Sonia Bazanta Vides (1 August 1940 – 17 May 2026), better known as Totó la Momposina, was a Colombian singer of Afro-Colombian and Indigenous descent.[1] She reached international attention with the release of her 1993 album La Candela Viva on Peter Gabriel's Real World Records label.[2] Totó accompanied Gabriel García Márquez to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1982 as part of a Colombian cultural delegation performing during the award ceremony.[3]

Life and career

Totó was born in the northern Colombian town of Talaigua Nuevo, near Mompox in Bolívar Department, on 1 August 1940.[4] She was part of the fourth generation of her family to be involved in music.[2] Her father was a drummer and her mother was a singer and dancer.[5]

She studied at the National University of Colombia. She then studied for a year at the Sorbonne in Paris.[6]

Totó received the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.[7]

In 2017, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the National Pedagogic University in Colombia.[8]

Totó la Momposina died in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, on 17 May 2026, at the age of 85.[9][10]

Discography

  • Cantadora (MTM Auvidisc, 1983)
  • Colombia – Totó La Momposina y sus Tambores (Auvidis 4513, 1989)
  • La Candela Viva (Real World Records 31, 1992)[11]
  • Carmelina (MTM, 1995)
  • Pacantó (Colombia: MTM/Europe:Nuevos Medios/USA: World Village, 2000)
  • La Bodega (Astar Artes 2010)
  • El Asunto (Sony Music Entertainment Colombia S.A.Bajo licencia de Sonia Bazanta 2014)
  • Tambolero (RealWorld Record 2015)
  • Compilations
  • Gaitas y Tambores (MTM 2002)
  • Tambores y Cantos (MTM 2013)

Notable usage

  • Michel Cleis feat – Totó La Momposina – La Mezcla – samples tracks "El Pescador" and "Curura" from the La Candela Viva album (2009)
  • Two songs from La Candela Viva were included on the soundtrack of the 1997 movie Jungle 2 Jungle.
  • Her song "La Verdolaga" was sampled on Rich Boy's "Get to Poppin'" produced by Brian Kidd. It has also been sampled by Jay Z for the song "Blue's Freestyle/We Family" on his 4:44 album. The song featured his daughter Blue Ivy Carter. The track was released as a bonus song several weeks after the albums original public release.
  • Two of her songs, "La Verdolaga" and "Mohana", were featured in the soundtrack for John Sayles' 1997 movie, Men With Guns.
  • Her song "La Verdolaga" was covered on P18 (band)'s "Urban Cuban'" in 1999.
  • Her 1993 Colombian cumbia classic "Curura" was sampled by Major Lazer featuring J Balvin in the song titled "Que Calor".
  • Her songs "El Pescador" and "Curura" were once again sampled in the 2023 song "Curura" released on Belgian label Smash The House by Wolfpack, Jaxx & Vega and DJ Junior. It was premiered by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike four years earlier on Tomorrowland.
  • Her song "Rosa" was sampled in 2024 by Iranian-Dutch artist Sevdaliza in her single "Alibi" also featured Brazilian singer Pabllo Vittar and French singer-songwriter Yseult.

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2015El AsuntoBest Tropical Latin AlbumNominated

Latin Grammy Awards

Totó la Momposina has two Latin Grammy awards from four nominations for her collaboration with the urban group Calle 13 on their song "Latinoamérica", receiving in 2013 the lifetime achievement award.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2000PacantóBest Folk AlbumNominated
2002PacantóBest Traditional Tropical AlbumNominated
2009La BodegaBest Traditional Tropical AlbumNominated
2011"Latinoamérica"Record of the YearWon
"Latinoamérica"Song of the YearWon
2013Special AwardsLifetime Achievement AwardWon
2014El AsuntoBest Folk AlbumNominated

Premios Nuestra Tierra

A Premio Nuestra Tierra is an accolade that recognizes outstanding achievement in the Colombian music industry. Totó la Momposina received a nomination.[12]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2014"La Candela Viva" (with Jorge Celedón)Best Folk Performance of the YearNominated

See also

References

  1. ↑ Enciso, Ana María (4 September 2020). "Totó La Momposina, A Powerful Voice Transformed into Heritage". BELatina. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 Biography at Real World.
  3. ↑ "El día en que Totó la Momposina llevó la cumbia al Nobel de Gabriel García Márquez". El Universal (in Spanish). 19 May 2026. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  4. ↑ Goodman, Sarah (28 May 2026). "Totó la Momposina, Colombian Folk Music Star, Dies at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  5. ↑ "Totó la Momposina". Real World Records.
  6. ↑ "Totó La Momposina - an icon of Colombian music". The Bogotá Post. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  7. ↑ "Meet Toto La Momposina: A Colombian Music Icon". Colombia Country Brand. 19 August 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  8. ↑ "'Yo no canto por dinero, sino por el honor de un país, por el honor del campesino': Totó la Momposina". Radio Nacional de Colombia (in Spanish). 26 October 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  9. ↑ "Muere en México Totó la Momposina, reina del folclor colombiano que dio voz a 'Latinoamérica' de Calle 13". Aristegui Noticias (in Spanish). 19 May 2026.
  10. ↑ Freixes, Josep (19 May 2026). "Colombian Singer Toto la Momposina Dies". ColombiaOne. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  11. ↑ Wiser, Danny (29 April 2021). "COLOMBIA: La Candela Viva - Totó La Momposina". 200worldalbums.com. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  12. ↑ "Nominados a los Premios Nuestra Tierra 2014" (in Spanish). La Mega. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totó_la_Momposina