A Conversation with Perla Batalla

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Perla Batalla earns critical acclaim for her distinctive voice, emotional honesty & culture-merging compositions.  Born into a family immersed in music; her dad, a Mexican mariachi, and an Argentine mom who ran “Discoteca Batalla”, the family Spanish language record shop where Perla received a musical education cutting across genre & language.

At 15, Perla left home to begin a music career. She studied opera & performed jazz, country, soul, & rock…but it wasn’t until she worked with the legendary Leonard Cohen that Perla’s career began in earnest. After recording & touring with Cohen for over a decade, Perla launched a solo career with Cohen’s encouragement.

Since then, she released seven albums, performed for film & TV, staged two one-woman shows, & appeared in the some of the most prestigious venues throughout the world. Perla’s original Frida Kahlo musical, Blue House was produced by The Ojai Playwrights Conference to critical praise, & her homage to her mentor, In the House of Cohen continues to play to sold-out audiences worldwide. A 2nd CD devoted to the songs of Cohen will be released in 2024.

Perla has been honored with The Ojai Playwrights Conference Cultural Champion Award, and two U.N. awards: the Earth Charter Award for extraordinary devotion to social and economic justice and The Environmental Peace Building Award, for advancing social justice through music.