Astrid Bulla was born in Villavicencio, southeast of Bogotá, and raised around livestock in a beautiful setting, which she portrays in her singing. At the age of 24, she already has had a ten-year career in Colombia and, now, Florida. She started singing at the age of seven, inspired by a cousin who said: “If you want to sing, start with music from your own land.” Astrid has performed música tropical—a catchall term for different types of Afro-Latin American popular music. But, in recent years, she has returned to a specialization in the music of her home: música llanera of the plains of Colombia.

As a llanera singer, Astid is unusual because she is a woman. Moreover, she has introduced a pan-Latin American ballad vocal style to this traditional genre. Among her accompanying musicians are Hugo León (arpa), Alfonso Correo (cuatro), Miguel Cruz (capachos or small maracas), and Rubén Rondón (electric bass).

Bulla has produced a CD titled Sentimiento, Llano y Folklore (Sentiment, Plains and Folklore), which offers joropos and other types of música llanera. On stage in Miami, her attractive, engaging persona has projected this musical tradition beyond the Colombian and Venezuelan communities. She has appeared on Spanish-language television, Univisión and Telemundo, and is planning a tour of Europe.