San Cha

San Cha is a Mexican-American artist who is making waves in the alternative music scene with her unique blend of rancheras, electronics, cumbia and pop. Her music is a reflection of her identity as a queer woman of color, and she uses her platform to challenge conventional notions of identity, power, and love.

Born Lizette Gutierrez to Mexican immigrant parents, San Cha's journey began in the Bay Area, where she honed her skills as a musician. A transformative period spent living on her aunt's farm in Jalostotitlán, Mexico, led her to reimagine herself as a queer ranchera singer subverting the form of the genre as well as telenovelas, and other signifiers of Mexican and Latine culture.

Her early releases, including the cumbia-flavored Capricho del Diablo EP (2018), garnered critical acclaim. Bandcamp Daily named Capricho del Diablo Album Of The Day, praising its unique vision and magnetic pull.

San Cha's breakthrough came with her 2019 album La Luz De La Esperanza, a song cycle that flipped the script on the classic telenovela tale. The album received an 8.0 rating on Pitchfork, which described her voice as "a revelation, immensely powerful." The Advocate named her one of the Women Of The Year in 2020, celebrating the album's exploration of cultural oppression, domestic violence, and the journey to freedom.

Her music has been featured in the Starz TV series Vida and Kacey Musgraves' film Star-Crossed: The Film. In 2022, the Los Angeles Times published a feature on her, declaring, "San Cha sings from a divine place."

San Cha's ongoing singles series Processions (2024), a mixtape released exclusively through Ballroom Marfa, further showcases her versatile range and commitment to artistic exploration. Through this collection, she delves into themes of relationships, identity, power, and love, inviting listeners to engage with complex narratives in a visceral and thought-provoking way.

With a new conceptual audiovisual album and the 2025 debut of her opera, Inebria Me, San Cha continues to push boundaries and challenge expectations. Her work, both sonically and visually compelling, is a testament to her unwavering commitment to artistic expression and social commentary. San Cha is not simply an artist to watch; she is a force of nature, forging her own path and inspiring others to do the same.

Inebria me is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, Performance Space New York, Long Beach Opera, and NPN. The Creation & Development Fund is supported by the Doris Duke Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). For more information: www.npnweb.org