Latvian folk band Tautumeitas released a music video for their new song, Panama.
The song tells that the most beautiful and strong jewel a woman carry is her voice. It is about the ability one has to heal themselves and those around them by singing, as well as lulling one to sleep, moving, putting a spell or luring someone.
It is about the way girls learnt to make their voice sound the most colorful and loud possible. However, sometimes distance separates the singer from the person for whom the song is sung, when he is far away, in another country.
The title of the song is a play on words, derived from the excerpt Mīļ’ Māra rotā pa nama jumtu (Dear Mara decorates the roof of the house). The members of Tautumeitas always enjoyed drawing inspiration from other cultures. Now that traveling is out of question, they wanted to take the listeners on a transcendental journey.
Lyrics – Panama
Mīļ’ Māra rotā,
Pa nama jumtu,
Meitiņu godiņu,
Lūkodama
Kalnā kāpu padziedāti,
Uz akmiņa gavilēti,
Lai skan visi mežu meži,
Līdz manami bāliņami
Gana skaļi es dziedāju,
Gana skaļi gavilēju,
Tāļu manis arājiņis,
Lai balsāi klausījās
Skauģīts manim nevēlēja,
Ne dziedāti, gavilēti,
Es dziedāju, gavilēju,
Skauģam sirdi ēdināju
Pa vējami es dziedāju,
Pa vējami gavilēju,
Lai vējiņis balsu nesa,
Līdz manami bāliņam
Ko vērts manim še dziedāti,
Kas pēc manis klausījās?
Citu tautu zemītēi,
Man balsiņa klausītājs
Gan mane, gan mane šim vakarame,
Gan biju dziedājse, gan gavilējse
Gan mane, gan mane šim vakarame,
Gan dažu netikli pakaitinājse
Gan mane, gan mane šim vakarame,
Gan biju dziedājse, gan gavilējse
Gan mane, gan mane šim vakarame,
Gan biju dažam žēl darijuse
See also: Auļi releases ‘Voices of the Ancestors’ (Senču balsis)
Tautumeitas was founded in 2015 in Riga, Latvia, as a group of female singers and instrumentalists dedicated to traditional singing. Along the years, they started to intertwine their music with other influences drawn from their own experiences in the world.
In 2017, together with their countrymen from Auļi, they released Lai māsiņa rotājās!, a conceptual album dedicated to engagements and weddings. The album won the Annual Latvian Music Recording Award for Best Folk music album of 2017.
Left to right: Laura Marta Līcīte, Laura Liepiņa, Lauma Bērza, Asnate Rancāne, Aurēlija Rancāne and Ilona Dzērve. | Tautumeitas
Members
- Asnate Rancāne (violin, vocals)
- Aurēlija Rancāne (drums, vocals)
- Ilona Dzērve (accordion, vocals)
- Lauma Bērza (violin, vocals)
- Laura Liepiņa (percussion, vocals)
- Laura Marta Līcīte (percussion, vocals)
Discography
- Lai māsiņa rotājās! (2017; with Auļi)
Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (ES) - Tautumeitas (2018)
Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (ES) - Dziesmas no Aulejas (2020)
Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (ES)
Links
Website | Facebook | Instagram
YouTube | Spotify
2 comments
I love their sound even i do not understand any word of that language.
That’s the beauty and magic of folk music!