Eugenia Leon is considered one of the best female singers in Latin America.… Read Full Bio ↴Eugenia Leon is considered one of the best female singers in Latin America. Called by the critics "The Voice of Mexico", she has delighted international audiences all over the world. Proudly Mexican, Eugenia Leon is the voice of a passionate nation deeply in love with its roots.

Born in the "City of Palaces" (Mexico City), Eugenia Leon discovers her musical calling at the College of Sciences and Humanities in Naucalpan, where she lent her voice for the compositions of her schoolmates.
During the turbulent 70's, young people started to identify with the musical movement known as La Trova, singing about Latin American life, liberty, and soul.

Those influences defined her style and her future path, and she never looked back.
When she turned 18, she decided to study at the National School of Music. Those were hard times, constantly switching jobs, and learning from life's blows and surprises.

Encouraged by her sister, Eugenia Leon formed a musical group called "Victor Jara", with a totally Latin American folk style. Afterwards, she forms the group Sanampay, with the same roots. She left Sanampay in 1982 to pursue a solo career, based on a repertoire of songs from contemporary Mexican composers, and including also boleros and music from Brazil.

She releases her first recording in 1983, "Asi te quiero", and traveled all over Mexico with a small group of musicians playing in various gigs.

Eugenia Leon's career took a definite turn in 1985, when she entered the OTI International Festival at Seville (Spain) representing Mexico, with Marcial Alejandro's song "El Fandango Aqui". As a devastating earthquake hits Mexico City on September 19th, right while she's competing at the Festival, Eugenia transformed the pain of her people into strength, and turned her voice into the utmost expression of courage and hope. She was awarded First Place in the competition.

Since then, she has recorded more than 20 albums, all diverse and unique. Among the composers that have given her songs are Fito Paez, David Haro, Joan Manuel Serrat, Marcial Alejandro, Armando Manzanero, Jose Alfredo Jimenez, Francisco Gabilondo Soler and Maria Grever. She has also explored diverse styles such as mariachi, bolero and tango. In 1998, the government of the Mexican state of Veracruz granted her the Agustin Lara award, as homage for her excellent interpretation of the songs of the famous composers.

Commemorating her 30 years as singer, Eugenia Leon staged a concert at the National Auditorium in Mexico City (the largest venue in the country) on November 1st, 2003, selling it out completely. The concert was a spectacular show with Mariachi Vargas and the Orquesta Sinfonica de las Americas, enthralling the audience with samples covering Eugenia's entire career and musical repertoire.

Eugenia Leon is the best Mexican singer according to many, while others also consider Eugenia's concerts and recordings to be a guarantee of high quality. In any case, Eugenia helps to make sure that the musical spirit of Mexico will remain alive and well.

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Eugenia León got her start in the New Song Movement, Latin America's equivalent to the rise of Bob Dylan and company in North America and Europe. With a repertoire that pairs contemporary composers with the creators of the traditional music of Latin America and Mexico, Ms. León is not locked in to any one genre. Rather she seeks to nurture her music with elements of theater, cabaret, and opera. Her association with actors, poets, painters, and writers imparts a distinct and rich dimension to the production and staging of her music.

In 1985, her rich voice and assured stage presence guaranteed her the top prize at the OTI International Song Festival in Spain. Since then she has participated in other prestigious events such as the Pan Pacific Music Festival in Japan, the Kennedy Center’s AmericArtes Festival in Washington, DC, the Latin Festival in New York City, Expo Seville in Spain, and the Americas Summit in Cartagena, Colombia. Ms. León was also invited to entertain the thousands of women gathered for their global summit in Beijing, China.

Back home in Mexico, audiences know that Eugenia León's musical style transcends the trendy ups and downs of the world of commercial music, and she regularly packs the top venues of the nation meeting demands of fans expectant of quality songs passionately delivered. This performer/audience relationship, she believes, leads to ever higher levels of musical culture in a country fairly bursting with song. The end of an Eugenia León concert often finds the entire crowd on it's feet applauding, at once, the Mexican popular music culture, and the artist who has given it a new voice.

With her roots deep in Mexican culture, she has also taken on the task of reaffirming the ties with other Latin American cultures. Her recent live recording of Tangos has renewed Mexico's love affair with this genre.

Along these lines, she paid homage to Mexico's most dearly loved children's song composer, Francisco Gabilondo Soler’s Cri Cri (Mister Cricket) with a shimmering recording of many of his most frolicsome melodies. Accompanied by the Baja California Symphony Orchestra, Eugenia León has gifted a new generation of Mexican children with the imagination and identity of this joyfully playful tunesmith.

Amar y vivir
Eugenia León Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Por qué no han de saber

Que te amo vida mía

Por qué no he de decirlo

Si fundes tu alma con el alma mía

No importa si después

Me ven llorando un día

Si acaso me preguntan

Diré que te quiero mucho todavía

Se vive solamente una vez

Hay que aprender a querer y a vivir

Hay que saber que la vida

Se aleja y nos deja llorando quimeras

No quiero arrepentirme después

De lo que pudo haber sido y no fue

Quiero gozar esta vida

Teniéndote cerca de mí hasta que muera

Overall Meaning

In Eugenia León's song Amar y Vivir, the singer confidently declares her love for her beloved. The lyrics suggest that she feels no shame in loving so deeply and passionately, and that she has no intention of hiding her emotions. The first stanza asks why she should keep her love a secret when their souls are intertwined. She acknowledges that she may later be seen crying, but will still say that she loves him deeply.

The second stanza is a call to live life to the fullest, to love and to learn from it. She understands that life is fleeting, and that memories may leave them with regret or sadness. The final lines of the chorus declare her desire to live life without regrets, enjoying every moment with her beloved until she dies.

Throughout the song, León emphasizes the importance of love and living life without fear. She encourages listeners to love openly, to enjoy every moment, and to never go to bed with regrets. Overall, the song is a celebration of the beauty of love and the importance of cherishing every moment of life.

Line by Line Meaning

Por qué no han de saber
Why shouldn't they know

Que te amo vida mía
that I love you, my life

Por qué no he de decirlo
Why shouldn't I say it

Si fundes tu alma con el alma mía
If you merge your soul with mine

No importa si después
It doesn't matter if later

Me ven llorando un día
they see me crying one day

Si acaso me preguntan
If they happen to ask me

Diré que te quiero mucho todavía
I'll say I still love you very much

Se vive solamente una vez
You only live once

Hay que aprender a querer y a vivir
You have to learn to love and live

Hay que saber que la vida
You have to know that life