Cuban singer El Micha opened up in an extensive interview with influencer Michelito Dando Chucho, where he harshly responded to those who have accused him of being a communist in exile in Miami.
The phrase that sums up his stance is etched in the history of his statements: "The shameless accuses you of being shameless, the drunkard accuses you of being a drunkard, the communist accuses you of being a communist. That's how it is; people give what they are. This is a mirror."
The artist pointed directly at certain sectors of the Cuban exile community, accusing them of having collaborated with the regime in Cuba before emigrating and now acting as relentless judges from Miami: "Not everyone, but a lot of people who worked with them over there are the ones saying that I'm a snitch. That's why I've lost respect for many."
In the interview lasting over an hour, El Micha revealed for the first time the personal cost he incurred when he released his song "Un sueño" —also known as "Cuba Grita Libertad"— in March 2021. This song serves as a protest against the dictatorship and was recorded while he was alone in Miami, with his wife, two children, and mother remaining on the island.
"I was afraid I would never see my family again," the artist confessed, recalling that the day after the release, Alex Otaola went on to say that the song was a lie and that he was a communist.
Otaola's reaction triggered a crisis that, according to the singer, forced him to take extreme measures to protect his family. "I had to send my family to Moscow, and they stayed there for about three or four months. I was paying for an apartment in Moscow," he recounted, before explaining that he later brought them out through Nicaragua on a dangerous journey.
El Micha also spoke candidly about the harm that social media has caused to his mental and physical health. He acknowledged reaching a state of severe depression and confessed that the stress led him to develop prediabetes: “No one knows the damage it does to you when you pay attention to what they say.”
At his lowest point, he described scenes that depicted him at the edge: sitting alone at a gas station, smoking and drinking beer while scrolling through social media without being able to stop.
He also admitted that he made mistakes during that time: "There came a moment when I mixed social media with real life and did things I shouldn't have done. Like going to Cuba and leaving my kids here, my wife." Regarding that decision, he was emphatic: "I ended up trying to escape."
The artist also criticized the extremism he observes in part of the Cuban exile community, equating it with the intolerance of the regime: "If you don’t say exactly the words that you say, you are automatically not on your side. That is extremism. That is communism."
El Micha, who released "Un sueño" in 2021 and also participated in the track by Willy Chirino and other actions against the regime, concluded the interview with an ironic message to his critics, stating that they have been his greatest promoters.
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