The Cuban singer-songwriter Carlos Varela shared a excerpt from "Los Guapos" on his Instagram account this Wednesday, one of the songs he is recording for his upcoming album, with lyrics that directly target those who wield power in an arbitrary and unpunished manner.
In the reel posted on his official profile, Varela described the song with a brief but impactful phrase: "LOS GUAPOS, one of the tracks I'm recording for my new album."
The lyrics of the fragment leave no room for interpretation: “They say that up there they don’t eat soup, that they all hate each other but don’t touch / If you don’t respect them, they will make themselves known, anyone who challenges them will get messed up / Kicking your dreams, kicking your wings, because they are the owners and because they want to”.
The song precisely fits the line that has defined the artist's work for over four decades: a poetic and straightforward critique of political power and those who wield it, crushing the aspirations of others.
In February 2025, Varela declared in an interview with PBS News that his songs "unsettle politicians in Cuba and beyond," a statement that "Los Guapos" seems to confirm with great effect.
The announcement confirms that the Havana singer-songwriter is currently in the recording phase of a new studio album, which will follow “Nothing is Like Before”, his most recent work released in November 2024 and recorded at the Skyline Studios in Madrid.
This album, consisting of nine songs—including "La feria de los tontos," "Elefantes," and "Miedo a ser feliz"—was introduced in concert at the Teatro Leal in La Laguna, Tenerife, in April 2025, and later in other cities across Spain.
Varela, born in Havana on April 11, 1963, is one of the main figures of the Cuban Nueva Trova and the author of songs such as "Guillermo Tell" — regarded as a generational anthem of dissent — "Como los peces," and "Una palabra."
The artist currently resides between Havana and Madrid, and carries an outstanding debt to his audience in the United States: in November 2025, he was forced to postpone concerts in Miami and Tampa after U.S. authorities did not approve his work visa.
To make up for that absence, the singer-songwriter has scheduled new dates in Miami on December 19 and 20, 2026, events that his fans in Florida are eagerly anticipating following last year's cancellation.
If the tone of "Los Guapos" anticipates the spirit of the new album, Varela seems ready to approach those concerts with material as uncomfortable for the establishment as what he has been producing since "Guillermo Tell" became the voice of an entire generation.
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