Wonder Woman of the Week: Ana Tijoux

Ana Maria Mereno Tijoux was born in Chile just before a violent coup d'etat which forced her family to evacuate as refugees to France. There, Tijoux's father and sociologist mother raised her in Paris during the tyrannical Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. In 1993, Pinochet's rule ended and signalled a return to democratic order in Chile. In 1997, Tijoux and her family returned to Chile where young Ana immediately set about creating hip-hop music which would define her musical career.

After initial success with her first band Mazika, Ana Tijoux and her bandmates split to pursue individual careers in other fields with Tijoux going as far as to say not only was she done with hip-hop, but with music altogether. She returned to France where the pull of music drew her back into the fold. In 2004, Tijoux recorded her first solo track in France which became popular both there and in her native Chile.

Two years later, Tijoux returned to Chile for the second time in her life, this time intent on securing her name in the ranks of hip-hop greats. Working first with Chilean funk and Mexican pop musicians, Tijoux honed her music skills in the Latin music genre before her old band Mazika reformed in 2004. The band would go on to produce a total of three albums over their time together; but in 2006, Mazika broke up permanently- sending Ana Tijoux into a solo career.

Tijoux released her first solo album in 2007 followed by a second in 2009. The two records launched Tijoux's music outside of Chile and Latin America when festival organizers at South by Southwest (SXSW) asked her to perform at the world-famous concert. The performance led her into a North American tour. During the tour, Tijoux attracted the attention of Radiohead's Thom Yorke as well as music executives working on Breaking Bad.

Tijoux's music centers around contemporary history of Chile, social rights movements of young Chileans, Indigenous Mapuche, and the feminist movements in Latin America. In 2011, Tijoux made MTV's list for top women MC's around the world- earning the award for "Best New Female Emcees Dominating Mics Everywhere." In 2012, Tijoux's music was featured in a feminist rock movement called "30 Songs / 30 Days" which supports women's rights movements around the globe.