Portal Project 2021-2022 Artist in Residence
Taína Asili is a New York-based Puerto Rican singer, composer, filmmaker and activist carrying on the tradition of her ancestors, fusing past and present struggles into one soulful and defiant voice. For over 20 years she has brought the music of love and liberation to venues across the globe – From the Women’s March on Washington to Carnegie Hall to the mainstage of San Francisco Pride. Her protest songs and music videos “No Es Mi Presidente,” “Freedom,” “And We Walk,” and “We Are Rising” — inspired by social movements for racial, gender, and climate justice — have been lauded by the likes of Rolling Stone, Billboard, Huffington Post and NPR, and her music has aired numerous times on Democracy Now!. With her last three albums War Cry (2010), Fruit of Hope (2014), and Resiliencia (2019), Asili uses a multi-genre and multilingual approach to connect with a variety of audiences, confidently weaving between rock, reggae, salsa, cumbia, reggaeton, hip hop, ska, samba and Afrobeat to give her music a texture that’s unique yet rooted. With powerful vocals and infectious rhythms, Asili’s music urges people to dance to the rhythm of rebellion.