Interviews

Cuban singer Daymé Arocena and her pride of being Afrocuban

This is our conversation

Here we are with Cuban artist Daymé Arocena who lives now in Canada. How are you, Daymé? Nice to meet you and great to have you here today.

Hello, nice to meet you. Thank you very much for the invitation. It is my pleasure to be here talking to you.

I understand that your musical career started at the age of eight. What made you start walking this path? What was the experience that made you make that decision?

I never made the decision to become a musician. I think it was part of the package. I never said that this is what I wanted to do because I’ve always done it. From the age of eight, my parents began taking me to music lessons and preparing me to came to the art and music school and the conservatory of music. I started singing with the choir in the community of 10 de octubre, where I came from. That’s how I started performing and getting up on stage as a soloist of a choir.

Daymé Arocena was born in Havana, Cuba

Considering that you come from a musical family and that music was always present at home, I imagine that also influenced your interest in making a career of it.

My family is profoundly musical, but they are not professional musicians. My dad is a music lover, but he is not a musician. My mother is a health care worker, qualified as a child cardiovascular surgeon. Actually, these are people who have a very nice sensibility for music, but they are not professionally dedicated to it.

I grew up in an intense environment. My house had many people; when I was born, there were already 22 people living at home, but some of them found more comfortable spaces to move and we became a family of 14. I was born in the 90’s, which was when the big crisis occurred and big power cuts were more frequent. There were electricitiy for very few moments during the day, so we couldn’t listen to the radio or TV. Then, my uncles and cousins kept singing, so I grew up watching the family sing and dance. In fact, several of my cousins today are folk musicians who went on to play in various traditional musical groups. It was a deeply spontaneous issue. I saw people enjoying and trying to alleviate the sufferings and shortages they were experiencing.

I imagine that musical and artistical growth in this context was very difficult. What challenges did you face in Cuba in becoming the artist you are today?

The mere fact of being born in Cuba is a challenge, but I had to face things beyond the fact that I was born on an island ruled by a dictatorial regime and all that that means. There was a lot of deep racism and a way to slyly to deal with social classes. For all these years, I have tried to purge my energy of resentment and pain caused by the situation and turn all these feelings into light and creativity. In my case, A lot of things happened like feeling uncomfortable in my own skin and not knowing how to deal with my skin color, my hair and my race. Today, I am deeply proud of my blackness and defend it to the death, but I went through a very hard and aggressive process before that.

The young and not so young prople have to know that you can make art and music through your own essence without having to please the eyes of a few.

So you would say that those things that were an obstacle are now part of your cover letter.

Totally. And proudly, too.

Daymé is deeply proud of her blackness

After leaving Cuba

When you left Cuba, what kind of support did you receive? What was the hardest moment?

Although I’ve spent years touring and working for years, I made the decision to leave Cuba a couple of years ago. I received a lot of international support that made my music visible, but it started playing long before I left my country. In Cuba, there is a control mechanism for artists consisting on a permit issued by the minister of culture to be able to practice that profession.

You can graduate from art school with full honors in the world, but that’s irrelevant because you graduate to be a music teacher, not a musician as such. In order to go on stage and get paid for your work, you need a permit issued by the Minister of Culture himself. To get it, you have to go through a lot of bureaucratic barriers such as commissions, auditions, among others. I didn’t have that permit to sing and profit from my singing when I met the record label that launched me as an artist. One day, I was singing in a deeply underground space without anyone’s permission. When I started to sneak into those spaces, my mom always told me to sing with energy because I never knew who was going to listen to me.

One day of those, a person named François Renié was watching me from the audience. This man was the creative director of the Havana Cultura platform. At that moment, they asked me to make a record with international DJs and singers. They invited me to do a casting, I showed up there, was selected and recorded the album despite not having permission to sing. When I was invited to the realease of the record in England, I showed them the music I Wrote and they offered me to sign with them officially.

You have been compared to Celia Cruz, Nina Simone and other artists of this stature because of your style, what do you have to say?

I had no idea who Celia Cruz was and it’s something I’m ashamed of. When I was compared with Celia Cruz, I wondered who she was. I think I really knew her following those comparisons.

Daymé thinks new generations have to know who Celia Cruz was

I think it has to do with that idea of homogenizing Cuban music into one thing. It was when I was compared with Celia that I started to find out about her and knew that she was the most universal of Cuban artists. She had a phenomenal way of petforming, transmitting, impacting and being as authentic. Musicians who do have access to Celia must do their utmost to let the new generations know who she was. If they can’t listen to her on the radio or TV, they can go online to listen to her and find out who La Guarachera de Cuba was.

