1 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:08,440 Speaker 1: From Futuro Media. It's Latino Usa. I'm madiamo possan today 2 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 1: one of our How I Made It segments with LaDonna 3 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: and the music she calls vemedon not. 4 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 2: Reggaeton, swo conte remotos lasio la panos, contem blos eeyo Sevan. 5 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:34,080 Speaker 1: When Cecilia Penagoveea makes music about San Francisco, she sings 6 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: about earthquakes, but she's not just talking about the earth shaking. 7 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: She's also describing how her hometown is transforming before her eyes. Cecilia, 8 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: who calls herself Ladogna, grew up in the mission in 9 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:03,200 Speaker 1: San Francisco, and while she still lives there, many of 10 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: the people she knows have left. 11 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 3: You look around and you can see physically, you know. 12 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:11,119 Speaker 3: All the stores are closing. All of the people who 13 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:14,040 Speaker 3: had their atendas or their bustos are all gone. Half 14 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 3: of your classmates can't afford to live here anymore. 15 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: Was raised in a socially conscious household. When she was 16 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 1: seven years old, she began playing the trumpet in her 17 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:36,040 Speaker 1: family's banda They play at protests and rallies in the Bay, 18 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: as well as at parties. 19 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 3: We offered music and all the demonstrations and all of 20 00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 3: the protests and all of the community events, and took 21 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 3: a very public stand in presenting her art as a gift. 22 00:01:57,480 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 3: The love that I have found in San Francisco come 23 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 3: from being such an integral part of you know, a 24 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 3: political and a cultural community. And I found my place 25 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:08,799 Speaker 3: there through music and through playing with my family. 26 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 1: La Her style of music femit Don, like trie Don, 27 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:25,320 Speaker 1: but centering the stories of women and marginalized communities. It 28 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:28,639 Speaker 1: combines old school hip hop style with political lyrics and 29 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:43,079 Speaker 1: infectious Caribbean beats. Her debut EP is a testament to 30 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: the highs and lows of growing up in San Francisco, 31 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:53,519 Speaker 1: from the rising price of rent to the friends, family, 32 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:54,919 Speaker 1: and lovers who make. 33 00:02:54,840 --> 00:02:55,520 Speaker 4: Up her community. 34 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 5: Come. 35 00:03:05,240 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: In this edition of Our How I Made It segment, 36 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: which looks at Latino artists and the work they make, 37 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 1: Ladonia breaks down one of her songs, guando sevan, which means. 38 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 4: When they leave. 39 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 1: She begins by sharing the recurring dream that inspired her 40 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: to write the song. 41 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 3: So, maybe like six years ago, six or seven years ago, 42 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:29,519 Speaker 3: I started having dreams. There was one that I would 43 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 3: have over and over again, and there would be an earthquake, 44 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 3: and then it would rain for two weeks straight, and 45 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 3: I found shelter in a greenhouse on top of this 46 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 3: huge building, and it's raining, it's raining, it's raining. But 47 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:48,320 Speaker 3: I just remember having so much fear, like what's going 48 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 3: to happen after it stops raining, Like what's going to 49 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 3: happen after these storms? What's going to happen after the floods, 50 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:56,520 Speaker 3: What's going to happen after all of the electrical fires 51 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 3: have been extinguished and we are really able to take 52 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 3: account of the damage. I am Ladagna, a solo reggaeton 53 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 3: artists from San Francisco. I dreamt like that for a 54 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:23,600 Speaker 3: few years, and it was exhausting, it was terrifying. And 55 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:27,239 Speaker 3: the more I talked about it, the more I heard 56 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:30,159 Speaker 3: from other people that they've had the exact same dreams. 57 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 3: And these are all Frisco born people. 