Dahkóta Romero drops ‘La Llarona Remastered’
DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS, or Day of the Dead, dates back thousands of years to ceremonies and rituals honoring those who have taken their journey to the spirit world. Indigenous peoples have a spiritual connection with the universe – seeing death as an ever-present part of life.
Music is an integral part of Day of the Dead (Día de Los Muertos). Rooted in Indigenous culture, Dakhóta Romero’s alluring version of the traditional song (La Llorona/Weeping Woman Remastered) is available on Eagle Thunder Records digitally worldwide now. The single, produced by her father, award-winning, Native recording artist, Robby Romero, is mixed by Grammy-winner Steve Addabbo (Bob Dylan, Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin) and remastered by Grammy-winner Rob Fraboni (Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton).
As a child, Romero attended the Taos Pueblo Head Start program. She traveled the world singing and dancing with her father, at Indigenous gatherings, concerts, festivals and global events. Her first live performance was with an International Children’s Choir at the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Río de Janeiro, Brazil. Her Spanish singing debut was at a “Concert For Peace” in Bochum, Germany. Dakhóta, then a teenager attending University in Paris, France, joined Carolos Santana performing lead vocals on Santana’s 1970 hit, “Oye Cómo Va.”
Romero’s passion is evident in this plaintive rendition of this traditional song. Producer Rob Fraboni, who has worked with virtually all the greats in the music industry, says he is reminded of the great songstress of the ‘70s, Linda Ronstadt, with her natural vocal range that spans several octaves from contralto to soprano.
“Dahkóta has that same quality,” he notes. “She’s a natural.”
We reached out to Dahkóta who still spends a lot of time here in Taos, where her father is a longtime resident.
Tell us what inspired this release?
The very first time I sang in Spanish was with Carlos Santana. I performed “Oye Como Va” with him at a Peace Concert in Bochum, Germany. Since then, I have absolutely loved singing in Spanish! My late grandmother (Rita Rogers) taught me not only Spanish, but also how to sing in the style of “La Llorona” through a song she wrote called “Por Un Minuto,” which I also recorded and will be releasing soon. It was because of her that I discovered how much I love singing in this style. With Día de Muertos coming up, I wanted to commemorate not only her, but also those we have lost throughout this pandemic.
Talk about the process prior and during the making of this song/video.
I’ve always loved celebrating Día de Los Muertos as its roots are Indigenous. Singing this traditional song and creating the sugar skull makeup for it has always felt like a part of me. The year my grandmother journeyed to the spirit world, I became inspired to record a video for my YouTube Channel singing “La Llorona” with my then writing partner, Almaguer, and dedicated my performance to her. It was just the guitar, him and I.
My dad saw it and said, “We need to record and make a music video of this!” So we did. Almaguer (guitar and backing vocals) and I recorded it at K Bolan’s studio in Red River. It was produced by my father, Robby Romero, and mixed by Steve Addabbo in NYC who’s been mixing Bob Dylan’s Grammy Winning Bootleg Series. My dad also directed the music video, which was shot at UNM Taos Film Studios.
Rob Fraboni worked on this, mixing and mastering – what was your experience like, working with him?
I met Rob when he was vice president of Island Records and mixing my Dad’s first single “Is It Too Late.” He has remastered Bob Marley’s collection and Keith Richards has called him a genius – and he is! Working with him on this project has been an absolute dream. He remastered “La Llorona” in such a way, it feels like it was recorded analog (the old school way, before digital), and I love the feeling it gives this piece. Rob calls it “real feel.”
You are multi-talented – a fabulous dancer – tell us about that aspect of your creative expression.
It has been the pleasure of my life to be able to dance all over the world these past five years and share my love and passion for Latin Music — now, I get to include singing too! Though my normal life of traveling and performing has slowed quite a bit due to the pandemic, my song “La Mujer de Tu Vida” (released earlier this year) has made it to Latin clubs, festivals, and living rooms all around the world. I’m amazed at the videos I continue to see of people dancing to it.
What’s next?
I have been thrilled to release four songs this year (Bachata, Bolero, Ranchera, and one of my own eclectic styles) with the fifth on the way in the style of Bachata! And given the circumstances, I have been fortunate to perform live three times (with COVID-safe protocol) across the country. In 2022 I look forward to creating, releasing, and performing more music!