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Alfonso Maya is living proof that music is a universal language. This new singing talent from Mexico City is receiving high praise and respect for his native contemporary music during his first U.S. tour, which commenced early September. From Chicago to Milwaukee to California, he has touched the hearts of many who might not understand his words but are drawn to the passion of his performances. 

“[My audience] understands the emotion. They get in contact with the emotion. Even when I sing sad songs, at the end of the concert, people always thank me. It’s like an event of nourishing the soul,” Maya said. 

The Trova musician, whose hits include “Tu Fantasma,” “Giros Y Giros,” and “La Niña de Las Flores,” will be performing at La Peña Cultural Center this Sunday with a multicultural group of musicians and performers. Joining him are Arubah, a world fusion band, and Caminante, featuring Francisco Herrera, a Bay Area activist who is a vocal advocate of human rights. Silvia Parra will also be performing spoken word in English and Spanish.  

“[Alfonso] will be performing a piece with Francisco Herrera, in which they sing ‘who says that everything is lost, I come here to give you my heart.’ It is very poetic,” described Parra. 

Maya’s music is an assortment of bittersweet love ballads and satirical observations of social norms that can be heard on his debut album “Giros y Giros,” which came out last year. He casually, yet dexterously, strums his guitar through songs that speak of the farewell of romance. The delicate, longing tunes are juxtaposed with other humorous melodies, one in which he cleverly sings, “Mindless tunes, get airtime, don’t say anything, nasty little tune gets in your system.” 

La Niña de Las Flores, track five on his album, has made the largest impact on U.S, audiences. He speaks of a real-life girl who has resorted to a life of labor at a young age. 

“He sings so tenderly to this little girl [who is ] selling flowers in the middle of the night. It reminds me that a child is doing this work. And there are a lot of children in Mexico doing this kind of labor,” said Parra.  

In the last piece, a humorous commentary, Maya croons, “People are so addicted to the night of drinking.” And Maya would know about these people, having performed in bars all over the world. He has also graced international audiences in a wide array of venues, from universities to churches and performance halls.  

Maya fondly remembered an experience after his friends’ wedding in France, “I found very interesting that the French people were so moved by my song, that they would stand up in ovation at a wedding ceremony. Later at the party, some of the people told me, through translators, that they could not understand a word that I was saying, but they could feel a lot of emotion in their heart, and they were very touched.” 

The Trova music that Maya performs is an old style of music that has transformed into what is known as contemporary music in Mexico. It is a Spanish ballad style of music that is more than a century old and has evolved over the years. During the 60s’, it developed quite a bit, generating astonishing songs from brilliant artists.  

Art and performance was always a part of Maya’s family, some being circus performers and musicians. In fact Maya’s homeland Cuernavaca, meaning “Place of Eternal Spring,” is known as the capital of language studies and arts, housing many foreign exchange students who want to take a breath of Mexico’s arts and literature.  

Maya began singing at the age of 14 when he was drawn to the music coming from his Uncle’s guitar playing. In high school he took guitar and music lessons and continued his musical studies through college. In college he also received a chemistry and theater degree. 

“I took on theater because I like to be on stage and to personalize somebody at some point,” said the adored Mexican Troubadour. “When I am up on stage, I am recreating myself. And that’s the way I relive the song again.”