[MUSIC PLAYING] [APPLAUSE] - Natalia, thank you for being here with us. I get the opportunity to chat with you. - Good morning, everyone. [LAUGHTER] [APPLAUSE] - And you have just flown in from somewhere preparing for something very special. Where were you, what are you doing? - Yeah, we were just preparing the performance we're going to have at the Oscars awards. [APPLAUSE] Imagine. When, next year or tomorrow? - No, tomorrow. What day is today? - It's tomorrow. - I always ask that. What day is today? - Saturday! - Saturday, OK, tomorrow. - It's tomorrow. Whoa. - Yes. - Are you excited or scared, or both? - I am very excited. - OK, that's good. And it looks like we have the opportunity, not only to ask you questions today, but also to hear you play this guitar and sing. Tell us about this beautiful instrument. - This beautiful instrument, it's Francisca. She's called Fran--her name is Francisca. I bought it in San Francisco. And she's a '57 vintage beautiful one. - Beautiful. She's my lady. - So are you willing to play us a song? - We sleep together. [LAUGHTER] - You sleep together. OK, I like that. - I love her. - Are you willing to play us a song right now? - Yeah. - OK, well, what song would you like to start with? - Well, I would like to start with the first single off this last album, which is a tribute for folclore latinoamericano. It's called Musas. And the song, it's called "Dance of the Gardenias." [APPLAUSE] I don't know if somebody knows it, but this is a love song. It's a beautiful one. I hope you like it. - I think everyone's going to like it. Let's give her a round of applause. Here we go. [APPLAUSE] - I normally would not sing at this time in the morning. - That's right.

- But I'll do my best. [LAUGHS] [MUSIC--NATALIA LAFOURCADE--"DANCE OF THE GARDENIAS"] [SINGING IN SPANISH] [APPLAUSE] [SNIFFS] Oh, Jared. - I have shared this stage with some of the world's great singers, and nothing has brought me to tears. That was so beautiful. Oh, thank you. You are so, so stunningly good. What are you most proud of in your career? - Well, it makes me very proud to have the opportunity to bring all this inspiration that my country has given to me to many different places in the world. That's amazing. [APPLAUSE] It's amazing, yeah. There are many things that make me feel very proud, because it's been a very long path. I still feel my career is a young career. I've been going through many different experiences, and one of the things that I love is to share the music, to share part of my culture, part of my story, and also having the opportunity to collaborate with many people and bring their talent into my music universe, you know? - You've done some amazing collaborations, and we'll talk about one of those songs in a little bit that you might be doing. But tell us about, with your success, how do you remain this nice, grounded person? How does that happen? - I am small.

[LAUGHTER] I am human.

I get sick sometimes. I have insecurities, just like everyone. Being on the stage, for me, is one of the most--it's like a ritual for me. And when you are on the stage, you have the opportunity to bring a bridge between the emotions that you're having and the emotions that people are having. And if you are doing, singing or playing music, from a very humble place, then there is this moment when magic happens. Like, there is this moment when there's a connection. I don't know how to describe it. But it's just a magic connection between hearts. So I cannot have that whenever I just fly and don't keep grounded. - Great, great answer. - But I still sometimes get lost, really. I am not perfect. I was last week celebrating my birthday with my friends in Paris. - Happy birthday. - Thank you. - Wow. - We made this window shopping, so we were going to all these very, very, very expensive shops. We didn't buy anything. [LAUGHTER] And then I bought my first pair of shoes, Gucci, because I'm going to the Oscars. [LAUGHTER] And the girl was giving me champagne. And then I was feeling so guilty. Because I was like, oh, in Mexico, there's so many people that will be eating so much with this money. And then I was like, oh, come on, come on, it's the Oscars. And then there was my other me saying, like, no, but it's too much money. I know, but it's the Oscars, come on. It's only this time, only this time. - It's a conflict. But it's OK. You deserve it. - You see, there's always--but I believe you just have to keep a balance, try to find a balance, and I'm trying to find my own balance. - Well, it feels like you have. You've created a wonderful bridge for all of us. [APPLAUSE] Do you have family roots in music? Do you have roots of culture and of music that's influenced your life? - Yeah, I do.

Both of my parents are musicians. I grew up practically watching them and giving classes to many children. That was fun. And yeah, I was listening to music. My father is a clapsichord constructor, and so he had his studio with instruments, and he was all the time working the wood and that, and also playing the clapsichord. We were listening to Bach, Mozart, classic music all the time. And I was very mad for that, because I wanted to sing pop music. And then my father went really angry at me at first, because I wanted to have an electric guitar. So he would like, no, you should be a piano player. Come on! And then, I was just going through pop music at first. And now I went back to loving classic music. And my mother was, as well. We were trying to write songs together all the time since I was very little, because she was a teacher, and she was inventing this music [INAUDIBLE] for children. So the music was my life, really, until I made the decision to work on music the way I do now. And that was probably seven or eight years ago, even though I've been working with music. But there was a moment when I said, OK, now I'm going to take it seriously.

