San Antonio Tejano legend records 'Kamala' song to win over Latino voters

Tejano legend Shelly Lares has recorded a song about likely Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris to encourage Latino voters to support her.

Lares has won several Tejano Music Awards, including last year's Lifetime Achievement Award. She is in early retirement.

And although she says she usually keeps music and politics separate, she wanted to show her support for Harris.

“But I think I'm really hoping for change and… for a lot of good things to come,” she told TPR. “So… I haven't thought about it at all.”

Lares, who is currently off tour and provides music therapy for hospice patients, hopes the song will be used as part of the soundtrack at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week.

“I really hope they do. And you know, we're getting a lot of response because it's available on all the streaming platforms now. So your supporters can definitely post their own videos and use the audio for that,” she said.

The idea for such a song came from Professor Emerita Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark of UTSA and record executive José Rosario, who also wrote the lyrics.

Bexar County Democratic Chairwoman Monica Alcantara said she has been a fan of Lares since she was a teenager and helped promote the song on social media.

“We're all trying to win over the Latino electorate in Bexar County and across the country,” Alcantara said. “And she wanted to write a song for Kamala and get everyone to sing along, join in and vote.”

An event around the song “La Gran Kamalada Tamalada” is planned for October 26 to support Harris.

Tamaladas are traditional gatherings in Latin American households to prepare tamales around the Christmas season.