Raffa Martinez: An Interview for his debut single Tonantzin

SV: Your new single “Tonantzin (All that I have)” is described as a living prayer. Can you share what inspired you to bring this prayer into music, and what the creative process felt like for you?Raffa: This song is a collaborative composition because the first part is a chant by Alonso del Río that I heard many years ago around a Temazcal fire, and it touched me deeply.  I was moved by its depth and simplicity and by its message, and I sang it a lot. Later, it occurred to me to link it with another song to Tonantzin. It felt right inside me — like connecting these two traditions, the Mexican and the Andean, both of which I have a very close and special relationship with.   SV: The song bridges the Mexican devotion to Tonantzin and the Andean relationship with Pachamama. How did these two sacred traditions come together in your heart and in this song?Raffa:  This song is a prayer that brings together two sacred roots on my path.  Tonantzin is the Divine Mother in Mexico — the Mother of Mexico.  Pachamama is the Divine Mother, the Mother Earth, in Peru.  So this song is also a bridge — a bridge between cultures, a bridge between hearts, and a way to honor these traditions that have supported and inspired me so much, and that are an essential part of my path and my process of growth.

SV: What does the Divine Mother mean to you personally, and how has she guided your spiritual and musical journey? Raffa: For me, the Divine Mother represents the source of all things. She is a consciousness that holds, cares for, and nourishes. Thinking of this force, this archetype, always helps me. I feel that this consciousness is ever-present.  I feel more comfortable thinking of Spirit in a feminine form rather than a masculine one — more like being in the arms or the lap of a loving Mother.  So much of my work is dedicated to this feminine aspect — to the Divine Mother, to Mother Earth — through prayers, ceremonies, offerings, and altars. I also feel that it’s deeply connected to Nature itself. I sense that Nature is sustained and born from this feminine divinity. That’s why I love singing to the Mother.   SV: You describe “Tonantzin” as an offering. What do you hope listeners will receive or feel when they hear this song? Raffa: I wish that whoever listens to this song may feel a connection — connection with the Earth, with the elements, with their heart, with themselves, and with simple things. This song mentions very fundamental things: the elements, Nature — and I hope it serves as a reminder that in the simple and the everyday we can also find the sacred, that Spirit lives within Nature, that Nature is Spirit.  At any moment, we can remember and connect with the sacredness of life — with the gift of being alive, and with the opportunity that each day brings to feel good and to connect with something deep and beautiful.

SV: Your background integrates art, spirituality, and music. How has your own inner path shaped the sound and message of your work? Raffa:  My music and my songs arise from an inner search. All these songs and melodies are born from my own process of growth and healing — and of course, from my wounds as well. Because in the search for my own healing, I’ve found landscapes and people who have been true inspiration. Singing these kinds of songs, with this message, gave meaning to music itself and to the purpose of singing and playing.

SV: This is your first release with Spirit Voyage Records. How does it feel to bring your first offering into the world through this label, and what kind of energy or intention do you hope to share with their global community?Raffa: I feel deeply honored and blessed to record with Spirit Voyage, because this label has been and continues to be a bridge for so much inspiring music — music that uplifts, opens, and touches hearts. It’s also home to many artists I’ve known for years and even collaborated with. It’s a wonderful gift to be supported by a label like Spirit Voyage, which carries a purpose of service and heart. My purpose, of course, is to inspire — to share a beautiful, spiritual message, to contribute through art, words, and music, and to serve -  to be a light, a space of connection, a bridge to the heart and spirit, and a way to elevate the frequency.   SV: The song carries both ancestral and contemporary elements. Can you tell us about the musical arrangement—how traditional influences and modern sounds meet in “Tonantzin”? Raffa: I’m a fan of everything natural, ancestral, and organic instruments. Of course, technology and more contemporary tools help me create spaces, textures, and landscapes that I couldn’t reach with only traditional or ancestral instruments. It’s a meeting point between ancestry and modernity in music and art. What’s most important to me is that this prayer can truly express its message and awaken emotions.   SV: This song includes Alonso del Rio’s song “All that I have.” What does that mean to you in the context of this song and your offering to the Divine Mother? Raffa:  “Todo lo que tengo,” written by Alonso del Río, came into my life at a very special moment — during a time of transition. It’s a chant, a prayer that means a lot to me and has accompanied me for a long time. I’m deeply grateful to Alonso for allowing me to record it, share it, and create an arrangement for it. It’s an honor, because Alonso del Río is a teacher — in fact, the term “medicine music” comes from him; he’s the father of that movement. So it’s a blessing.   SV: Finally, what’s next for you after “Tonantzin”? Are there more songs or projects growing from this same seed of devotion and cultural unity?Raffa:  After “Tonantzin,” there will be more songs, more music, more prayers… and soon after comes “La Luz,” a single that also carries the title of the album, featuring a very special collaboration.

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