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Latin Roots: iLe

iLe performs live at Nuevofest 2016 in Philadelphia.
Noah Silvestry
/
WXPN
iLe performs live at Nuevofest 2016 in Philadelphia.

Puerto Rico's Ileana Cabra is a bona fide rising star on the Latin scene, and a recent Grammy nominee. For the last decade, she has cut her teeth singing and rapping with her older brothers in Calle 13. Now, she goes by iLe and has released her first solo record, iLevitable. It's a very cool set of new songs written in the spirit of vintage Latin pop — including bolero ballads, trova folk and an emotional depth that transcends language to grab you right in the gut.

Hear iLe's set, recorded this past July at NuevoFest in Philadelphia, in the player above. You can also watch her perform "Caníbal" via VuHaus below and stream iLevitable on Spotify.

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Talia Schlanger hosts World Cafe, which is distributed by NPR and produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. She got her start in broadcasting at the CBC, Canada's national public broadcaster. She hosted CBC Radio 2 Weekend Mornings on radio and was the on-camera host for two seasons of the television series CBC Music: Backstage, as well as several prime-time music TV specials for CBC, including the Quietest Concert Ever: On Fundy's Ocean Floor. Schlanger also guest hosted various flagship shows on CBC Radio One, including As It Happens, Day 6 and Because News. Schlanger also won a Canadian Screen Award as a producer for CBC Music Presents: The Beetle Roadtrip Sessions, a cross-country rock 'n' roll road trip.