When Mexican rockera Julieta Venegas is not on the road touring, she’s in the studio rehearsing or composing. She’s a busy, creative woman who has maintained her status as one of Latin America’s top musical artists.
But when she has some downtime, she puts her work aside and refocuses on what’s most important: her daughter, who is about 5.
“When I don’t work, I don’t work, said Venegas, who returns to the Rialto Theatre on Friday, almost two years to the day she was last in Tucson.
“When I have some downtime, I dedicate myself to my daughter,” Venegas said in a phone interview from Miami.
Mom and daughter will go a museum, see a movie or just explore.
When Venegas goes to the studio, she doesn’t have to go far. Her studio is in her Mexico City home. It’s there where Venegas created her eighth and most recent recording, “Algo Sucede,” which was released in August on Sony.
The new record is more acoustic than her previous release, “Los Momentos” which heavily relied on keyboards and synthesizers. In contrast, “Algo Sucede,” Spanish for “something happens,” has more guitars, including a Venezuelan cuatro, and more accordion, Venegas’ principal instrument. She plays piano and guitar as well.
In this recording, Venegas dedicates one song, “Se Explicará” to her daughter. In a darker song, “Explosión,” Venegas focuses on the violence that has gripped Mexico, resulting in deaths and disappearances.
In last month’s nominations for a Latin Grammy, Venegas scored two, Recording and Song of the Year, for “Ese Camino.”
Venegas, 44, grew up in Tijuana-San Diego, took piano classes on both sides of the border and began her musical career as a teen with the rock group Tijuana No. In her early 20s, she moved to Mexico City and in 1997 released her debut album, “Aquí.”
Venegas will finish this tour with stops in Chile and Mexico City. Next year a longer, global tour is taking shape.
Until then, she’ll take as much time off to spend with her daughter, discovering new places and activities or returning to fun places.
“That’s part of the life,” she said. “That’s the beauty.”