How do you think Canadians perceive your music?

I have done very few concerts in Canada as a soloist. In fact, I’m not even there at the moment, but in Puerto Rico. I can’t provide an overview of how Canadians perceive me, but I do think that they are super friendly, docile and open to all kinds of music. They appreciate, dance and enjoy whatever you play. I must thank my ancestors for the expansion of my music beyond the Canadian framework, so I don’t rely on that market for a living.

Do you plan to stay in Puerto Rico permanently?

I came to Puerto Rico to record my next album. I’m super happy and honored to be able to do it on this island so similar to mine because it has so much culture and colorful art. Here, I found the industrialization and visibility that Cuba doesn’t have. I still don’t know if I’m going to stay here for the rest of my life, since Canada enters into my plans in some way, but this is the stage I must live now.

Daymé Arocena is now living in Puerto Rico and recording her new album

Incredible conversation with Felipe Martínez about his career in the SF Bay Area

Here is the conversation

We are here with Felipe Martínez. He is a dance instructor, broadcaster and event organizer. Good afternoon, Mr. Martinez, how are you today?

Very good afternoon. Thank you very much for the invitation.

How did you start your way in the world of music? Did you do it in your native Colombia or there in the United States?

It officially started officially here in the United States, but Colombia also played an important role in this process. In my country, I played soccer and many of my football buddies came from the coast or north of Colombia. I am from the center of the country in Bogotá. When it was our turn to meet in the bus that would take us to our place of practice, each one of them carried a cassette tape to listen to salsa or music from the Colombian Caribbean. That is how I was gradually introduced into the world of music and got interested in salsa and Caribbean music, but I grew up listening to rock and pop.

Felipe Martínez in his studio

So, we can say that your taste in music started in Colombia, but you developed professionally in the United States, is that right?

That is correct. When I came to the United States, I started dancing professionally.

You started working as a dance instructor and then as a DJ when you arrived in the United States. Meaning that you had no experience in these things from your country, but you gained it in your new country of residence.

That is right. In the case of locution, I worked as a radio host for about three years in Colombia. I hosted a show with my friends while attending high school, but we were dedicated to rock because it was the genre I listened to the most. When I came to the United States in 1998, I started dancing, working with several dance companies, and studying for a while before I started teaching, so it did not happen immediately. I studied for about four years, and after that, I decided to teach. As for my work as a DJ, that almost happened immediately. In 1999, I started making music in a little club called Café Caracas in Berkley. It was by pure chance because the hired DJ didn’t show up, so the owner of the club asked me to play for a while to cover that space. I replied yes, so I started playing music that night and it all worked out. They proposed me to keep doing it permanently, I accepted and that’s how my career as a DJ began.

Luis Medina told me in his interview that he is sometimes forced to play music he doesn’t really like, but it’s what the public wants. Apart from salsa, what other genres do you play or mix?

Salsa is just a general term for all these rhythms we have. I usually mix salsa with bachata, merengue or cha cha chá. However, I don’t usually include reggaeton in my repertoire despite its popularity.

Felipe Martínez in his work as a DJ

How World Salsa Radio started

How did World Salsa Radio start? What drove you to found it?

Worldsalsaradio.com (www.worldsalsaradio.com) started as an adventure alongside a friend at another radio station. The main idea was to educate listeners about the history of records and what they include such as singers, artists, musicians, etcetera. These days, you buy an MP3, but all you can see is the name of the song and the picture, so you lose all the album information such as credits, recording place, among other details.

In my travels around the world, I have known many DJs, whom I contacted when this project started to get them to this station to do shows. Remember that the main objective was to educate the public, then, the guy with whom we started the station took a different path because we had artistic differences, so we decided to separate.

That’s how World Salsa Radio started. During the pandemic in 2020, I was here at home for about three or four months arranging everything. I invited two other friends from the Bay Area, one of them was DJ Orlando Felix, DJ Boricua, and Ivette Fuentes, DJ La Coqui. The three of us started shaping the idea of World Salsa Radio with the same goal of educating as in the beginning. I take care of all the technical part, invite DJs to play, teach them to use the software and tell them what to say. We are already 27 DJs from all over the world and, at the moment, DJ Boricua and I are the ones who run the station.