Like, I play with music, but they're many things, other things, in the back in the music industry that you must deal with in order to be there. I don't know.

- I'm so happy to hear about your roots. I think everyone here likes that kind of story for sure. - Yeah, you guys are working on these beautiful trees. [APPLAUSE] Life trees. - Do you have a song called "Hasta la Raíz"? Is that about roots? - Yeah, that song is. I wanted to make this song. I wrote it with my friend, Leonel García. He's a singer, songwriter from Mexico. And I wanted to make tribute or to make a song that will remind me not to forget where I come from, not to forget my hometown. The song has a lot of images that come from where I grew up. And my dream was to travel a lot and show my music in many different places, and I was hoping not to lose my ground. I mean, being able to fly with my music, because that's how I feel when I play and when I sing, but keeping my roots, keeping my ground. And we wrote this song, and then people loved it. And it make me very, very happy that they feel so connected to the lyrics of this song. I believe it's something that we all are going through, the importance of touching your--I don't know how to explain it, but you know what I mean, right? - They know, of all people, they know. - The importance of knowing who you are and what are all those things that built you as a tree, because we're like trees, in a way. - So are you willing to play that song for us today? - Yeah. - Do you want to hear it?

[CHEERING] I hope I, uh--Do you understand Spanish? - Yeah! Si! - Yes, there is some. - I love the Spanish. [SPEAKING SPANISH] - Yeah! - Si? [SPEAKING SPANISH] I was saying to my friends that speak Spanish to tell you, my new friends that yet don't speak Spanish, because you will-- [LAUGHTER] --to tell you the lyrics of this song. [MUSIC--NATALIA LAFOURCADE--"HASTA LA RAÍZ"] [SINGING IN SPANISH] [APPLAUSE] - Oh, wow. You are so gifted, and we appreciate that you would bring that here to Salt Lake City and to the many, many people watching online. But we have a large audience here tonight. Today, it's not tonight, today. And we have a lot of people out there, but tomorrow you're performing for, what, 250 million people, would you say? - I don't know, I don't want to know. [LAUGHTER] Don't tell me that. - Don't be worried. It's easy. No, you'll be amazing. When you sing "Remember Me" with Miguel on the movie Coco, anybody see that? [APPLAUSE] So how has this song, and how has this changed, maybe, the way that you look at family and your family history? - It has changed a lot, I believe to everyone. I don't know, it's such a beautiful movie. We could have a long conversation about this movie, because it has so much of our richness, of our traditions, of the meaning of keeping that memory of our ancestors, of our family, all the members that came before us, that important part of knowing what happened in the past in order to build something new in the future. I always try to keep present, you know? But by connecting to all this old richness and-- [SPANISH SPEECH] Knowledge? --uh-huh-- is that I believe I am finally building a better person in me. - Oh, wow. [APPLAUSE] - It's very hard to explain in English. I've been trying to bring this importance to my music since probably seven, eight years ago. First, I started working with the music of Agustín Lara, which is a very important composer from Mexico. And his music made me love the music we have in Mexico. Before I started this work, I was loving Billie Holiday, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald. I was loving all that music, which I still love it, but then I realized that in Mexico, we also have our Ella Fitzgerald. And I met Antonia La Negra. And I started listening to La Lupe and artists from Brazil, from Argentina, from Peru, from Cuba. And I started knowing all of these beautiful musicians that made me want to build something with my music that would give the feeling that I am Mexican and that I come from a beautiful place. And everything started changing, and now I feel stronger. I feel more me. [APPLAUSE] - Perfect way, I feel, to segue into our final song. But before we do that, have you looked into doing family history of any kind? Have you worked on anything like that? - Well, they tell me that you guys are doing that for me. [LAUGHTER] Which, that's nice.

No, really, just to tell you a little story, seven years ago I made a trip to Chile to finally meet my two sisters. My father is from Chile, and he went to Mexico in '73. And I didn't know my sisters, so my father and I decided to travel and have this wonderful trip with my sisters.

