If you love good music, then you might already know who Sarah La Morena is.
She recently became a viral sensation when she blessed us all by posting this Insta video of her singing alongside a mariachi band back in August. The video has been viewed nearly half a million times.
And on Sept. 10, she posted the video to Twitter (where it amassed over 200k likes) and got the attention of celebs like Gael García Bernal and Sara Ramirez.
@saritapalafox Wowoooowwwww!! Qué chido canta usted! Abrazos
@saritapalafox I loved it. I know it can be tough but don’t pay the haters any mind. You have a gift. Keep doing your thing! Can’t wait to see your next one. I got you. :) ♥️
Sarah, whose real name is Sarah Palafox, was raised in Zacatecas, Mexico by adoptive parents and credits her upbringing and her parents for her love of music. She told BuzzFeed, "I grew up around it. In Mexico, they had music on all the time. Going to the store there was music, walking around outside there was music, and in church is where I actually started singing. Once I became super comfortable with who I was, I ventured out and started singing Mexican music."
She even sang a beautiful song in honor of her parents last October, written by artist Erika Vidrio.
A gift to my parents con mucho amor, thank you for choosing me to be your daughter💘
When her parents first adopted her, Sarah said they got criticism from both Black and Latino people in their community, both questioning why they took her in for different reasons. But she said all her parents saw was a baby girl who needed a home and needed love.
Sarah, who is now based in California, said growing up in Zacatecas humbled her as she worked closely with her dad on the ranch, tending to cows, goats, and pigs. She said, "It was just so family-oriented, and I'm just honestly thankful that I grew up over there. I feel like it definitely humbled me as a person and made me who I am today."
Going viral has been exciting for her, as she's now able to share her story for those who can see themselves in it:
Overall, it’s super exciting. It's always been a dream of mine to share my story and help at least one person, because I know I’m not the only person who has been to foster care, through adoption, and grown up feeling different. If I could touch one person with my story, that would be so amazing, and just seeing that so many people support me and love what I do has been super great.
But along with the supporters came the racist comments, many of which were written by Latinos like herself.
And while Sarah says being an Afro Mexican woman hasn't really affected her career-wise, she does often feel the impact in her everyday life:
In general, and in life, I know that I haven’t been considered for a lot of opportunities because of my skin color. People look at me and think that I don’t speak Spanish until I hear them say hurtful or racist things in Spanish. It really does hurt me, because I understand what they're saying, and it’s just sad to hear what people truly think and what they say when they don’t think that you understand.
But instead of focusing on the detractors, Sarah is focusing on all the positives and hopes this is a big learning lesson for non-Black Latinos in how to stand up for and support Afro Latinos like herself. She said, "There’s a lot that have spoken up for me on my page. They’ll defend me, or plug in a documentary, or drop in an article for those people to read and get educated. I think that that alone makes a difference."
Ultimately, Sarah wants her music and story to unite people. She said, "I just feel like my music alone and people watching my music videos just shows that barriers can be broken no matter how long they’ve been there."
And speaking of music videos, here are just two for your ears and eyes to enjoy:
View this video on YouTube
Sarah is currently finishing up the last two songs on her first EP, and will start working on a second EP very soon, both of which will have different genres.
I for one can't wait to see what's next for Sarah La Morena. Something tells me this won't be the last we'll hear of her.
