Mexican crooner converts heartbreak into joy — and music

The singer Silvana Estrada likes to incorporate joy into her routines. 

She likes to take herself to the movies. She likes to go on walks through her leafy neighborhood in Mexico City. And recently, she’s enjoyed plowing through the catalogs of Latin American poets: Argentina’s Alejandra Pizarnik, Uruguay’s Idea Vilariño and the Mexican poetry anthology, “Sombra roja.” 

Related: Feminist tango collectives take center stage in Argentina

At 24, Estrada has already established herself as one of Mexico’s most promising singer-songwriters, mostly on hit singles that feature her commanding singing and delicate strumming of the four-stringed cuatro guitar. 

Related: Delgrès founder pays tribute to his family’s Guadeloupean roots through music

Now, Estrada is preparing to release her debut album, “Marchita,” or “Withered,” in which she tells the story of how she learned to take care of herself after her first big heartbreak — and how she learned to find joy in her everyday life.

Related: Gil Scott-Heron ‘was first and foremost an activist,’ fellow poet says

“I like to do a lot of things on my own,” Estrada said. “It reminds me that I can find happiness and give it to myself.”

In this interview with The World’s Latin America correspondent Jorge Valencia, Estrada explains how she went from first love to first heartbreak to happiness — and how she crafted the experience into her new album’s first single.   

Estrada kicks off her first headlining US tour on Jan. 14.