More than two decades after first appearing with Nic Harcourt, Julieta Venegas joined The SoCal Sound for a deeply personal live session and conversation centered around her new album, Norteña.
Performing on More Music In The Morning, Venegas delivered solo performances of “Tiempos Dorados,” “La Línea,” and a reimagined accordion-driven version of “Oleada.” Throughout the session, Julieta reflected on reconnecting with the sounds she once resisted growing up in Tijuana — Norteño music, regional Mexican artists, and the records her family played at home.
In conversation with Nic Harcourt, Julieta spoke candidly about the long journey back to those influences, explaining how years spent living abroad — including time in Buenos Aires — eventually led her to reconnect with both her musical and personal roots. What began as an album idea during the pandemic slowly evolved into a larger creative awakening that also inspired her upcoming memoir.
Recalling their very first interview together in 2000, Nic Harcourt traced Julieta’s evolution from a young artist inspired by alternative radio stations broadcasting from San Diego into Mexico. Bands like Depeche Mode and Oingo Boingo helped shape Venegas into one of the defining voices in Latin music today.
The conversation also explored Julieta’s collaborations with artists including Natalia Lafourcade, who appears on Norteña. There is a deep mutual admiration between the two artists.
“But I keep on telling her that you’ve become a teacher for me. And she's like, ‘I can't believe you're saying that!’ I'm like, ‘No, seriously!’ I feel like the way she's expanded her music and grown into this incredible artist has always inspired me.”
One of the session’s most powerful moments came before “La Línea,” when Julieta explained the song’s inspiration: two people separated by borders and deportation, unable to reunite despite their enduring connection.
Now working independently and balancing touring with book presentations across Latin America, Mexico, Spain, and the United States, Julieta described this current chapter of her career as one focused on intentionality, artistic freedom, and protecting her love for music.
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- · Host: Nic Harcourt
- · Filmed & Edited & Photographed by Matt Blake
- · Audio by Tristan Dolce
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