Indeed, you have DJs from the five continents. How did you manage to unite them all in the same project?

I think the idea that brings us together is the goal of educating the public that listens to us. We want to play great music, but we also want to educate people about what we play. This is something that attracks music collectors because all that information is being lost due to the digital age. I know many who are on World Salsa Radio in person, but I heard the rest of them by other means such as a Facebook Live or YouTube. I contact the ones I like, we exchange ideas and it is explained to them what they should do.

Cuban singer Omara Portuondo and Felipe Martínez

What have been the most noticeable differences in the team?

Each DJ has a different style. We all have a different style even though we are playing Afro-Latin music. Everything played here in California is very different from everything played in Lithuania. Although we all collect the same music, everyone plays it differently.

How dod the public receive World Salsa Radio?

At first, the audicence reception was very small. The first month, we had barely 300 listeners, but we have a very large group of listeners who stay tuned to us despite the time. There are about 100 listeners who are permanently connected with us. We started the project during the pandemic, which was very good for us because everyone was home. So, people who enjoy this music, dancers or musicians listened to our shows on a recurring basis. Two years later, there are already 16,000 people who tune us in every month.

There are many people supporting us without any profit motive because we do this for free. No one is paying us to move the project forward, so we are financed by donations. We also have great support on the advertising side, which has helped us grow.

World Salsa Radio is now ruled by Felipe Martínez

As a dancer and instructor, what do you think people are most passionate about in your classes? What rhythms do they enjoy the most?

As to how I teach, I use percussion much. Since I play the conga, I use this tool to give my classes. I try not to give so much importance to numbers. Many instructors use counting to teach their students, but I try to keep out of it and use percussion. For example, I use the clave and the tumbao.

I think this method works best. If you go to a club with an orchestra playing, the singer is not going to be counting on you to dance, he’s going to be focused on making his music and providing entertainment. For the same reason, you must learn to follow the music without counting.

What have you done to balance all your activities in music?

My activities are linked, but they are separated at the same time. My personal projects have nothing to do with World Salsa Radio. However, when an event invites several DJs from the station, the World Salsa Radio logo joins that production. However, I try to take things apart most of the time.

Your pages, social networks and links to financially support the station.

You can find all the information through worldsalsaeradio.com. In the main part, there is a button that says Donations, which takes you to the station’s PayPal account. People can donate whatever they want to help us, but nothing happens if they can’t. In that case, they can spread the word about the station. In that case, they can show what we do through their social networks and give us publicity.

Felipe Martínez does not combine his activities

Facebook: Eldelaclavesf (https://www.facebook.com/EldelaClaveSF)

Instagram: Eldelaclavesf

Memo Arroyave, entre las voces más importantes e impecables del Caribe

Considered as one of the faithful representatives of Venezuelan salsa, the young vocalist Guillermo José “Memo” Arroyave, born on July 22nd in the city of Caracas, arrives to “Salsa Escrita” for an exclusive interview.

Memo Arroyave, continues to project himself with more and more quality and professionalism, characteristics that define him in the Caribbean music genre at the national and international levels.

In a pleasant and enjoyable conversation with Memo, he told us about his career and his current and future projects.

Memo Arroyave, welcome to Barquisimeto’s salsa column “Salsa Escrita”; it is a great pleasure for us to have you as our special guest and we would like you to tell us about your beginnings in your artistic career.

-Thank you Carlos for the opportunity you are giving me to reach your readers in a direct and fraternal way.

My beginnings in the world of music and show business date back approximately to 1996, when I was a student of the successful Venezuelan Rafa Galindo (R.I.P.D.), the musical legend of our country.

Then I ventured into the stages forming part of different groups in Caracas, such as Partitura Latina, Orquesta Gente Novel, Orquesta Ensueños, Galaxy Latin Band, El Código Salsero, among others.

-Memo, which artists have you shared the stage with, what can you tell us about them? Professor Carlos, I have had the opportunity to share the stage and accompany, on occasions, as a soloist and others as a backing vocalist, national and international artists of the stature of: Andy Montañez, Ismael Miranda, Viti Ruiz, Christian Fernandez, Adalberto Santiago, Pupy Santiago, Paquito Guzman, Roberto Blades, Jose Mangual Jr, Max Torres, Wichy Camacho, Willman Cano, Nino Segarra, Nelson Arrieta, Marcial Istúriz, Mandinga Star Band, Wílmer Lozano, Wiwi Buznego, Wílmer Cobos, Cheo Valenzuela, Miguel Araujo, Erick Franchesky, Irving Manuel, Ángel Flores, Samir Bazzi, Manuel Guerra y su Orquesta, and in December 2019, I shared the stage with Hermán Olivera, Luisito Carrión and Frankie Vásquez.

-Regarding current projects, what can you tell us about them? I am part of several projects simultaneously my friend Carlos, among which stand out: Orquesta Puma Band, Victor Cardona y la Máquina de la Salsa, La Rumba Sonora de New York, Afro Códigos and recently I was invited to participate in the 10th Anniversary album of “Los Rumberos del Callejón”.

Well Memo, for all that you have given us to know about your talent and dedication, you are an obligatory reference of the salsa show and we would like to know about your most recent and future projects.

-In fact, I recently recorded and released the song “Si falta el Aire”, a composition by the Spaniard David Santisteban, with arrangements by Enmanuel “Cerebro” Romero and under my production.

It was recorded in Caracas, Mexico, Miami, and New York, mixed and mastered in the Venezuelan capital, as part of my first musical production. Other of my hits are: “Y lloré”, “No Puedo estar sin ti”, which I did a duet with Rafael “El Pollo” Brito. And as a scoop for your salsa column “Salsa Escrita”, I already have the next promo ready and it is a duet with NG2 from Puerto Rico and last week was the release of the song with José Madera Niño “3º Mundo”, titled: “Me gustas pero…”, which is sounding strong and last year I recorded for a Colombian pianist, but he is based in Washington, United States, which made an album called “10” and among other singers participate: Rodrigo Mendoza, Mariana “La Sonora de Venezuela”, Marcial Istúriz, Gonzalo Díaz, Mike Barrios, which is a talentazo of Zulia state, who is currently in Mexico, my person and other people from other countries.

Soon I will be in the production that is in the process of mixing and where Argenis Carruyo, Oscar Arriaga, Wichi Camacho, and others also participate.

-Excellent Memo, I understand that in addition to your facet as a singer, you also dabble in the media?

That’s right professor, let me tell you that I am the nephew of Fernando Sosa Leal, I have done radio and television since 2002; I started with a radio program in the state of La Guaira, I was the director of the musicalization of Azul 95. 9 FM, then we did “Mundo Latino”, there I was as an animator with Fernando Sosa Leal and Luis Arturo in CMT, then in TVES, but I leave the project to devote myself more to my singing career and also went several times to Puerto Rico to the editions of the National Salsa Day, World Salsa Congress, to give coverage from there for all Venezuela and the Caribbean and recently as the producer of Strike 13 with Fernando Sosa Leal in his Bowling program for Meridiano TV.

Carlos, I wanted to thank you for the focus you give to the singer through your salsa column, if I may say individually and not so much as choristers, which of course is important, but in your work and interviews we have read the support and contribution you give to our musical productions and recordings with orchestras, since this way we make ourselves known to music lovers as well as to the public.

Finally, I want to thank you for your time and congratulate you for this work that you do with a lot of enthusiasm, with desire and that should be appreciated not only by me but by all musicians, artists who are giving it their all and that, if it were not for people like you, it would be even more difficult.

-Your social networks? Through @memomedicen, they are my accounts in R.R.S.S. Thanks, Memo for this connection we had and thank you for accepting the invitation to Salsa Escrita “La Columna Salsera de Barquisimeto”, through International Salsa Magazine, www.salsaGoogle.com, we would also like to have you performing in our twilight city and musical capital of Venezuela and remind all artists that we are to serve them in an unconditional way in favor of our Latin music and obviously the Venezuelan talent that is unquestionably superior every day.

See you next time and let’s keep salseando!

Article of Interest: Henry Valladares, a brilliant, versatile, and disciplined percussionist

Pedro González

Musician, Instructor, And Pioneer Of Salsa Casino In Venezuela

“If people dedicate themselves to this, it is because we are doing it well.” This nice phrase arose from the pleasant and attractive telephone conversation about the history of the pioneer of Salsa Casino in Venezuela, the charismatic Cuban-Venezuelan musician and instructor Pedro González.

This affable musician and Salsa Casino instructor told us that he carved out his career from a very young age. He was born in Havana (Cuba) in 1966 and began his musical studies at the National School of Arts in the Havana capital at the age of ten, graduating in the specialty of Guitar (Short Course of 8 years) in 1984.

He comes from a musical family, his grandmother was the soprano Rosa “La China” and his mother (teacher and school principal) Zoe Portuondo Suarez, a distant relative of the singer Omara Portuondo.

“…Since I was little I liked to dance, I would dance everywhere. I learned with my cousin… I went to places like Playa… Besides, my mother danced a lot and my grandmother was a singer and she was also linked to the world of art…” Pedro commented.

His first job was as a music teacher in the Pinar del Río city, three hours from Havana. A short time later, he joins the Caranday group, and they play Son Cubano every night at the luxurious Hotel Nacional De Cuba.

After 45 days from his first presentation with the group, they meet the Venezuelan businessman Martín Gutiérrez, who takes them to Venezuela in 1993 to perform at private parties in the Falcón state.

Due to the few opportunities he had in Cuba, he decided to stay in Venezuela and formed the Latino Son band, made up of four Cuban musicians, and in turn began to be members of the Tropicana-style Cuban Fiesta Magazine (Show with a range of musical genres, interaction with guest singers, and dancers) in nightclubs of the Capital.

In Moments of pause with the musical magazine (1997), he undertook a tour with the Latino Son group with whom he traveled for almost all of Venezuela and toured the main stages of large national festivals such as La Feria del Sol (Mérida), Feria de San Sebastián (San Cristóbal), and La Feria de la Chinita (Zulia) among many others.

“We played permanently at La Giralda… At La Giralda we organized a party playing the Cuban Timba, then, there they called us “The Cuban Orchestra” in 1996, 1997, and 1998…”

During the ’90s and already residing in Venezuela, Pedro became the first Salsa Casino instructor in Venezuela without planning it as a life plan, and in 2000 he founded his homonymous academy that has graduated thousands of fans of this style of salsa dance.

Dancing is one thing that keeps you active. That is good for the body. If you have a problem in two hours or an hour and a half dancing you forget it. For my part, I like to teach… And, I like people to have fun.” Pedro González

History And Evolution Of The Academy Dance

Pedro González with burgundy flannel and four women on the sides — Pedro González is the President of the Salsa Casino Organization in Venezuela

One night at the end of the 90s, Pedro along with his friend Milan (Medical and Countryman) began to remember the Dance of the Casino in La Giralda (old venue to listen to live music and enjoy various drinks on the Boulevard de Sábana Grande – Caracas) after his customary presentation with the Latino Son group.

Both began to stand out on the dance floor with the genre of La Timba and for a way of dancing Salsa different from the one practiced in Venezuela. “We began to dance with two Venezuelan girls in the Rueda style (which was not a Rueda because there must be 3 couples)… I began to say Milan “Give me one”, “Plugin”, “The Hat”, and we began to dance the Casino Style”. Pedro “El Cubano” told us between laughs during the interview.

The two ladies were so impressed by that way of dancing that they did not hesitate for a moment to ask Pedro for dance lessons. After so much insistence, “El Cubano” agreed for the first time to give Salsa Casino classes in the capital of Venezuela in an improvised and reduced space with his first five couples. “I am from the Cerro municipality, which is the closest to Old Havana. I used to go to Playa (Municipality of Havana) a lot to dance and I learned many dances and turns…”

And so Salsa Casino began spontaneously in 1999. By the following year (2000), Pedro had 20 couples and a larger room to teach.

The evolution of him in his rise during this year was impressive. Due to the influx of students, he began to teach in the blue auditorium of the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences (Faces) of the most prestigious University in the country, the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) through Reinaldo Mijares, Director, and choreographer of the contemporary dance “Mudanza” attached to this institution and where González assures that this movement grows.

From there, he gave way to the Casa Monagas club, a place located in the Las Acacias sector (west of Caracas) behind the UCV with the capacity to hold up to 1,000 people. Here, Pedro’s students had more space to rehearse, and Salsa Casino Parties began to be organized monthly.

Pedro González with a blue shirt dancing with two women — Dance academies in Venezuela were teaching Puerto Rican Salsa Style in the year 2000

With this overwhelming success, the creation of the Academia Salsa Casino in Caracas was imminent. It had massive attendance, national impact with graduate students, and attendance at national and international festivals such as Curacao Salsa Tour, Festivals in Cuba, and an amazing show at the Amador Bendayán Theater.

With more than 20 years of teaching Salsa lessons, Pedro has graduated more than 2000 students and changed its name to Academia Pedro González. It currently has five locations: Sábana Grande (main location), Chacaíto, San Antonio de los Altos (Los Teques), Capitolio, and El Cafetal.

The classes are aimed at children and adults. The call is open, so you can sign up without a partner and don’t worry because the essence of the Rueda remains. The estimated graduation time is three years with four basic levels, four intermediate levels, six advanced levels, you will also receive a triple casino level, two dance technique levels, and to complete the process a final choreographic exam is done.

Every dance lesson is fun because of Pedro’s ability to teach. The names of each step such as “Pégale un Cacho” are adapted to the colloquial vocabulary of the Venezuelan so that it is easy and fast to learn.

Due to Covid-19, the Pedro González Academy makes the use of the mask and antibacterial gel an essential requirement for permanence within the institution, as well as reducing the maximum number of couples per level to only ten.

Vanessa Lovera y sus amigas vestidas de negro — Vanessa Lovera (Left) accompanied by two Salsa Casino dancers at the Caracas Carnival party

At the main headquarters, there are four instructors. One of them is Vanessa Lovera, a graduate instructor from the academy. For Pedro, she has been unconditional support in difficult moments of the institution. Vanessa teaches Salsa Casino and Ballroom Dance. You can also find her at the El Cafetal headquarters, but if you prefer the main headquarters, the address is as follows: Sábana Grande Boulevard, Fénix building, 5th floor, next to the Gran Café.

For this 2022 and if there is a return to normality, the Cuban instructor and musician residing in Venezuela hopes to resume the lost spaces in Caracas such as discos, nightclubs, presentations in theaters, once again hold large Salsa Casino parties in large rooms, the return of national competitions, and the continuation of the training of instructors in person (it is only online currently).

Casino Dance Or Salsa Casino?

Club Casino Deportivo in Havana, Cuba — Club Casino Deportivo no longer exists. Nowadays only the sports fields were preserved of this infrastructure.

According to the friendly instructor Pedro González, the origin of Salsa Casino on the island of Cuba has a unique story that begins like this…

Since 1956 numerous Cuban orchestras have been registered that played very popular and contagious musical genres such as Cha Cha Cha, Guaracha, Mambo, and Son. Rhythms that invited the young inhabitants of Cuba of this time to just want to dance and have fun all night with these melodies, but they not only wanted to do it with their partners but also with those of their friends, acquaintances, and strangers. However, for this decade that was not allowed because the rules of the strict and conservative society dictated it.

In this way and with the pursuit of that goal, the gentlemen created this style of dance. A style that did not require constant practice and where partners could be exchanged using keywords such as “Plugin” to perform the movement and for the theory to be carried out perfectly without altering society. The place where this event was recorded was Casino Deportivo, a private summer vacation club located in the Miramar residential area in Havana.

“We (in Venezuela) call it Salsa Casino because it is the commercial name already used in the United States. In Europe they call it Salsa Cubana, but the original name is Baile Del Casino”. Pedro Gonzalez

That is why at the end of 1950 this style of dance began to be generated that people internationally associate with the style of gambling performed in a Casino because it is a dance in Rueda.

The popular expression of most people in Cuba every time they saw this peculiar way of dancing was to say “Ah! But you are dancing like the people of the Casino (Casino Deportivo Club)” that each day was shortening the expression until reaching the Baile Del Casino.

The peculiarity of this dance style is that it does not have a musical genre, that is, no melody that identifies it. For example, a Danzón is danced with the music of the Danzón, the same happens with the Cha Cha Cha, Mambo, Son, and Bolero. There is no rhythm called Casino, therefore this style acclaimed in the world and preferred by Cubans began with the music that existed in this glorious decade of the ’50s.

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Cuban-Canadian musician Alex Cuba talks about his life and career

How language influences Alex Cuba’s music

We have a very special guest. This is Cuban artist Alex Cuba whose real name is Alexis Puentes and is based in Canada. How are you feeling?

I am very well. I would like to make a small correction before starting the conversation. I am Cuban-Canadian because I have been 23 years in this country. I am as Cuban as Canadian. It is very important for me to mention that I am Cuban-Canadian.

Perfect, thank you very much for the clarification. You sing in both English and Spanish. How much has this bilingual approach of languages helped your career?