And since then, we've been trying to figure out why my last name is Lafourcade, which is like a French last name. It's Lafourcase. But we still don't know why. My father told me something like, back, back in the time, it was because of pirates that went to Chile. But I believe it's just a story that he made up, because he loves pirates. And he loves the sea and the [INAUDIBLE].. He is a wonderful man. [LAUGHTER] And I don't know. Maybe you guys found that out. - Maybe we did. - Or not. But that's something that I--and last week, when I was in Paris, I thought that I might probably be--I mean, like, before--but I'm too crazy. [LAUGHTER] So let's move on, sorry. - We can. - I went too far now. - I'll give you a chance to drink a little water. - Thank you. That's really good for me. - Are you willing to play for us this unbelievable song from Coco? Is that OK? - Yeah. - Would you like to hear "Remember Me"? - Ooh. OK, now I get nervous, which I love. OK, this is going to be the first time-- - This is special. --I sing this song live, me and my guitar. [APPLAUSE] - Wow, really? Oh, cool. There she is. [MUSIC--NATALIA LAFOURCADE--"REMEMBER ME"] (SINGING) Remember me, though I have to travel far. Remember me. Don't let it make you cry, for even if I'm far away, I hold you in my heart. I sing a secret song to you each time we are apart. Remember me, though I have to travel far. Remember me, each night you hear a sad guitar. Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be until you're in my arms again. Remember me. If you close your eyes and let the music play, keeps your love alive. I'll never fade away. If you close your eyes and let the music play, keeps your love alive. [SINGING IN SPANISH] [APPLAUSE] Oh, yes, look, Natalia Lafourcade! Oh, wow. - Thank you. - Tomorrow she'll be playing at the Academy Awards, and today, RootsTech. What a blessing. Thank you for being here.

But don't leave yet. We did find something. [GASPS] - My last name. - We'd like to show you a little bit of our discovery, OK? Is that OK? - Yeah. - Are you excited?

- Yes. It's scary in a way, though. - So ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage one of our product managers from FamilySearch International, Tammy Stansfield. [MUSIC PLAYING] [APPLAUSE] - Exciting. - Thanks. - Well, Natalia, you were born in Mexico City, but that's not where your story began.

By locating and examining the records of your ancestors, a heritage rich in courage, intellect, and music was discovered. So your paternal roots actually began in France, when-- [APPLAUSE] - I am a [INAUDIBLE],, inside, somewhere in my soul. --where your great-great-grandfather Pedro Emilio Lafourcade was born Pierre. And he was born in Bordeaux, France, in 1842. He was the son of Bernard and Rosa. - I went to Bordeaux, and I cried. That's good. I didn't know why. Maybe that's why. - And maybe he spoke with a pirate accent. I don't know. [LAUGHTER] Bernard was a plasterer by trade, and when Pierre was 13 years old, his family immigrated to Santiago, Chile. [APPLAUSE] In the 19th century, many immigrants left France and came to Chile, where they planted vineyards and became businessmen and practiced the trades that they developed in Europe. By age 28, Pierre, now known as Pedro, was living in the beautiful port city of Valparaiso, where he married the 23-year-old Amelia Aceituno from nearby Viña del Mar. A century later, your father, Gaston, an accomplished, talented musician and professor of the fine arts, was born in Santiago. Now, just barely, we just got a document in from Chile. Gaston's parents were Enrique and Racquel. We got a document today that lets us know the parents of Racquel. So we found your maternal grandparents, which we weren't able to find anywhere else. So we will share that with you. [APPLAUSE] Gaston was forced to flee Santiago when a military coup overthrew the government of Salvador Allende. In 1973, Gaston immigrated to Mexico City, where he met and married your beautiful mother, Maria. Your father's older brother, Enrique, a well-known Chilean author, also fled Chile due to the dangers of politics. In 1984, after courageously publishing an article critical of the military regime in Chile, his Santiago bookstore was raided by police. He fled to the Argentine embassy, where he was granted political asylum and allowed to leave the country for Buenos Aires. Now, to your maternal side. Your third-great-grandfather was Prisciliano Silva Briviesca, and he was born in Michoacan, Mexico. He served as a notary in the city of Morelia. It was here that he married Matilda Chavez. As a notary, he would have been one of the very few people who knew how to read and write. His occupation included recording the important commercial transactions of his fellow townspeople. Prisciliano and Matilda San Jose Silva Chavez may have been one of the earliest musicians of the family. At the time of his marriage in 1919 in Morelia, he listed his occupation as a music professor. In the 1930s census, the family had grown to include three children. And there's a document. Can you see them? OK. The family later moved to Mexico City, where José was known as a man who dedicated his life's work to music, died at the age of 62. So Natalia, as we celebrate the wonderful woman and artist you are, we can see in you the courage of an Enrique, the intellect of Prisciliano, and the musical talents of José, Gaston, and your mother, Maria. Thank you. As so beautifully taught in the lyrics of "Remember Me," when you remember them, they will be alive in you. They are in your dreams and will accompany you in every song, in every place. You will never be alone. [APPLAUSE] - Thank you. Oh, my God. - Here is a book that has all your genealogy. - My sister is not going to believe this. [LAUGHTER] We've been hours having conversations, drinking a lot of wine, trying to figure out what happened. Thank you. - You're welcome. [APPLAUSE] Thank you, Tammy, for your help. And one more time, a huge round of applause. What a spectacular performance, Natalia Lafourcade!

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