillment resonates with many listeners who feel trapped in similar circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Hoy es martes creo
It's Tuesday today, I think
Bajo el sol nada nuevo
Nothing new under the sun
Ansio mirar el cielo
I long to look at the sky
Y solo veo el rascacielos
And all I see are skyscrapers
Mi pie izquierdo me mira
My left foot looks back at me
Con esa sonrisa
With that smile
Entre línea y enseguida
Between the lines and right away
Empieza uno de sus días
One of its days begins
De los que prefieres
The kind you'd rather
Borrar del calendario
Erase from the calendar
Que parece un calvario
That seems like a hardship
De lo fome y rutinario
Of the boring and routine
El mismo uniforme uniformado
The same uniformity
Puesto por todo el vecindario
Worn by everyone in the neighborhood
Será necesario vestirse así a diario
Is it necessary to dress like this every day?
Mientras el diario y su portada
Meanwhile the newspaper and its cover
Otra modelo enamorada
Another model in love
De un famoso con la labia
With a famous person's gift of gab
Pero yo sigo
But I keep going
En la fila del metro
In the metro line
Con la esperanza
With the hope
De un boleto
Of a ticket
Que me lleve allá al desierto
That will take me to the desert
Ya que solo tengo
Since I only have
Mi pie izquierdo
My left foot
Con la mala suerte en los bolsillos
With bad luck in my pockets
Y sin dinero
And without money
Camino sin ruta
I walk without a path
Con la esperanza de una suerte
With the hope of good luck
Que cambie mi destino
To change my fate
Para empezarla yo otra vez
To start it again myself
Me equivoqué
I made a mistake
No sé porque
I don't know why
No quiero volver por ese camino
I don't want to go back down that path
Será otra vez
It will be again
Quizás tal vez
Maybe perhaps
Debería seguir mi propio destino
I should follow my own destiny
Me salgo la cama
I get out of bed
Cerca las siete
Around seven
Los siete días de la semana
Seven days a week
Un viaje hice el adiós que me promete
A trip I took that promises me goodbye
Un nuevo día
A new day
El tabaco salvador del paradero
The salvation of the bus stop cigarette
El sendero rutinario
The routine path
De un trabajador
Of a worker
Yo
Me
Esa es la que hay
That's how it is
Un vaivén
A back and forth
My friend
My friend
De mala racha
A bad luck streak
Que sabe comer barato
Who knows how to eat cheaply
Y vestir mala facha
And dress poorly
Hu ha
Hu ha
Bienvenido al mundo de las cucarachas
Welcome to the world of cockroaches
En el de fuerte con el débil
In a world of strong against weak
Debilita que lo depredaran
Weakened to be preyed upon
Fácil en este mundo
Easy in this world
De mas grandes vadades
Of greater truths
Simios
Simians
En la rutina
In the routine
Que se lleva
That carries on
Para engañar memoria
To deceive memory
Mañana será otro día
Tomorrow will be another day
Y la misma historia
And the same story
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ganis Carrizo, Eduardo Adan Herrera Munoz, Francisco Antonio Matamala Cortes, Ana Maria Merino Tijoux
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind