I am Valentina Montoya Martínez — a Chilean-born singer, songwriter, poet, and historian based in Scotland. My life and work are deeply shaped by exile: I arrived in the UK as a child after the 1973 Chilean coup d’état, and I’ve spent
my life weaving together the threads of memory, music, and storytelling. My artistic journey began with a love for the folk and tango music my mother brought from Chile — songs that became a lifeline during exile. I taught myself
to sing and play guitar, and later studied Comparative American Studies and History at university. These disciplines continue to inform my creative work, which explores themes of displacement, identity, and cultural resilience. Together
with my partner, Scottish guitarist and arranger David A. Russell, I formed Valentina and Voces del Sur. We perform songs in Spanish, drawing from a wide range of Latin American folk traditions — chacareras, Argentine
zambas, valses, Cuban son, Afro-Peruvian rhythms, cuecas, and the Chilean New Song Movement.

Our music celebrates the richness of Latin American heritage while giving voice to stories of exile, resistance, and love. We’ve toured across the UK and performed in Portugal, Greece, and Chile. I also collaborate with the acclaimed
Scottish ensemble Mr. McFall’s Chamber. Our tango album La Pasionaria (2013) features my original songs alongside performances by Argentine bandoneonist Víctor Villena and French violinist Cyril Garac. This followed
our earlier recording Revolucionario. In 2017, I performed the lead role in María de Buenos Aires for the ensemble’s recording of Piazzolla’s masterpiece, and we’ve since brought the piece to audiences across Scotland.
That same year, Valentina and Voces del Sur released Daughter of Exile, the first in a two-part album of original songs about exile.

Beyond music, I am a passionate writer and poet. In 2021, I was honored to win first prize in the Vo(i)ces International Poetry Competition (Victorina Press) for the third poem in my trilogy La Casa de Neruda.
The first poem in the trilogy received a commendation, and all three were published in the anthology Vo(i)ces. My poem La Partida, also featured in a different publication, Desentrañando memorias–Unravelling Memories receiving a commendation. My short story in prose and rhyme, La Chascona y sus cuerdas — a tribute to Violeta Parra — was awarded a commendation and published in the bilingual anthology Violeta anda en tierras extrañas / Violeta Walks in Foreign Lands,
celebrating Parra’s centenary. Through song, story, and scholarship, I strive to preserve the voices of those displaced by history, and to celebrate the enduring power of Latin American culture. Voces del Sur is the name I give to
all my creative work — a chorus of voices from the South, echoing across borders and generations.

I am now working on my first film, Tango Lass or Doña Soledad.