58 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:43,159 Speaker 5: San Pancho, t Geto, Nasa, And. 59 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 3: I started thinking about, like, Wow, isn't that crazy that 60 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:50,279 Speaker 3: in our waking lives we are so upset and angry 61 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:54,360 Speaker 3: and rageful and in pain about gentrification, about not being 62 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:57,000 Speaker 3: able to afford to live here, about all of our family, 63 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,919 Speaker 3: all of our friends, all of our teachers, being displaced, 64 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 3: and then at night and we go to sleep and 65 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 3: we dream about earthquakes. I think that gentrification can definitely 66 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 3: be seen as like a catastrophe and as a disaster 67 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:13,040 Speaker 3: here in the city. And I think that in a 68 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 3: lot of ways it has acted the way that the 69 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:20,640 Speaker 3: earthquake functions in my dreams. I wrote it to deal 70 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 3: with all the fear that I had in my heart 71 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 3: and all the fear that I had when I woke 72 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 3: up to think about another earthquake, Okay, another storm, Like 73 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:29,880 Speaker 3: when is this going to happen? How is it going 74 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:46,600 Speaker 3: to affect me and my family? I en it's a 75 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 3: reclamation saying, you know what, maybe maybe when the earthquake 76 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 3: happens and all the people that can afford to and 77 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 3: that have the resources leave after the rain stops, maybe 78 00:05:58,440 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 3: that is the moment in which we can begin to 79 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:02,280 Speaker 3: rebuild the city the way that we want, in which 80 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:04,720 Speaker 3: only the people who truly love San Francisco will be 81 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 3: able to reform the city the way that we need 82 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:20,839 Speaker 3: it to be. We're still out here and we're still living. 83 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 3: How have we survived the storm of gentrification, and how 84 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 3: will we survive when the industry leaves the people that 85 00:06:35,160 --> 00:06:37,040 Speaker 3: love the city and the people that are supposed to 86 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 3: be here, they will be here no matter what happens. 87 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,000 Speaker 3: If we survive the earthquake, then we can survive anything. 88 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:45,839 Speaker 3: If we've survived this tech boom, we will survive anything. 89 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:46,840 Speaker 3: We're going to be here. 90 00:06:46,920 --> 00:06:59,880 Speaker 4: Holding On, a San Francisco based musician. 91 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: Her debut ep alon is out now on all streaming Platformsguano. 92 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 1: This episode was produced by and edited by Sophia Palissa 93 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: car The Latino USA team includes b n mar C s, 94 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 1: Andrea Lopez Gruzado, Julieta Martinelli, alisaes Carce Gin Montalvo, and 95 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: Alejandra Sarassa, with her from Marta Martinez and Raul Prees. 96 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:01,880 Speaker 1: Our engineers are stuffing the bo Julia Caruso and Leah 97 00:08:01,920 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: Shaw with help from Alisha ba YouTube. Our digital editor 98 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: is Luis Luna. Our New York Women's Foundation a night 99 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: fellow is Julia Rocha. Our interns ur Himel Dero, em 100 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:14,520 Speaker 1: Sekiros and gabrie La Baez. Our theme music was composed 101 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: by Zanel Roubinos. If you like the music you heard 102 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,120 Speaker 1: on this episode, stop by Latinousa dot org and check 103 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 1: out our weekly Spotify playlist. I'm your host and executive 104 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:26,440 Speaker 1: producer Mariao Josa. Join us again on our next episode, 105 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 1: and in the meantime, look for us on all of 106 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 1: your social media and I'll see you there as then. 107 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 1: Approxima cho. 108 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,360 Speaker 6: Latino USA is made possible in part by the John D. 109 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 6: And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation, working with 110 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:51,800 Speaker 6: visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, and W. K. 111 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:56,640 Speaker 6: Kellogg Foundation, a partner with communities where children come first. 112 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 1: I'm Maria in Josa, Next Time on Latino USA. A 113 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: conversation with Univision's Ilia calderon the first ever Afro Latina 114 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 1: to anchor a major newscast in the United States. 115 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:17,440 Speaker 3: They never thought a black person could anchor a main 116 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:19,400 Speaker 3: news show in primetime. 117 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:21,920 Speaker 1: That's next Time on Latino USA.