Most of my work is in Spanish. There is very little that I have done in English. I think what has most helped my career has been my diversity and my ability to enter any musical genre.

This is Alexis Puentes — Alex Cuba, who is based in Canadá for many years

I have noticed that when you sing in English, you usually focus more on pop or genres that are more popular in the Anglo-Saxon language.

Not necessarily. I also make pop in Spanish. Language does not define pop music because you can find pop in any language in the world. I do things depending on how I feel them, how they come to me at that moment and how it makes sense to do them.

Do you achieve more receptivity on the part of Spanish-speaking or English-speaking audiences?

As you know, my native language is Spanish, so it makes total sense that I reach out more to the Spanish-speaking world than the English-speaking world.

You are the son of a guitarist and music teacher. How do you think this influenced the path you would later take?

Definitely, had I not been the son of a guitarist, I do not think I would be a musician now. I would probably be a doctor or a sportsman. I was lucky that he taught me to play guitar and my father definitely had a major influence on my path.

Besides being an artist, was there another profession you entered or became interested in?

When I was a teenager, I was interested in science and medicine. At some point, I wanted to be a surgeon, but my love for music came back permanently when I was about 14 years old. That’s the only thing I’ve done since then.

Alex and his wife — Alex Cuba and his wife and manager Sarah Goodacre

Has Cuban culture influenced his music?

What led you to enter Cuban jazz and folk?

I had the opportunity to have a very wide musical training that goes from jazz to rock, blues, folk, nueva trova, guaguancó, salsa, timba and many more genres. Music is all the same for me, I only divide it into good and bad music. Life led me to become a jazzman first because I was attracted to jazz and I think that has no explanation. It’s like love. You see something or someone and you like it. You see a person and you do not know why, which happened to me with jazz. So, jazz was a great start for me. When you begin a career in music like I did, I think you see music from the inside. Besides all the study and dedication needed to play jazz, you have to know an instrument pretty well and know in depth music.

I never sang in Cuba because I left when I was only 21 years old. It was when I arrived in Canada that I started singing, people liked my voice and that gave me the push I needed to be who I am. We are talking about a career in life.

Do you think those 21 years in Cuba influenced the music you play today?

I wouldn’t say that those 21 years influenced the music I play, but further trained me for the future. Cuba trained me and Canada fulfilled me. If I Could not make music without targeting a specific audience as we do in Cuba or Miami, I would not be who I am now. If I had not come to Canada, I would not be the person I am now.

After being away from your native country so much, what things do you retain from Cuba?

I still like Cuban cigars. I really like Cohiba cigars. I’m a big fan of Cohibas and I love to smoke them while drinking whiskey.

Do you think your music and way of life are a mix of both nations to a certain extent?

Yes, definitely. It is a seed that grows between mango and apple. A tree that is born and grown between two places.

Alex Cuba holding his Grammy — Alex Cuba after winning his Grammy

How has the course of your work and artistic activity during the pandemic?

Everything has gone successfully. I have dedicated myself to creating, recording, composing, releasing singles and many other things.

So things didn’t stop for you

Not at all and I don’t think it happened that way for many content creators. Creativity is in need of nothing because it simply happens. That has been my case and that of many creators with whom I have been in touch in the past year because I have several guests on my album “Mendó”, of which we have just released a single and a new video for the song “Amor A La Distancia”. That album was created during the pandemic and all the collaborators with whom I had contact were at the same rate as me. We were all trying to do something and not hold us up because of the situation. It was nice to get that vibe.

What projects do you have pending for 2022?

I have pending tours that have been delayed since 2020. I’m going to tour and keep releasing music. That’s the point. I still don’t want to go to the moon in a rocket (laugh).

So, you haven’t resumed your activities on the stage to date.

I haven’t wanted to yet. I’m having trouble returning to the stage because it feels weird. I don’t think I’m psychologically prepared for that, but there will be.

Would you have a message for those future artists who come to read this interview?

They must ensure that the desire to be an artist or express art comes from the heart and the soul. That’s very important. If that’s how you start in the art world, it will be like this forever. If you start on social media, you will get to the point where you will not like it anymore.

Your social networks and website for people to follow you

My website is alexcuba.com and you can find me on Instagram as @Iamalexcuba. On Twitter, you can find me as @alexcuba and on Facebook as Alex Cuba.

Alex with a guitar — Alex Cuba playing the guitar