Carlos Victoriano Varela Cerezo is a Cuban singer-songwriter born in Havana, Cuba, on April 11, 1963.
He is part of the musical movement known as Nueva Trova, whose lyrics are influenced by political and social changes. His songs are a true reflection of the criticisms that have been directed at the regime throughout the years of the Cuban Revolution, which has led to some troubles for him.
He studied theater at the Higher Institute of Art, founding his first group in 1988.
He has toured various parts of the world with nationally and internationally renowned artists. This has led him to share the stage with: Silvio Rodríguez, Gerardo Alfonso, Pablo Milanés, Alberto Tosca, Xiomara Laugart (1986, Spain), Amaury Pérez (1988, Mexico), Joaquín Sabina (1995, Spain), Jackson Browne (2004, England and countries in Europe), Pablo Milanés, Víctor Manuel, Ana Belén, and Luis Eduardo Aute (2012, Quito), among many other places and personalities.
In 1992, when Cubans were experiencing the toughest years of the Special Period, their album Monedas al Aire was released and received very well for addressing themes such as the fall of the Socialist Bloc, the rethinking of Marxist ideology and religion, Cuba's isolation from the rest of the world suffocated by the need for political and social change, and the issue of violence. In this way, it defined his dissenting stance toward the regime, gifting Cubans with iconic lyrics like "Retrato de Familia," a song that tackles the sensitive subject of separation due to emigration, which saw a significant rise in 90s Cuba due to the political and economic situation.
Some of their themes have served as soundtracks for short and feature films: “Una palabra” was the piece that director Alejandro González Iñárritu chose in 2005 for his BMW short film The Hire – Powder Keg. The following year, director Tony Scott selected the same song for the final scene of the movie Man on Fire, starring Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Marc Anthony, and Dakota Fanning. This is their most internationally covered song.
He participated in the 2009 macro-concert organized by Juanes “Paz sin fronteras”, which took place in the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana, featuring artists such as Miguel Bosé, who had already made a version of his song Muros, Olga Tañón, Juanes, among others.
In 2013, to celebrate his 30 years of artistic career, he held a concert that included American Jackson Browne, Brazilian Ivan Lins, Nicaraguan Luis Enrique, Puerto Rican Eduardo Cabra, and Cubans X Alfonso, Juan Formell, Alexander Abreu, Samuel Formell, Issac Delgado, Diana Fuentes, among others.
His album Como los Peces (1995) earned him the ONDAS award in Spain as the Best Latin Revelation Artist.
He has continued to perform concerts in various places around the world, always committed to the situation of Cubans and conveying harsh critiques of the regime in his songs.
In November 2019, following the 500th anniversary of the founding of Havana, his song "Habáname," which was featured in the celebration gala, was censored in its most important verses without his authorization.
"If a song were enough
to give you back everything
that time took from you"
….
"And the years go by
and we look on with pain,
watching how each wall of illusion
is crumbling down"
Discs:
Jalisco Park (1989)
Carlos Varela Live (1991)
Coins in the Air (1991)
Like Fish (1995)
Clouds (2000)
Seven (2003)
The Sons of Guillemo Tell Vol.1 (2005)
It’s Not the End (2009)
All His Greatest Hits (2009)
The Silent Scream (2019)
