Related videos:
I have known my interviewee today for a long time. We are united by a great woman, a great artist, a great friend... And indeed, Lourdes Libertad is the daughter of the unforgettable Lourdes Torres, and like her mother, she is a wonderful singer.
Although we have exchanged our experiences on other occasions, today I return to the journalistic path to ask you about your daily activities in Miami, especially to talk about your latest performance, this time with another great, Isabelita Íñigo, in a concert that moved everyone: "Friends Forever." Why that name?
First, I want to greet you and express my delight at this new opportunity to share with the readers of CiberCuba. We decided to name the concert that because Isabelita and I have been friends for almost 40 years.
Isabelita started in the quartet Génesis, and I was in the quartet Solaris, and that's how we got to know each other. We have worked together a lot, and a beautiful friendship has blossomed between us.
The presentation took place at Bianco Bistro Café, with a full house. We explored various genres and, above all, emphasized the foundation of both, which is vocal harmony. Those who attended the concert left delighted.
It's been over a decade since you started living in the City of the Sun. What is Lourdes Libertad's life like now?
Yes, I have been living here in Miami for 12 years now. Well, there has been a lot of progress. I have had the honor and joy of doing concerts, three with Mirtha Medina, two with Annia Linares, among others. I was at the big event that Meme Solís held for his 60 years in the industry, at Dade County, invited by Meme himself.
I have received many accolades, including the Key to the City of Miami and the one from the city of Guttenberg in New Jersey. I received the Bajo el Sol de Miami award twice. I was also presented with the extraordinary OASE award from the Association of Entertainment Journalists of New York. I am satisfied.
But look, Julita, above any recognition, is what I have achieved professionally. When I arrived in Miami, I thought I would sing sporadically and work at whatever came up first because Miami is not like Cuba in terms of following a singer or an artist.
In Miami, you have to pay a cover at the door, pay the entrance fee, the valet parking, and consume. On top of that, after the pandemic, everything has gotten worse. The economy has declined. People think twice about attending a concert, especially if it’s in the evening.
In my case, I have been able to sing here and there, although of course, COVID has caused a lot of damage. I've kept doing concerts every month and a half, give or take, without any grand ambitions.
I don't have a Grammy, nor am I recording an album to win one. I just want to stay active. I came, as I told you, thinking about working on something unrelated to my profession, and that hasn't been the case.
This is my greatest recognition! And I am very grateful to the Miami audience who have welcomed me with affection and respect, which I consider the foundation of the good things that have happened to me and have made me happy.
The family… Is everyone in Miami already?
No, the whole family is not in Miami; that's what I wish the most. My youngest son, Ariel, who is now 29, lives here. He is married and has given me a beautiful granddaughter, Zoy, who is three years old. Jessie, the oldest, decided to settle in Spain with her husband Erick, and my grandson Diego, who is eight years old, is a blessing for everyone.
Here I live with my partner Raúl Rodríguez, also a musician and percussionist, who greatly supports me in my work.
And, Julita, I am very happy and calm because my children have made their lives. They have all taken their own path, as I say. They have given me two wonderful grandchildren. They are happy, and if they are happy, I am even happier than they are.
What does it mean for you to be the daughter of the iconic Lourdes Torres?
Imagine, my friend… being the daughter of Lourdes Torres! First of all, it’s an honor, it carries great prestige, but at the same time, it’s a significant challenge. I have always said that being Lourdes Torres's daughter puts an obligation on me, although all artists hold themselves to high standards, I believe in my case, it’s a double obligation. It compels me to do everything exceptionally well, to surpass myself every day, to be as professional as I can, because I wouldn’t want anyone to say at any point, "oh, yes, she’s Lourdes Torres’s daughter, but, honestly, she falls short!"
I don’t know if you understand me. I cannot tarnish my mother's name, because my mother was a great singer, a great composer, and a highly regarded professional, loved by all. She has left us a great legacy, and we must take care of it and always respect it.
When you take a break, do you imagine your early adventures on television with so many great singers and actors, all friends of Lourdes?
My first adventures were not just on television but also in cabarets and theaters. Mima would take me since I was five years old and would put me to bed. She would set up three little chairs in the dressing rooms of the Parisién and would have me sleep there.
I met so many wonderful people, so many great figures of our culture, and later I had the pleasure of working with some of them. I tell you this, and I'm filled with emotion, because if there's anything I am grateful for in life and to my parents, it's having mingled with so many artists who have made our culture something sublime, who have left behind a tremendous legacy that will always be there for generations to come.
Great moments that have been brought to the present time. For example, Mirtha Medina has made a remake of "Un novio para Veneranda," which was so successful in the 70s in Cuba, and she called me and said: "Darling, I want you to work in the musical comedy." Can you imagine? I told her it was a great honor for me.
We rehearsed for three months: Mirtha, Ramoncito Veloz, Jesús Brañas, Ernesto Molina, Ana Lidia Méndez, and I, bringing the play into modern times.
We took the stage at the Artime Theatre one weekend, and the audience loved it. For me, it was a wonderful experience; it was an honor to have shared the stage with Mirtha, with Ramoncito, with everyone.
Current situation of Cuban culture refers to the substantial number of artists, comedians, singers of all kinds, directors, cameramen, journalists, and sports commentators who are in the diaspora… Who is left on the Island?
Who is left on the Island? Among all the colleagues—speaking about everyone, comedians, singers, musicians, actors—I couldn't tell you because I've been here for 12 years, and I also know that many young, very talented people have come up. But well, I couldn't say exactly how many are left.
Unfortunately, I know that those who have left, or most of them, have done so in search of a better life; we are talking about the economy, because life in Cuba has become increasingly difficult… there is no way to live in Cuba!
Cuba is a disaster, but I am sure that those who left feel proud of our people. The Cuban people have the habit of going to see their artists in theaters, at gatherings, everywhere, and for us—at least I’m speaking for myself—that is something we are so grateful for, because in the end, that was the audience, those were the people who placed us where we are now when we stepped outside of Cuba to live elsewhere.
Regarding this situation, does UNEAC escape that disaster?
I reiterate that I have been outside the country for 12 years, but the UNEAC represents the interests of a government, a dictatorship, more than those of the artists. They have always aligned themselves with the elite, and those who have been put in charge of this institution have only bowed their heads, often committing foolishness completely unrelated to culture.
I was a member of the UNEAC. I am very grateful to Harold Gramatges, who in the early 2000s was the director of the Music Association and helped me with something important for me, and I will be thankful for that my whole life.
The people from International Relations were also very kind. But that was with me. One cannot generalize; the time that has passed cannot be compared. Many things have happened. It can be stated that each passing day is worse.
These associations yield to power. On top of that, for many years now, the highest leaders of Cuban culture have come from a cement factory just as easily as from a shoe shop. In other words, they know absolutely nothing about culture.
That’s why, due to their ignorance of culture, art, and the sensitivity of us artists, what they have done is beyond words; it is terrible. I am aware that companies, not just UNEAC, are exploiting artists with incomprehensible percentages, when they either don’t pay them or take an excessively long time to make the payments. I have reliable information about that.
What does Lourdes Libertad still have left to do?
What do I have left to do? Millions of things, because I believe this career never ends and you never stop learning. Every day you learn something new. And as long as we are on this earth and active, performing on stage, we will continue to do everything that comes our way, everything that is work, everything that is part of the artistic endeavor, because that is what nourishes us, that is what gives us life and fills us with strength to breathe.
Filed under: