Yusa
Encyclopedia
Yusa is a Cuban singer and songwriter, born in the Buena Vista district of Havana
, Cuba
. Her music is recognised worldwide : in 2003, she was nominated at the prestigious BBC
Radio 3 World Music Awards in two categories (Best Newcomer and Best of the Americas.)
’s housing community of east Havana
, Yusa’s childhood was cradled by music. She started studying guitar at the age of 6, at the Alejandro García Caturla
elementary school. Then, attending the Amadeo Roldán
Music Conservatory, she chose to concentrate on a particular type of Cuban guitar called the tres
and started performing in Havana’s bars and clubs.
, jazz
, rap
, and soul, but keeping its connections to its deep African and Caribbean heritage. Yusa is often considered by the field of music as a poet, singing bittersweet songs, and compared with great singers as Tracy Chapman.
Her songs are very influenced by the life in Havana and by traditional Cuban music, even though she modernizes it, taking the true substance and arranging it, following the contemporary trends of the new Cuban wave.
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Her music is recognised worldwide : in 2003, she was nominated at the prestigious BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Radio 3 World Music Awards in two categories (Best Newcomer and Best of the Americas.)
Early life and education
Born in the Buena Vista district and brought up in the modern AlamarAlamar
Alamar is a district in east part of the city of La Habana in Cuba. This district is constituted with prefabrication construction in the sovietic architectural style.- Hip-Hop Scene :...
’s housing community of east Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Yusa’s childhood was cradled by music. She started studying guitar at the age of 6, at the Alejandro García Caturla
Alejandro García Caturla
Alejandro García Caturla was a Cuban composer of art music and creolized Cuban themes.He was born in Remedios. At sixteen he became a second violin of the new Orquesta Sinfonica de La Habana in 1922, where Amadeo Roldán was concert-master . He also began composing at a young age, whilst studying...
elementary school. Then, attending the Amadeo Roldán
Amadeo Roldán
Amadeo Roldán y Gardes was a Cuban composer and violinist. Roldán was born in Paris to a Cuban mulatta and a Spanish father...
Music Conservatory, she chose to concentrate on a particular type of Cuban guitar called the tres
Tres
The tres is a 3-course, 6-string chordophone which was created in Cuba. A tres player is called a tresero in Cuba and a tresista in Puerto Rico.-Cuban tres:In Cuba, the son was created as a song and a salon dance genre...
and started performing in Havana’s bars and clubs.
Career
Yusa is a multi-instrumentalist who is perfectly at ease playing guitar, bass, as well as keyboard or percussion instruments. Her music is defined as a young and thoroughly modern musical style echoing with funkFunk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, rap
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
, and soul, but keeping its connections to its deep African and Caribbean heritage. Yusa is often considered by the field of music as a poet, singing bittersweet songs, and compared with great singers as Tracy Chapman.
Her songs are very influenced by the life in Havana and by traditional Cuban music, even though she modernizes it, taking the true substance and arranging it, following the contemporary trends of the new Cuban wave.
Discography
- Yusa (Tumi Music, 2002)
- Breathe (Tumi Music, 2005)
- Haiku (Tumi Music, 2008)