Francisco Céspedes Rodríguez, better known as Pancho Céspedes, is a Cuban singer and songwriter born in Santa Clara, Cuba, on February 28, 1957.
He studied Medicine at the Medical Sciences faculty in Havana but decided to pursue music, becoming part of Cuban groups where he performed songs he composed, making a name for himself within the feeling genre, a musical style that originated on the island and blends bolero with jazz.
He rose to fame as a songwriter when in 1992 the Mexican singer Luis Miguel decided to include his song "Pensar en ti" in his album "Aries." This would not be the only title that the Mexican would perform from Céspedes. Later, in 1996, as part of the album "Nada es igual," the song "Qué tú te vas," authored by the Cuban, was released.
He later emigrated to Mexico, where he became a citizen and relaunched his career, achieving great success that has made him one of the most renowned singer-songwriters on the continent.
He participated as a soloist representing Mexico at the Viña del Mar Festival in 1997, winning the second prize. In 1997, he recorded his first album, Vida loca, the title track of which has become his most well-known composition, earning him several Platinum discs in Spain. In 2018, it was featured in the advertisement for the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Pancho Céspedes has built an extensive career, being nominated several times for the Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards, and he has received other significant honors such as the Premios Amigo for Best Latin New Artist, Best Latin Male Soloist, and Best Latin Album, as well as an Ondas Award for Best Latin New Artist in 1998
Discography: Vida loca (1998), ¿Dónde está la vida? (2000), ..Ay corazón (2002), Dicen que el alma (2004), Autorretrato (2005), Con el permiso de bola (2006), Te acuerdas... (2009), Armando un pancho, duet with Armando Manzanero (2010), Más cerca de ti (Live) (2011), Todavía (2015)
Regarding his position on the Cuban government, it has been controversial. In 2016, the singer-songwriter criticized his compatriot, fellow singer Amaury Gutiérrez, who resides in Miami, for the content of his lyrics that oppose the Cuban regime. However, in 2020, one of his performances at a Cuban hotel was suspended following his statements in which he made clear his opinion on the failure of the Cuban revolutionary project.
