Inspiring Women : November 2020

Singing from Mexico to
Germany
ANDREA BÁSEF
Member: Heidelberg International
Women’s Club
From: Mexico City
Lives: Heidelberg, Germany
My Life Journey
I was born and raised in Mexico City. I lived with my mum and sister in a
beautiful house; two weekends a month, my sister and I would visit my dad at
his house with his new family and we had a lot of fun. I had a happy childhood
and a rebellious adolescence. I like to remember that stage of my life because
I was very happy. I never had good grades, and although I'm not proud of it, I
don't regret it either; it just the way was. The teachers would take me out of
the classroom as punishment for singing, and then I would come out happy
and continue singing. More than once they made me sing in front of the
whole class thinking that it was a punishment, but for me it wasn't – I loved it!
Me aged about five
Music was part of my daily life. For example, I would to sing in front of the
mirror with a karaoke machine that my father gave me. My poor sister and
mother had to put up with me singing all the time. Then when I was 13 years
old, I started piano lessons. At a recital where I was playing a piece by
Beethoven, I made a mistake and I was left forever traumatized and unable to
play an instrument in public. Strange as it may seem, I can do anything in
front of people, but not play an instrument.
When I left home and
started living alone, I
worked as a real estate
saleswoman. At the same
time, I studied acting and
opera and worked in an
independent theater
company where, by the way,
I met some of the people
who are still my best friends
to this day.
Some time later I met the
jazz pianist Alejandro
Mercado, with whom I took
some lessons. I also started
work on my first album. This
was possible partly due to
In concert in the Gothic Chapel, Mexico City
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