Haydée Milanés: "My father died with the pain of having sung to something that was a deception."

The Cuban singer Haydée Milanés has revealed in a recent interview that her father, the legendary troubadour Pablo Milanés, passed away with a deep sense of disillusionment for having believed in the Cuban Revolution.

My dad believed in that project, he believed in the social justice that the Cuban revolution promised. He wrote love songs because he trusted that it was going to be something truly good for his people," the young singer expressed to journalist Carla Gloria Colomé from El País.

However, he acknowledged that, over time, his father realized that it had all been a deception.

My father died feeling the pain of having sung with love about something that was a deception from the beginning and that used him, something that ultimately destroyed a country, a nation, and an entire people. "That destroys your soul," the singer assured, who has inherited her father's musical sensitivity, but also his disillusionment with the Cuban regime.

Since her exile in Miami, where she emigrated in 2022, the artist has denounced repression, censorship, and the deterioration of Cuba, issues that her father also faced: "What made me wake up was living close to my father and seeing his reality, everything he went through, his suffering, the way he tried to change things within Cuba. He confronted power many times, attempted to invest his money in a foundation, and they shut the doors on him."

Milanés spoke openly about the censorship and harassment he faced in Cuba for expressing his opinions, as despite not being officially banned, his music was restricted in official media, he was denied airtime on radio and television, and his concerts were canceled without explanation.

"They don't tell you that you're banned, but you find out from the very people who work in those places, who take risks to play your music on the radio and television," she reported.

Her exclusion increased after she refused to participate in political events organized by the government: "I refused to sing for the Five Heroes or for the party militants. There came a point when I felt that if I wanted to perform in a theater, there was a certain discomfort; they were biased against me, placing obstacles in my way."

Since 2009, they prevented him from going on national tours and denied him logistical support under pretenses such as lack of transportation or accommodation, while other artists aligned with the regime had those resources.

She assured that she was also monitored and warned by State Security due to her posts on social media: "High-ranking cultural officials visited my home because of my stance on social networks, where I denounced the repression against artists, activists, or journalists, or basic things that I, as a citizen, felt were my right and duty to express."

After years without recording, Milanés has just released the song "Duele," in collaboration with the rapper El B, where he expresses his pain for Cuba and his desire for change.

What we did with this song was inject it with strength, a desire, and a decree of freedom, of hope, and that yes, we are going to achieve it, we are going to free that country, rescue it, that country belongs to us," they stated.

The theme is a blend of love and heartbreak, a hymn to God, to Oshún, and to the Patroness of Cuba, a plea to find a way out of this nightmare.

"I really needed to talk about the topic of Cuba in music; I was doing it in my social life, but I wanted to put it into my songs, my lyrics," he explained.

Despite having rebuilt his life in Miami, Milanés confessed that one of the deepest wounds of his exile is being away from his mother, Zoe Álvarez, who is still in Cuba and is ill.

"My relationship with her is very strong, very deep, and that's one of the things that hurts me the most about having left and one of the reasons why I didn't leave sooner," he said.

Looking back, he acknowledges that exile has been a process of learning and renewal, but he never wanted to leave Cuba.

"I did everything I could to stay. I realized that it wasn't possible. I felt like they were going to destroy me, that they were going to ruin my mental and physical health," he confessed.

Regarding a possible return to the island, Milanés made it clear that he will not perform in Cuba as long as the regime remains in power: "I won't play in Cuba because that means dealing with the official institutions, and I don't want to do that anymore."

However, he dreams of a free Cuba, one with democracy, prosperity, and justice: "I want Cuba to change, to be able to return and be part of the reconstruction of the Cuba we want; a free Cuba, a Cuba with democracy, that can thrive, a Cuba of prosperity, joy, hope, justice, and unity, where different parties exist; where those people are not in charge, because they have proven to be corrupt and have turned their backs on the people."

With this interview, Haydée Milanés not only pays tribute to her father and his legacy but also reaffirms her political stance and her commitment to change in Cuba.

Frequently Asked Questions about Haydée Milanés and Her Critical View of the Cuban Regime