Perla Batalla

Vocalist, composer, and arranger Perla Batalla entered the world in Los Angeles, California, where her father, himself a musician, operated a thriving record shop. From her earliest years amid the constant activity of that family business, she encountered nearly every musical style then available and developed a deep appreciation for most of them. A scholarship later enabled her to train at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute, after which her distinctive voice secured parts in film and television productions. She subsequently joined the backing vocalists supporting Leonard Cohen and K. D. Lang. By 1993 she had begun pursuing a solo path, and within the following year she released her self-titled debut album on the Discovery Records label. Four years afterward came her second recording, Mestiza. In 2000 she issued a third collection, Heaven and Earth: The Mestiza Voyage. Among the songs featured across these projects are “First Time I Felt Rain,” “Making Up for Lost Time,” “Burning,” “Out of the Labyrinth,” and “Heaven and Earth.” Between studio sessions she continues to appear at festivals and clubs while writing fresh material. Her collaborators have included cellist Peggy Baldwin, flutist John Zeretzke, percussionist Michael Faue, guitarist David Batteau, bassist Simeon Pillich, and numerous additional musicians.