Chavela Vargas reportedly had a romantic relationship with Frida Kahlo when she was young. Anti-establishment and publicly identifying as homosexual, Vargas took a bold stance against the status quo of the music industry. Vargas defied stereotypes of what women singers should look and sound, by sculpting her unique vocal talents around traits typically associated with masculinity. Known as the rough voice of tenderness (“la voz áspera de la ternura”), Vargas embodied art both as passion and protest.
Vargas died on the 5th of August 2012, RIP.
Image via Van Guardia.
The Other Sociologist 