Haila María Mompié González, better known as Haila, is a renowned Cuban singer born on January 28, 1974, in Las Tunas, Cuba. She began her career in the entertainment industry as a dancer, a background she has undoubtedly leveraged in her musical journey. Her music career started in 1991 when she joined the group "Septeto Tradición." That same year, she started performing as a solo artist at the cabaret Las Avenidas. She later became part of the group "Habana Son," but it wasn't until 1994, when she joined the orchestra "Bamboleo," that she truly rose to fame and earned a well-deserved place in the realm of Cuban son, traditional music, and danceable popular music.
From her time in "Bamboleo," she has two albums, several international tours in the United States, Belgium, England, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, France, and the affection of her loyal fans who have followed her wherever she goes.
Four years later, in 1998, together with Leonel Limonta, she founded the orchestra "Azúcar Negra" and continued to achieve success and spread her music both in Cuba and abroad. This project resulted in an album released in 2001. That same year, she decided to embark on a new solo path.
He has shared the stage with professional peers from Cuba and many other countries: Celia Cruz, Cheo Feliciano, Chucho Valdés, Rey Ruiz, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Isaac Delgado, Osdalgia, David Calzado, Adalberto Álvarez, Oscar de León, among others.
His musical career has been recognized multiple times; in 2012, for instance, he won the Cubadisco award in the Dance Music category for his album Mala.
Discography: I Like You or You Like Me (1997, with Bamboleo), I Don't Resemble Anyone (1997, with Bamboleo), Thank You (1997, with Formell), Walking While Walking (2001, with Azúcar Negra), Haila (2001), Haila Live (2002), Different (2004), Just the Way I Am (2008), Bad (2012)
In 2020, he announced a collaboration with Descemer Bueno to record the song Lo que viene.
In November 2016, following the death of Fidel Castro, Haila along with Silvio Rodriguez, Alexander Abreu, and other Cuban artists attended the Plaza de la Revolución in Havana to honor his remains. The singer was interviewed by the island's television and made statements expressing her admiration for the leader of the Cuban Revolution. From that moment on, her figure became central to the Cuban emigration who criticized her for her words about Castro as well as for her willingness to sing to him on that occasion in front of the Presidential Palace.
In January 2018, Mompié arrived in Miami to celebrate her birthday surrounded by significant controversy due to the rejection it generated among a large part of the Cuban exile community.
In February 2020, the singer was rejected by a group of Cubans in Montreal, Canada, a place where the artist traveled to present the show "Noche Cubana con Felix!" at the Rialto Theater.
On October 15, 2020, the Mayor of Miami, Francis Suárez, declared Haila as a persona non grata in the city of Miami, considering, in the politician's words, that "it is no secret his admiration for the Castro regime, specifically for the late Fidel Castro, they only come to Miami to provoke," said the mayor in November 2019.
