Lupita Infante hopes to inspire acceptance with performance

DOWNEY – Downey’s Lupita Infante will headline this weekend at the city’s first ever Pride Family Picnic.

A lot has happened since Infante released her first album back in 2016. She graduated from UCLA, earning her degree in ethnomusicology. She found success after being featured on Mexico’s version of “The Voice.” Her work has even been Grammy nominated.

In short, Infante says she can “finally call it a career.”

“Since then, I’ve written songs; even a song that was nominated for a Latin Grammy,” said Infante. “Since then, I’ve had my first legit album, that is titled La Serenata; I had that nominated for an American Grammy.”

“It’s been quite the journey.”

The granddaughter of renowned Mexican performer Pedro Infante, Infante says it’s the “greatest of honors to follow in his footsteps,” while also coming in to her own.

“It’s just so intertwined,” said Infante. “In a way, following this career path I feel it connects me more to him in certain ways, and in other ways I’m learning by being his granddaughter and wanting to forge my own path.”

“For a long time, people just wanted to refer to me as ‘The Granddaughter of,’ and of course I always think that’s going to be a part of me because of his impact on our culture.”

The last time Infante performed in Downey was in the mid 1990’s for the now ceased Way Outer Broadway Talent Show, making it around 15 years since the singer took the stage in her hometown.

“It’s really exciting for me because I don’t think I’ve ever really performed here in Downey,” said Infante. “Honestly, I’m just honored by the fact that they would ask me out of everybody they could have asked to be part of this historic event.”

She will perform two sets at the Pride Picnic: one acoustic set and one with Mariachi Arcoiris, the first LGBTQ mariachi band in the world.

Infante says that some of the songs she will be performing contain messages of “self-love,” which she says “is fitting for Downey Pride.”

She hopes to express a “sense of family, community and acceptance.”

“I want to make it feel very community based,” said Infante.