Lhasa de Sela : Her evocative music never failed to make an impression

On her most recent album, Lhasa de Sela was well aware of her own mortality. The acclaimed Montreal singer-songwriter died just before midnight on Jan. 1, in her Montreal apartment.

She had been battling breast cancer for 21 months, finally succumbing to her illness at the age of 37. Rumours of her death spread through the city over the weekend; the news was confirmed by her manager in a press release Sunday evening.

Born on Sept. 27, 1972, in Big Indian in New York's Catskill Park to a Mexican father and American mother, she spent her childhood travelling across the United States and Mexico in a school bus with her family.

She moved to Montreal at age 19. Her albums - 1997's Spanish language, Mexican- and Gypsy-influenced debut La Llorona, 2003's The Living Road (sung in French, English and Spanish) and 2009's self-titled album, Lhasa (her first all-English release) - have collectively sold over a million copies worldwide.

She won an ADISQ award for best world music album in 1997, and a Juno in the same category in 1998. In 2005, she won the BBC World Music Award for best artist of the Americas. In December, the Times of London placed The Living Road at No. 3 on its list of the best world music albums of the decade. She collaborated with artists including Patrick Watson (on his latest album, Wooden Arms) and Arthur H.

"It is difficult to describe her unique voice and stage presence, which earned her an iconic status in many countries throughout the world," her manager David-Étienne Savoie said in the press release.

Lhasa's evocative music never failed to make an impression, her earthy singing voice and evocative world-folk compositions striking a deep emotional chord. Her recent album found her foregoing the dramatic stylings of her previous efforts in favour of a more direct, intimate approach.

"There's nothing strange or jarring or weird or odd about this album," she told The Gazette in an interview last April. "It just feels super comfortable. It's got a kind of feminine feeling to it, a luminous quality. It felt really good physically to sing."

After she performed at record launches for the album in Montreal and Paris last spring and at two concerts in Iceland in May, her health forced her to cancel an extensive international tour scheduled for the fall.

Although Lhasa is gone, her music continues to move people. More than 2,000 people had joined a Facebook group called En hommage à Lhasa by yesterday afternoon, and the number was rising rapidly. Among the "wall" comments: "Dès les premières notes, sa voix et son âme nous habitent." (From the first notes, her voice and her soul inhabit us.)

In response to a story on The Gazette's Words and Music blog, this statement was posted: "Desde Madrid lloramos desconsoladamente su muerte." (From Madrid, we cry disconsolately over her death.)

"We have always heard something ancestral coming through her," longtime friend Jules Beckman said in the press release. "She has always spoken from the threshold between the worlds, outside of time. She has always sung of human tragedy and triumph, estrangement and seeking, with a witness's wisdom. She has placed her life at the feet of the unseen."

Funeral services will be held privately.

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Fans Mourn Her Passing

Since news of Lhasa de Sela's death broke Sunday night, readers have been commenting and sending condolences at montrealgazette.com and on our Words & Music blog at montrealgazette.com/music. Here are some excerpts:

From Kevin: I was fortunate enough to see Lhasa in Portland, Oregon, at the Aladdin Theater on The Living Road tour. She was such an engaging performer, as she told intimate stories to the audience about when she was growing up. It was as if the audience was her friend. My best wishes go out to the family and friends of Lhasa. This is truly a devastating loss to the world.

From ianmcgillis: It's a sad, sad day in Montreal. Lhasa's was a unique and fearless talent that touched people around the world. My heartfelt condolences to all her family and friends.

From ianhalperin: A huge loss. I remember Lhasa when I used to play sax with my band at Cafe Mondiale. She used to work there as a waitress. She never told me she was a singer. Little did I know she was the most talented person in the room. R.I.P. Lhasa, you'll be missed forever.

Correction: The Lhasa song quoted at the beginning had been incorrectly identified as I Come In. The correct title is I'm Going In. The Gazette regrets the error.