Wilfredo José Chirino, artistically known as Willy Chirino, is a Cuban singer-songwriter and music producer based in Miami. He was born on April 5, 1947, in Consolación del Sur, Pinar del Río, Cuba.
In 1961, Chirino emigrated to the United States. In 1962, he formed a rock band called The Whailers and later moved to New York, where he worked with Julio Gutiérrez, Tito Puente, and other renowned musicians.
In 1974, he recorded his first album, One Man Alone, followed by more than 40 productions. Willy Chirino is one of the creators of the Miami Sound, which emerged from the fusion of rhythms brought by musicians and orchestras that emigrated and performed in Miami during the 70s and 80s. Chirino’s music incorporates salsa, merengue, Cuban music, rumba, rock, and other blends of Caribbean rhythms.
He has shared stages with Celia Cruz, Arturo Sandoval, David Bisbal, Oscar de León, Baby Lorens, among others, and his compositions have been recorded by other artists such as Raphael with his famous "Escándalo," Ricardo Montaner, Celia Cruz, and more. As a producer, he has also produced albums for Raphael, Rocío Jurado, Magneto, and others. He has owned his own record label, Latinum Music, Inc., since 1997.
In 2014, he received a Latin Grammy Award for Excellence.
Chirino is one of the most beloved and influential artists in the Cuban community, not only for his music but also for his humanitarian work and his involvement with Cuban émigrés who arrived by raft, for which he has received significant recognition.
In 1994, due to the so-called Balsero Crisis, thousands of Cubans took to the sea, and the United States temporarily housed them in camps while immigration officials processed their cases. Chirino visited several of these centers in Panama and Guantánamo. His song "Ya viene llegando" became the anthem of a generation yearning for freedom, especially for the balseros detained in these makeshift shelters that welcomed him with open arms.
Regarding his most famous song, which is from the album Oxígeno that became very popular in Cuba in 1991, Willy commented in an interview with Alexis Valdés: "I wrote 'Ya viene llegando' as a way to vent, as therapy." "I truly never imagined what that song would become, because I didn't write it with that intention; I just wanted to tell a bit of my life," the singer said.
In 2010, he collaborated on the recording of the Latin version of the song "We Are the World," alongside many well-known Latin artists, with the proceeds intended for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.
In 2013, alongside Gloria Estefan, he lent his voice to the Conecta Cuba campaign, an effort to bring free internet to the majority of Cubans.
Recently, following the release of the film La Red Avispa, Chirino has made headlines for his statements against the movie, which he has described as an Infamy, particularly regarding the role assigned to Basulto and the Organization Hermanos al Rescate: "I knew José Basulto and his family very well. He is a decent man, brave, a patriot who stands firm and has fought tremendously for Cuba, for Cuba's freedom. He has saved thousands of lives in the Florida Straits with his organization, Hermanos al Rescate. I had the opportunity to fly with them and witness their work firsthand."
