Singer-songwriter Perla Batalla earns critical acclaim for her distinctive voice, emotional honesty & culture-merging compositions.  She was born in L.A. to a family immersed in music. Her dad, a Mexican mariachi and D.J. and an Argentine mom who ran the family record shop, “Discoteca Batalla” where Perla was exposed to an education of non-stop music that cut across genre & language. 

After singing with and recording with numerous groups, including Leonard Cohen, Perla launched her solo career with Cohen’s encouragement. Since then she has recorded 7 albums, been featured in film and TV, staged 2 one-woman shows and performed in some of the most prestigious venues around the world. 

Her original Frida Kahlo musical was chosen by the Ojai Playwrights Festival & subsequently produced at the San Diego Repertory Theater to critical praise. Perla’s personal homage to her mentor, Cohen continues to play to sold-out audiences throughout Europe and N. America. 

The L.A. times writes; “Batalla is comfortable in both English & Spanish, proud of her Mestiza heritage, musically adventurous and above all, a born storyteller with a rambunctious sense of humor.” 

Batalla’s mission of exposing youth to the beauty of music & Spanish language is ongoing in her outreach throughout some of the poorest communities in the U.S. She has been honored with two U.N. awards: the Earth Charter Award for extraordinary devotion to social and economic justice and The Environmental Peacebuilding Award, advancing social justice through music. Perla is also the recipient of New Mexico’s Premio Fronterizo Award for healing work in the world.

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Previous events

An Afternoon with Perla Batalla

CalTech Live

Grammy-nominee Perla Batalla returns to CaltechLive! on October 18 at 3:30 p.m. PT

Join us for a rare glimpse into the life (and living room) of singer and songwriter Perla Batalla, known for her rich contralto voice and ability to imbue a wide range of songs—traditional Mexican ballads, jazz standards, the work of mentor Leonard Cohen—with heart-stopping emotional depth.

Longtime colleague Michael Alexander will engage Batalla in a conversation about her musical and professional influences, including the bustling Latino music scene at her mother's West L.A. record store and the pivotal first meeting with Leonard Cohen, in which a wise sartorial decision set off a decades' long friendship and launched a successful solo career.

Interspersed with concert footage from 2019 (recorded on her last tour before the COVID-19 crisis), the hour-long chat offers a deep dive into the trajectory of a renowned performer, a love letter to L.A. by a true musical omnivore, and a candid discussion with a prolific artist living through a global pandemic.

Free!

Special Appearance at Bread & Roses

Fund for Santa Barbara's "Bread & Roses"

We invite you to open your hearts and homes as we create an unforgettable digital viewing experience with the largest, most fun, most successful progressive fundraising event on the Central Coast! Fund for SB: Advancing progressive change by supporting movements for social, political, economic, & environmental justice.

Prior to the event, guests will receive email communications with details about our drive-thru pick-up parties and information on how to watch and participate in the programming. Additional information to follow.

Los Angeles, CA - Cancelled due to Coronavirus

The Theater at Ace Hotel

Perla Batalla's "Discoteca Batalla". Throughout the 60s and 70s Discoteca Batalla was a well-known landmark in the Latino community in Venice, California. This mom and pop discoteca (Spanish for record store) was a haven for desperately homesick immigrants from all over Mexico and Latin America. It was a spot to gather, exchange news from home, buy the latest Spanish language pop exitos or maybe just enjoy sweet coffee and pan dulce with the proprietors, Barbara and Jorge Batalla. Jorge was a singer and radio D.J. He knew the lyrics to every traditional Spanish language song ever written. His wife, Barbara hand wrote letters home for the working men and women separated for years at a time from their families. Perla Batalla is their daughter—a singer best known for her decade-long work with Leonard Cohen, as well as with such artists as Lou Reed, Sonny Rollins, k.d. lang, Rufus Wainwright, Jackson Browne and Laurie Anderson. While the record store closed its doors over 40 years ago, the experiences and stories shared there are part of L.A.’s heritage. Batalla’s new work, Discoteca Batalla, is an homage to this long lost moment in time.

Focus on the Masters; A Conversation with Perla Batalla. FOTM selects ten artists each year to receive in-depth documentation. The documentation consists of an extensive oral history; the collection of printed material, publications and ephemera; and, a visual library of the artists’ work. All of the documentation culminates in a videotaped monthly Artist Spotlight, interview conducted before a live audience.

Artists are selected for this honor because they have; -Demonstrated mastery of their craft; -Gained the respect of their peers -Contributed to the development of the arts in Ventura County and beyond.

San Francisco

Historic Presidio Theater, 99 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco Presidio

Perla Batalla in the House of Cohen

Perla Batalla

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