La Doña

Vocalist, trumpeter, and San Francisco native Cecilia Cassandra Peña-Govea, known professionally as La Doña, combines her deep roots in Latin folk traditions including corridos and rumba with the propulsive modern sounds of reggaeton, cumbia, and hip hop. Following a sold-out show at San Francisco’s legendary Fillmore, she makes her SFJAZZ debut with this scintillating performance.

Beginning her musical journey at seven with her family conjunto, La Doña has established a singular approach, coining the term “femmeton” to describe her self-referential songs about love, sex, gentrification, and the radical joys of being a queer brown woman in the Bay Area. The artist and activist has gained a fervent following and critical accolades including a “Best Albums of 2020” nod from The San Francisco Chronicle for her EP Algo Nuevo. Her song “Quién Me La Paga” was listed among The New York Times Magazine’s “19 Songs that Matter Now,” and was chosen as one of YouTube’s Foundry Artists in 2019. She’s released a steady stream of singles and EPs since her 2020 debut, including “Peñas con Pan,” which made Barack Obama’s 2023 summer playlist.

Her newest release, the 2023 EP Can’t Eat Clout, maps the rise of a young artist through stages of love with herself, her partner, and music itself.