Eva Ayllón

She's one of Peru's greatest exponents of the Afro-Peruvian musical traditions, a singer who started dancing on television when she was just 12 years old and within a few years found herself a guest singer with a panoply of groups. Eva Ayllon's career has taken her from fruitful collaborations with a variety of bands -- including Riconcito Monsefuano and Los Kipus -- to a Peruvian supergroup, Los Hijos del Sol, to a successful solo career. Ayllon specializes in the criollo music of the Lima plain: lando, festejo and vals. Her recordings have helped elevate the once-maligned criollo music internationally, and her commanding vocal presence brings warmth and force to Peru's rhythmically restless music.