Carlos Victoriano Varela Cerezo is a Cuban singer-songwriter born in Havana, Cuba, on April 11, 1963.
It belongs to the musical movement known as Nueva Trova, whose lyrics are influenced by political and social changes. Its verses are a faithful reflection of the criticisms that have been directed at the regime throughout the years of the Cuban Revolution, which has led to some challenges.
He studied theater at the Higher Institute of Art, and founded his first group in 1988.
He has toured various parts of the world with artists of notable national and international prestige. 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, which was well received for addressing topics such as the collapse of the Socialist Bloc, the reevaluation of Marxist ideology and religion, Cuba's isolation from the rest of the world suffocated by the need for political and social changes, and the issue of violence. In this way, he defined his dissenting stance against 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 increase in 1990s Cuba due to the political and economic situation.
Some of their themes have served as the soundtrack for short films and feature films: "Una palabra" was the theme that director Alejandro González Iñárritu chose in 2005 for his BMW short film The Hire – Powder Keg. The following year, director Tony Scott would select 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 in the music industry, 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 Latin Revelation Artist.
He has continued to perform concerts in various places around the world, always committed to the situation of Cubans and delivering harsh critiques of the regime in his songs.
In November 2019, due to the 500th anniversary of the founding of Havana, the 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,
as each wall of illusion
crumbles away"
Discs:
Jalisco Park (1989)
Carlos Varela Live (1991)
Coins in the Air (1991)
Like the Fish (1995)
Clouds (2000)
Seven (2003)
The Sons of William Tell Vol.1 (2005)
It’s Not the End (2009)
All His Greatest Hits (2009)
The Silent Scream (2019)
