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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
No Te Vayas
Eugenia León Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Y a mí me desprecies
No me importa que sola me dejes
Llorando tu amor
Y yo no te culpo
Si tu alma no supo quererme
Como te quiero yo
Sé muy bien que es en vano pedirte
Que vuelvas conmigo
Porque sé que tú siempre has mentido
Jurándome amor
Y yo en cambio no quiero estorbarte
Ni dañar tu vida
Soy sincera y sabré perdonarte
Sin guardar rencor
No creas que siento despecho
Al ver que te alejas
Si me dejas por un nuevo amor
Te dejo también
Que al fin con el tiempo el olvido
Curará mis penas
Sigue feliz tu camino
Y que te vaya bien
In Eugenia León's song "No Te Vayas," the lyrics express a sense of acceptance and resilience in the face of a failed romantic relationship.
The first paragraph acknowledges that the person being addressed is in love with someone else, and even though they may treat the singer with disdain and leave her feeling alone and heartbroken, she claims that it does not matter. She understands that people are free to love whomever they choose and does not hold any blame towards them. However, she also states that her love for them is pure and deep, implying that their inability to love her back is their loss.
The second paragraph highlights the futility of asking the person to come back because she knows they have always lied to her, despite swearing love and commitment. Instead of trying to hold them back or cause harm, she asserts that she does not want to be a burden in their life. She is sincere in her forgiveness and releases any resentment she may feel towards them.
The third paragraph reveals that the singer does not feel bitter or resentful when she sees the person leaving for a new love. She states that if they choose to leave her for someone else, she will also let them go. She believes that with time, the pain of the heartbreak will heal and fade away, suggesting that she is willing to move on and find her own peace and happiness.
In the final paragraph, the singer encourages the person to continue on their own path and wishes them well. Despite the pain and disappointment, she genuinely wants them to be happy and succeed in life. This demonstrates a level of maturity and selflessness, suggesting that she is ready to let go and move forward with her own life, regardless of whether the person returns or not.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Federico Baena
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind