The Cuban singer Hallel Génesis starred in one of the most talked-about moments of the weekend after a video of her performance at the Summer Kickoff in Varadero went viral, where the audience remained practically motionless as she gave it her all on stage.
The clip, posted on Monday by the account @lafamiliacubana_oficial on TikTok, shows the artist singing energetically in front of a crowd that hardly reacts: many were looking at their phones, others appeared bored, and almost no one was moving to the rhythm of the music.
The images sparked an avalanche of comments divided between those who defended Hallel and those who mocked the situation.
"The only one singing, and since people have lost their taste for music, they don’t even move, what a horror!" wrote a user.
Others pointed out that Hallel's style, which strays from the urban music and danceable beats that dominate popular taste in Cuba, clashed with the festival's atmosphere: "She sings beautifully, and her songs have very beautiful lyrics, but unfortunately, Cuban youth are not ready for that."
Several comments also pointed to technical issues as a determining factor. "It is worth noting that, unlike the other artists, she sang and performed her show, although I believe the sound did not help her at all," remarked another user, while another added with irony: "Clearly, the sound engineer doesn't like her."
There were those who favorably compared her to the rest of the lineup: "At least she sang, the others just barked," summarized one comment, referring to the fact that other artists at the event went on stage with their songs playing in the background.
Hallel herself responded to the viral moment with humor. On her Instagram, she posted a short video titled "a déjà vu," in which the phrase can be heard: "A lot of noise at the beginning, hands up," seemingly mocking the audience's tepid reaction.
The event "Start of Summer 2K26" took place in Varadero, featuring artists like Yomil, Ja Rulay, Wildey, and Zurdo MC. The festival was already controversial before Hallel's performance: the Pichy Boys criticized it as an attempt by the regime to "demonstrate normality" amid the crisis, and the images of bills thrown on stage like confetti sparked outrage on social media given the scarcity experienced by the rest of the country.
During his visit to Cuba, Hallel also provided assistance to pregnant women, a gesture that some users emphasized in response to criticisms of his participation in the event.
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