Yotuel Omar Manzanarez Romero is a Cuban singer, songwriter, actor, model, and music producer born on October 6, 1976, in Havana, Cuba.
His beginnings in the music world started at the age of 18 when he joined Hiram Riverí (Ruzzo) and Joel Pando (El Pionero) to form the group Amenaza, a pioneering band in Cuban hip-hop that rescued and fused Cuban oral tradition with rap, laying the groundwork for what would later become the group Orishas. The group performed in the 90s at various prominent venues such as Café Cantante, a gathering place in the gardens of the Teatro Mella, Casa de la Música, Casa de la Cultura in Centro Habana, among others.
In 1997, they were awarded the First Prize at the semi-clandestine Cuban Rap Festival in Alamar. By then, they were already playing on the radio and television on the island. Later, thanks to an exchange program organized by a French solidarity association with the Cuban people, the members of Amenaza traveled to France, where they eventually settled to continue their musical project, to which Roldán González Rivero, who sang traditional Cuban music in the group Rico Son, joined. Under the name Orishas, the new group signed with the record label EMI, and in 1999 they released their first studio album A Lo Cubano, which made them famous worldwide, becoming the leading figures of Cuban hip hop. In 2002, they released Emigrante, El Kilo in 2005, Antidiotico in 2007, and Cosita Buena in 2008. After 10 years during which each member took separate paths, they reunited to release Gourmet in 2018.
With Orishas, Yotuel toured stages around the world and sold over 750,000 copies in Europe.
In 2003, "Time" magazine included Orishas among the 10 most important bands outside the USA
Emigrantes received a nomination for the Grammy Awards in the category of Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album, and won the award for Best Hip Hop/Rap Album
In 2005, El Kilo was nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards as Best Urban Music Album and for the Grammy Awards in the category of Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album.
In 2008, the song Pal Norte, by the Puerto Rican group Calle 13, won a Latin Grammy for Best Urban Song. They were also nominated for Antidiotico for Best Urban Music Album and the song Hay Un Son for Best Video.
In addition, the music of Orishas received awards in Spain, where they achieved several gold and platinum records for sales.
The theme "A lo cubano" is one of the most commonly used backgrounds in series, contests, and movies where a character from the island is introduced.
Additionally, his music has been featured in various soundtracks such as Kubaner Küssen Besser Germany 2002, Fast and Furious II, 2003, Bad Boys II, 2003, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights 2004, Perfecto Amor Equivocado Cuba-Spain 2004, El Benny Cuba 2006
On December 12, 2009, Orishas held their final concert as a group in Zurich, Switzerland. After that, each member of the group went their separate ways to work on solo albums.
As an actor, Yotuel has participated in series and films such as the popular "Un Paso Adelante," where he met his partner, the Spanish actress, dancer, songwriter, and singer Beatriz Luengo. Additionally, in Cuban cinema, we could see him in "Color Habana," "Perfecto amor equivocado," and "El Baile de San Juan."
As a solo artist, Yotuel has collaborated with singers such as Ricky Martin, with whom he joined for the single Una mordidita, part of the Puerto Rican's album A quien quiera escuchar (2015). The song, with over 1.2 billion views on YouTube, won the Premio Lo Nuestro for Video of the Year.
In January 2021, along with Beatriz Luego, he released the music video for his single "Rebelde" in collaboration with popular Spanish singer and influencer Omar Montes on his YouTube channel.
In January 2020, alongside Orishas and Beatriz Luengo, he released Ojalá pase, in which Luengo performs the exact chorus of the song Ojalá, by Silvio Rodríguez. This sparked significant controversy with Silvio, and ultimately, the song was removed from all platforms.
In 2021, Yotuel made headlines again for using the same lyrics to create the song Patria y Vida, joining his voice in collaboration with Gente de Zona, Decemer Bueno, and the rappers Maykel Osorbo and Funky, two of the most prominent figures in the San Isidro Movement and the fight against repression on the island. Additionally, Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara appears in the audiovisual, another member of the MSI.
With this song, which has garnered over 4 million views, the musicians have made history by creating an anthem of freedom that resonates with all Cubans, both on and off the island. It has also significantly annoyed the Cuban regime, leading to increased repression against any citizen who sings or publicly writes any of its verses.
Yotuel himself was the target of insults from the Cuban government, which labeled him a "jinetero" due to his relationship with Spanish singer Beatriz Luengo.
In February, along with other Cuban artists and personalities, he addressed the European Parliament to discuss the situation in Cuba, as well as with members of the Joe Biden administration regarding the impact that the song has had.
In January, it was announced that he was working on a song with the Spanish singer-songwriter and composer Rozalén titled "Propuesta indecente."
Yotuel lives in Miami with his wife Beatriz Luengo, with whom he is expecting their second child together, a girl who will be born in 2021. He also has a third child from a previous relationship. It is common to see him sharing family moments, always accompanied by his mother, to whom the Cuban artist is very close.
