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Nuyorican Artist Crafts Folk Album of Identity
4 Oct
Summary
- Folk concept album explores immigrant identity.
- Alter ego Navita Milagros Negrón guides the narrative.
- Artist fled New York City at 17 to find her voice.
The sixth LP from Hurray for the Riff Raff, led by Alynda Lee Segarra, marks a significant evolution in her musical storytelling. This powerful folk concept album centers on the immigrant experience through an alter ego, Navita Milagros Negrón, a Puerto Rican street kid.
The album is structured in two acts, detailing Navita's journey as she seeks escape and later grapples with a lost world. Segarra, who grew up with a fascination for "West Side Story" and a liberation found in Bikini Kill, channels her own experiences of fleeing New York City at age 17 into the narrative.
Segarra's past work honed her mastery of American folk traditions. "The Navigator" represents a graduation to a singular sound, roots music for the immigrant identity. "Living in the City" vividly portrays the challenges faced by a young girl navigating urban life, reflecting Segarra's own past.
