Carlos Varela

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 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 challenges.

He studied theater at the Instituto Superior de Arte and founded 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 other European countries), Pablo Milanés, Víctor Manuel, Ana Belén, and Luis Eduardo Aute (2012, Quito), among many other locations and personalities.

In 1992, during the hardest years of the Special Period in Cuba, their album *Monedas al Aire* was released and received very well for addressing issues such as the collapse of the Socialist Bloc, a reevaluation of Marxist ideology and religion, Cuba's isolation from the rest of the world suffocated by the need for political and social changes, as well as the topic of violence. In this way, they defined their dissenting stance against the regime, gifting Cubans with iconic lyrics like "Retrato de Familia," a song that tackles the sensitive issue of separation due to emigration, which saw a significant increase in Cuba in the 1990s because of the political and economic situation.

Some of his songs have served as soundtracks for short and feature films: "Una palabra" was the piece that director Alejandro González Iñárritu chose for his 2005 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 his most internationally covered song.

In 2009, he participated in the major concert organized by Juanes, "Paz sin fronteras," which took place in the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana. This event featured artists such as Miguel Bosé, who had previously created a version of his song "Muros," Olga Tañón, Juanes, among others. In 2013, in celebration of his 30 years in the music industry, he held a concert featuring American artist 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 for Best Latin Revelation Artist. He has continued to perform concerts in various locations around the world, always committed to the situation of Cubans and expressing sharp criticism of the regime through his songs.

In November 2019, in light of the 500th anniversary of the founding of Havana, the song "Habáname," which was featured in the celebration gala, was censored in its most significant verses without the artist's consent.

"If just one song were enough to give back everything time took from you... And the years go by, and we look on in sorrow as each wall of illusion crumbles."

Discs:

Jalisco Park (1989) Carlos Varela Live (1991) Monedas al Aire (1991) Como los Peces (1995) Nubes (2000) Siete (2003) Los Hijos de Guillermo Tell Vol. 1 (2005) No es el Fin (2009) All His Greatest Hits (2009) El Grito Mudo (2019)