Related videos:
The Cuban duo Gente de Zona, composed of Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcom, stated in a recent interview that the best part of their career has been bringing Cuban music to the world like Celia Cruz, comparing their artistic mission to that of the iconic singer who became the great symbol of the Cuban exile.
The statement, collected by the Swiss portal swissinfo.ch, summarizes the philosophy that has guided the duo throughout their 25 years of journey: to keep Cuban culture alive from exile, just as Cruz did from Miami and New York.
In interviews granted to Libertad Digital, both artists spoke candidly about the situation on the island.
Alexander Delgado was emphatic: "Cuba is currently in a decline, in the worst moment of its history. It's a disaster."
Delgado also demanded a fundamental political change: "It is time for that dynasty of the Castros and their buddies to step down, and for Cuba to become a new country again."
Randy Malcom, for his part, described the collapse of the healthcare system with a devastating image: "If you want to have surgery in Cuba, you have to bring your own thread and needle."
Malcom also denounced the economic crisis that crushes the average Cuban: "The gasoline costs 10 dollars per liter for an ordinary citizen. There is no longer education, and practically no one wants to work for the State."
The connection with Celia Cruz is not just rhetorical for the duo.
In February 2024, Gente de Zona starred in one of the most emotional moments of the Lo Nuestro Awards by singing alongside the voice of Cruz recreated through artificial intelligence, performing "Ella tiene fuego" and "La negra tiene tumbao," in celebration of the centenary of the singer's birth.
That same month, they premiered the music video for "Celia", a tribute song that features the voice of Cruz recreated by artificial intelligence and reached five million views on YouTube in April 2024.
The song was nominated for Collaboration of the Year - Tropical at the Lo Nuestro Awards 2025, along with two other nominations for the group: Artist of the Year - Tropical and Album of the Year - Tropical for the album "Demasiado".
Founded in 2000, the group popularized cubatón —a fusion of reggaeton with Cuban rhythms such as timba— and has accumulated six Latin Grammys and twelve Latin Billboards.
Their hits "Bailando" (2014, featuring Enrique Iglesias) and "La Gozadera" (2015, featuring Marc Anthony) propelled them to global fame. In 2025, they celebrated 25 years of their career with a concert at the Kaseya Center in Miami in front of 14,000 fans.
In 2021, they released "Patria y Vida", the anthem of the protests on July 11 in Cuba, which resulted in reprisals from the regime and the inability to return to the island.
Since then, their political activism has intensified alongside their musical careers, and both artists dream of one day performing a concert in a free Cuba.
The next chapter of this mission to bring Cuban music to the world kicks off on June 25, 2026 at the Movistar Arena in Madrid, marking the duo's first tour in Spain.
Filed under: