(upbeat music) - Welcome to "Music Matters".

I am your host, Apolonia Davalos.

We build community through music as we explore how and why music matters to you and our future musical guests.

(upbeat music) Fiesta, fiesta.

Joy, hope, and celebration enrich our hearts.

Parents Choice Foundation Gold Award Winner, Sonia De Los Santos brings Latin American family music to Sioux Falls.

Producing three albums since she launched her solo career in 2015, her bilingual collection of songs inspire festive dreams for the future.

"Music Matters" is happy to welcome Sonia De Los Santos.

♪ Fiesta, fiesta ♪ (singing in a foreign language) ♪ Fiesta, Fiesta ♪ (singing in a foreign language) ♪ Fiesta, fiesta ♪ (singing in a foreign language) - I think music matters because it connects us to who we are.

In my case, music matters to me because it gives me a purpose.

Creating bilingual music for me is important.

First of all, I grew up speaking Spanish.

It's my first language.

And I also grew up trying to learn English and I'm a student, also.

So I'm speaking now in my second language.

And I feel like in the United States, there's so many people who are bilingual who are hoping to be bilingual, and I think music and bilingual music is a great way to learn a second language.

I actually learn a lot of English by listening to music in English growing up.

I think there's a big need for it.

And over the years, I've seen a lot of great amount of music that's very representative of the bilingual communities also in the United States.

And I want to contribute to that with my own version of it, which is more inspired on the folk, Latin American traditions and with my experiences here, in the United States and being surrounded by so much incredible music and musicians who have been so generous with their talents and sharing, writing with me and performing with me and my, who my band mates are one of those people.

- [Woman] We're gonna do a turn, okay?

- My motivation for creating music for families is I like to see families together, enjoying something together, finding common ground even between generations.

So I like to write music that it's yes, for children, so it's made for them and it's okay for them to listen to.

But also I like to write songs and I like to go into messages that connect different generations and households.

So a baby, it's okay listening to the song, a five, 10-year-old, a parent, a grandparent.

I like to write songs that where people can find something in a song for them, even if it's a lyric or an over them that they remember, just something, something.

And I think it's very important to keep families together.

I mean, things that connect us all.

(Sonia singing in a foreign language) ♪ Never ever lose our hope ♪ (Sonia singing in a foreign language) ♪ Never ever lose our hope ♪ All right.

"Esperanza" is our third album and esperanza is a Spanish word for hope.

And obviously, there are, you know, the last few years have been very challenging for all of us.

And the inspiration came from just being home trying to find ways of staying hopeful of observing around me and seeing the people who were really keeping us going, healthcare workers, teachers, parents, you know, just people in general who were dedicating their service to others.

And so that's inspiration for that song.

And just the album, it's really just things in moments, in places, in people who really brought me hope in those times.

♪ Fandango ♪ ♪ Fandango ♪ ♪ Fandango ♪ (harmonica music) Fandango is something that happens in Mexico but also these days, all over the world.

It's like a community celebration, a party.

There's musicians, there's music instruments.

Sometimes there's food.

There is really community building around the fandangos.

And (speaking foreign language), that's one of the genres that we play in our songs.

It's played there, so.

The song "Fandango" is sort of like an homage to this musical celebrations that bring so much to our communities and where I have met so many wonderful people, including my band mates.

And I just love it and it's a fun song to dance to, too.

(Sonia singing in a foreign language) I invite you to listen to our songs but I also invite you to make music with your families, find a musical instrument, learn some songs.

You don't need a lot to put a family band together.

You can use just your voices or ask someone in the family that has a guitar, a ukulele, a piano, a harmonica, a Kazoo.

You can start a band with just your voice and hand clacks.

I hope in your songs, you can find some inspiration and make music with your families.

(Sonia singing in a foreign language) - Sonia, thank you so very much for being generous with us with your talent and your musical journey.

It's just a blessing to have you with us today.

- Thank you for having me.

It was great talking with you.

And I hope families are inspired to go make music of their own.

- Learn more about her.

Visit her website, SoniaDeLosSantosMusic.com.

Give her a follow on social media, Instagram, and Facebook.

And listen to her music.

And dance.

Look at this smile.

We'd like to thank our sponsors for bringing us together today, the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation.

I am your host, Apolonia Davalos.

Thank you for watching "Music Matters".

I love you.

Muah.

- Adios.

- I am a singer man and this is the Singer fan band.

And music matters because it brings my family together.

- We - We - We love, - We love, - We love the Levitt.

- We love the Levitt.

(upbeat music) (music ends)