Rooted in her Chilean family’s musical traditions and shaped by an upbringing in Essex, the London-born singer moves between Spanish and English across 12 tracks. “Iroko” arrives on major streaming platforms on 12 November, followed by a London launch concert with Quimantu at Jam in a Jar on 21 November.
Marwan Nabli
Laura Venegas-Rojas, the daughter of Latin American refugees, was born in the United Kingdom and grew up between her Latin American roots and her British surroundings.
Her father, Mauricio Venegas-Astorga, passed on a rich cultural heritage, surrounding her from childhood with cajones, bombos and other traditional instruments, as well as the melodies that define his artistic identity.
He also passed the generational baton to her when she became lead singer of Quimantu, the Anglo-Chilean group he founded in London in 1981.
Quimantu’s musicians use instruments made of wood and other natural materials.
The group describes itself as ‘the ambassadors of Chilean and Latin American music in the UK and Europe’, blending hundreds of traditional folk styles from the continent with contemporary influences.
As she reaches artistic maturity, Laura Venegas-Rojas is taking flight with the release of her first solo album, “Iroko”, on 12 November 2026. Her calm, transcendent voice takes listeners on a journey across twelve tracks, featuring the fast and intricate dance rhythms of musical styles such as Afro-Peruvian festejo and Argentine chacarera.
Mostly in Spanish, she draws on the traditions and spirit of Latin American song. She sings of imagined figures in real historical contexts, as in “Hace falta un guerrillero”. The violins blend beautifully, setting the scene for a narrative inspired by resistance to Spanish rule during Chile’s early nineteenth-century struggle for independence. The song evokes figures such as Manuel Rodríguez, the guerrilla fighter who became a symbol of the independence movement.
She also sings, with disarming sincerity, in praise of those who helped build the Chile we know today in “Herminda de la Victoria”. Throughout this musical journey, Laura explores departure and exile as early as the album’s second track. This time, singing in English, she tells the story of sailors setting sail for London, ‘who look for a storm in the sky’.
In the more introspective “In my life”, she gives voice to her nostalgia in a jazz-soul setting reminiscent of Norah Jones. She recalls places she has visited with lovers and friends, but feels that “these memories lose their meaning when I think of love in something new”. The song’s ambivalence echoes the album’s broader exploration of identity, belonging and the relationship between her Chilean heritage and her British culture, shaped by growing up in Essex.
‘Bringing my two cultures, my two worlds and my two languages together on this album has been such a gift. It feels really special to express all sides of who I am,’ Laura says of “Iroko”.
Laura sang at home with her father, trained at Theatretrain, a UK-based performing arts training organisation, between the ages of six and 18, and performed on West End stages as a young artist. These experiences helped her develop a love of music and the arts, as well as impressive skills.
In “Fina estampa”, she offers an ode to music through the image of a caballero who lives happily as he sings. Laura will celebrate the release of her album with Quimantu at a launch concert in London on 21 November at Jam in a Jar, 599–601 Green Lanes, Harringay Ladder, London N8 0RE.
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(Photos: supplied by Quimantu)
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