Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter and performance artist San Cha has released a new song “Enfrente de ti,” from her upcoming Processions II and Processions III EP series out Sep. 21. She will also be performing at LACMA on Sunday, Sep. 25 as part of the exhibition Lee Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse. On her new track, San Cha describes the very specific feeling of regret that washes over you when you realize you’re intimately close with someone you no longer want in your life.
Written after the fallout of breakups with both friends and lovers, the track started out as a subconscious rewrite of Selena’s “Si Una Vez,” before transforming into something distinctly San Cha-esque. Over the dazzling glam of shrieking saxophones and a disco-infused melody, she heaves her delirious cries with bombastic effect. The track courses with a relentless energy that’s buoyed by the hook-filled beat supplied by her drummer Tianna Edmonson — not to mention its glittering keys and rhythm-soaked guitars.
“I block everything that says your name / You’re my biggest mistake,” San Cha bites amidst the song’s deliciously dance-ready melody. Underneath all the lush instrumentation her lyrics carry the brunt of her virulent regret. Tucked underneath all the sparkling textures she hides illustrations of moments she wishes she could erase from this person’s mind — from her crying in front of them to ever expressing love for them in the first place. The powerful cries that San Cha ends the song with are emblematic of the kind of pained anger she feels at the end of it all.
San Cha’s latest series began when she left the Bay Area to live on her aunt’s farm in the Mexican town of Jalostotitlán. There she imagined a vision of herself as a queer singer of rancheras music who also embodies elements of telenovelas — coalescing all these iconic and familiar forms of Mexican and Latinx culture as well as tuning them on their heads. The result was her first Processions I EP, which contained the songs “Oveja Negra” and “White Magic.”
The Processions II and Processions III EP series from San Cha will be released on September 21. With a fourth series coming in 2023. Catch her playing a special performance at LACMA on September 25.
Visit San Cha on their Bandcamp, Twitter, and Instagram to stay updated on new releases and tour announcements.
Words by Steven Ward
Listen to the new single “Enfrente de ti” from San Cha below!
