Following this success, Lhasa toured with Lilith Fair and then joined her sisters in a French circus troupe, contributing her husky voice to the musical backdrop.

Lhasa was born in Big Indian, New York, the daughter of a Mexican father, language instructor Alejandro "Alex" Sela, and an American mother, photographer and actress Alexandra Karam.

Her paternal grandmother was Carmen de Obarrio (1906–1982), a Panamanian pianist who studied in Los Angeles with Egon Petri, and with Edgar Varèse in San Francisco.

[2] Her first decade was spent criss-crossing the United States and Mexico, living and traveling in a converted school bus with her parents and siblings, home-schooled by her mother.

[6] Along with her family she listened to a wide variety of recordings including songs by Chilean musician Victor Jara.

Developing an interest in Francophone culture, she sang for five years in bars, collaborating with rock guitarist Yves Desrosiers.

In 1992, Denis Wolff, general manager of the independent Canadian record company, Audiogram, saw Lhasa performing, her head shaved, in front of a tiny nightclub audience.

After composing enough material, Lhasa returned to Montreal with her new songs to produce her second album, The Living Road, which was released in 2003.

The book offers snippets of experiences and impressions of Lhasa's life on the road with her sisters, of music, and of her childhood.

The album's closing song, "Anyone and Everyone", was described as prophetic by Jan Fairley of The Guardian – it was written from the viewpoint of one who knows death is near.

Lhasa said that the song was about inner happiness and "feeling my feet in the earth, having a place in the world, of things taking care of themselves.

She also set aside plans to make an album of songs written by Chileans Victor Jara and Violeta Parra.

On January 9, a funeral ceremony was held for family and friends at the Ukrainian National Federation Hall in Montreal.

Musicians who collaborated with Lhasa performed, along with other artists such as Katie Moore, Thomas Hellman, and Plants and Animals.

[22] To open the concert, the Barr Brothers played together with Sarah Pagé, Miles Perkin and Joe Grass, interpreting Lhasa's "Small Song".

Other performers included Ariane Moffatt, Esmerine, Watson, Mario Légaré, Arthur H, Jérôme Minière and Brazilian-born singer Bïa.