- country:Cuba
- style(s):Cuban, Jazz
- label:BROWNSWOOD RECORDINGS
- artist posted by:Plan-B Music
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Singer, composer, arranger, choir director and band leader, Daymé Arocena is a skilful, charismatic presence in Cuban music. Dressed always in white, it’s a visible reminder of her induction into the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria: its chants and repertoires are just as important to her as jazz and Cuban neo-soul.
She often immerses fragments of rumba rhythms and outbursts of scatting into her songs and performances. “Even though I’m a classical musician,” she explains, “at school I also sang Santeria songs, which is the official Cuban religion for me. I studied its beautiful energy and all the elements from the sea, to the wind and the earth. My saint is Yemaya, saint of the sea.”
But her time came a few years down the line with the Havana Cultura Mix project, which saw Gilles Peterson mentoring selected producers from around the world to make a record in Cuba with local musicians. Following her audition, all of the producers to decided they wanted to work with her: she sung on three tracks on the album, including the massive “U Knew Before”. Seeing huge potential in her, Gilles invited her to London to perform at the album launch event to enchant a packed out audience and seal plans for a solo record with Brownswood Recordings and Havana Cultura.
Her debut album, Nueva Era, was released to critical acclaim in 2015. With The Guardian declaring her “a rich and powerful new voice from Cuba” and Songlines recognising her as “one of the most exciting new artists to come along in years”, the album was an important first statement for an artist who’s got plenty more to say. With her soon-to-be-released One Takes EP forthcoming and excitement bubbling up around more European live dates and a debut US tour, the future looks bright for an artist who’s spent years building up to this moment.
Area: Spain