Ayllón adopted the stage "Eva" from her maternal grandmother, Eva, who began teaching the young María music at an early age. As a child and teen, Eva Ayllón sang in school competitions and later on television and radio. Throughout the early 1970s, Eva appeared in many música criolla musical groups such as Rinconcito Monsefuano, La peña de los Ugarte, Los Mundialistas o Callejón and Los Kipus. By 1975, Eva began to pursue a solo singing career, touring internationally by 1979. In 1989, Eva formed Los Hijos del Sol (Children of the Sun), a supergroup made up of Peruvian musical stars in an effort to promote Peruvian music through performance and recording.
To date, Eva has produced over 20 records. Her latest release is Kimba Fa, an exploration of the musical styles that she has performed over the last three decades[1]. In 2004 she released Eva! Leyenda Peruana (Eva! Peruvian Legend), which was her first album produced in the United States. Today, Eva continues to tour and lives in New Jersey with her Peruvian-American husband and childrenIn her music, Ayllón blends indigenous Peruvian, African and Spanish influences into a style known as musica criolla.
Typically, Ayllón focuses on the musical genres of Peru's capital city along the Pacific coast, Lima. Ayllón is particularly known for the Peruvian music genres of the lando, the festejo, and the vals, and is known as "The Queen of Lando".
Yo Te Canto
Eva Ayllón Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
del bajo la guitarra y el bongó (bis)
Toda mi gente se alegra, cuando oye música negra
Que yo te canto, yo te canto, yo te canto
Así le canto a la tierra, música negra
suenan tambores y quenas
Y yo te canto, yo te canto, yo te canto
Escuchen como suenan esos cueros
regalando alegría a muchos pueblos (bis)
Por que este ritmo se pasa y es para todas las razas
Y yo te canto, y yo te canto, yo te canto (bis)
Desde la tierra donde yo nací
Es mi alegría hecha para ti
Escuchen como suena ya el cajón
Muévete al ritmo del bajo y el bongó
Yo te canto, yo te canto, yo te canto
Súbete a tu cuerpo y dile sí
A ese ritmo hecho para ti
Al mundo entero yo le entrego mi canción
Yo te canto, yo te canto, yo te canto, yo te canto
In Eva Ayllón's song "Yo Te Canto," she celebrates the joy and vibrancy that comes from Afro-Peruvian music. The first two lines of the song invite the listener to immerse themselves in the sound of the cajón, a box-shaped percussion instrument that is integral to Afro-Peruvian music, as well as the bass guitar and the bongó.
Ayllón delightfully sings about how her community comes to life when they hear the beat of the music. The beauty of this music is that it transcends race and boundary, bringing people together. Ayllón emphasizes this by repeating, "yo te canto," or "I sing to you," throughout the song, inviting all who listen to join in her celebration of Afro-Peruvian culture.
Furthermore, Ayllón sings about how she sings to the land and includes various instruments unique to different regions of Peru, specifically, "tambores y quenas en costa, sierra y selva," traditional drums and bamboo flutes played along the coast, highland, and jungle regions of Peru. In doing so, Ayllón acknowledges and celebrates the diverse cultures that contribute to Peru's rich musical heritage.
Overall, Ayllón's song "Yo Te Canto" is a celebration of unity, joy, and the richness of Afro-Peruvian music.
Line by Line Meaning
Escuchen la alegría del cajón, del bajo la guitarra y el bongó (bis)
Listen to the joy that the cajón, the bass, the guitar and the bongo bring.
Toda mi gente se alegra, cuando oye música negra Que yo te canto, yo te canto, yo te canto
All of my people are happy when they hear black music that I sing, I sing, I sing.
Así le canto a la tierra, música negra suenan tambores y quenas en costa, sierra y selva Y yo te canto, yo te canto, yo te canto
That's how I sing to the earth, black music where drums and flutes sound in the coast, mountains and jungle, and I sing to you, I sing to you, I sing to you.
Escuchen como suenan esos cueros regalando alegría a muchos pueblos (bis) Por que este ritmo se pasa y es para todas las razas Y yo te canto, y yo te canto, yo te canto (bis)
Listen to how those drums sound giving joy to many towns. Because this rhythm is contagious and is for all races. And I sing to you, and I sing to you, I sing to you.
Desde la tierra donde yo nací Es mi alegría hecha para ti Escuchen como suena ya el cajón Muévete al ritmo del bajo y el bongó Yo te canto, yo te canto, yo te canto
From the land where I was born, it's my joy made for you. Listen to how the cajón already sounds. Move to the rhythm of the bass and the bongo. I sing to you, I sing to you, I sing to you.
Súbete a tu cuerpo y dile sí A ese ritmo hecho para ti Al mundo entero yo le entrego mi canción Yo te canto, yo te canto, yo te canto, yo te canto
Get into your body and say yes to that rhythm made for you. I give my song to the whole world. I sing to you, I sing to you, I sing to you, I sing to you.
Contributed by Owen K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.