The Spanish singer Rosalía surprised her audience during the closing concerts of her world tour in Miami by openly declaring that the Cuban ensemble "has street cred", comparing it to genres with deep popular roots such as salsa, son, and flamenco, which are fundamental to her artistic journey.
"For me, salsa definitely has street credibility. I believe that son, along with its performers, has street credibility, and flamenco, without a doubt, has street credibility," the artist stated before thousands of spectators at one of her concerts in the city.
The words came during the closing of the LUX Tour 2026, which concluded on September 16 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, in front of approximately 20,000 spectators each night. The tour had featured nearly 60 concerts in 17 countries since its debut in Lyon in March of this year.
Miami, with its large Cuban community, was the chosen setting for that final point. The context is significant: making that acknowledgment in a city where Cuban culture has a strong presence amplifies the symbolic weight of his words.
Rosalía's connection to Cuba is not new. The artist declared in an interview with Billboard in 2019 that her great-grandfather was Cuban, a link she has mentioned on various occasions. Furthermore, her LUX Tour had a significant Cuban presence: Yudania Gómez Heredia, an orchestra director born in Santa Clara in 1994 and residing in Germany, led the Heritage Orchestra throughout the tour.
Rosalía's recognition comes at a time of growing international visibility for the genre. This genre, which emerged in the mid-2000s in popular neighborhoods of Havana like Arroyo Naranjo, is a fusion of reggaeton, timba, and Afro-Cuban rumba. Historically, it has been ignored—and even rejected—by Cuban cultural institutions.
However, some of its most representative figures are making significant strides in the international circuit. Oniel Bebeshito and Wow Popy headlined this week’s first official panel dedicated to the distribution at the Billboard Latin Music Week 2026, marking a milestone for the genre.
The fact that an international figure like Rosalía puts reggaeton in the same sentence as salsa, son, and flamenco — genres with decades of global recognition — is a significant boost for a Cuban musical movement that continues to make its way onto international stages.
Filed under: