LADAMA

LADAMA is a group of four women, virtuosic musicians, and educators—Lara Klaus, Daniela Serna, Mafer Bandola, and Sara Lucas—from different countries and cultures of the Americas, who are sisters in song, rhythm, and spirit. Harnessing music from their respective countries of origin, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, and the United States, the group utilizes traditional and nontraditional instruments from across the Americas but with a modern twist to produce Latin alternative music.

LADAMA’s debut, self-titled album, released in the fall of 2017, could not have been more timely; both Latin America and the United States are deeply in need of projects that transcend boundaries and defy norms. This is precisely what their debut album, crafted carefully on a journey through Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and New York, represents. With music composed by the members of the band, it delivers a fresh take on a myriad of traditional, Pan-American rhythms all coming together seamlessly into LADAMA’s unique blend of enthralling sounds. Reimagining South American and Caribbean styles like cumbia, maracatu, onda nueva, and joropo and blending them with soul, R&B, and pop, they created a new sound all their own.

OYE MUJER, LADAMA’s second full-length album released in the summer of 2020, is a declaration to women and a call to humanity. Working with renowned Brazilian producer Kassin (Jorge Ben, Bebel Gilberto, Caetano Veloso), in his studio in Rio de Janeiro, the four women of LADAMA and their bassist and musical collaborator Pat Swoboda, created a collection of songs sung in Spanish, Portuguese, and English that channel the personal experiences of being human in the midst of global crises, unprecedented climate destruction, and immigration. Having matured together since their debut, it is a bold step forward toward seamless musical and compositional unity as a band; now each “Dama” takes a turn as lead singer as the others support her as instrumentalists and arrangers. Where the first record was based on organic, roots percussion and rhythm, this one is charged, visceral, and electric. Featuring collaborations with Betsayda Machado (Venezuela), Spok (Brazil), Eliot Krimsky (New York), and others, LADAMA soars as one with a fiery urgency that must be heard.

LADAMA met on the road in 2014 while touring Los Angeles, Arizona, and New Mexico as part of the prestigious OneBeat Program. Between individual performances, leading youth workshops and public music-making events, Lara, Daniela, Mafer, and Sara uncovered a common dream of building communities through sound and empowering women and youth through music.

LADAMA delivers an utterly unique experience as they flow from the electric to the acoustic, from Spanish to English and Portuguese, and from the high plains of Venezuela to the Colombian coast. Their art proves that borders are meaningless, transporting us to a future where the world communicates across continents and cultures through sound and story.