Cuba taking to stage at Artspace
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But the cold shoulder from the tropical country was not finished there. When Canadian pop music superstar Nelly Furtado released her Spanish language album Mi Plan, the chief co-writer on the album (plus a duet vocalist on the title track) was Alex Cuba.
There were about 10 main collaboration names listed in Furtado’s album credits, and Cuban television talked about this. “They mentioned every other name except mine,” Cuba said. “It was a big deal that Nelly Furtado was putting out a Spanish album so they were all over it. And it kind of hurts to all of a sudden be watching that. Why? The question is, why?”
He decided to ask. When a music promoter in Havana wanted to have Alex Cuba headline a show in the Cuban capital, such an event needed a permit. Cuba went to the meeting himself at the National Institute of Music office complex.
“So I sit down there, I was quite hopeful that they were going to be logical with me, and we would have a wonderful meeting,” he said. “And the first thing they said was ‘oh, yeah, it would be lovely if you start playing here, that would be amazing. You have to come here at least for a year, live here, regain your residency, and then after that we can start evaluating how to start presenting you.’ I started laughing right in their face. I said ‘are you asking me to stay here for a year without going anywhere? Are you aware of what you’re saying? I have a family. I have a life. You want me to put that on hold for the sake of maybe I get to play here? You’re crazy, this meeting is done.’ And I left the meeting. I had no time for that stupidity.”
He has 194 other recognized nations in the world he can perform in. Canada has never ceased to be supportive of his music, but he has to tour strategically in this land of large geography and small population.
He also has a growing fan base in other English-speaking nations but in the Spanish world is where his primary audience lies, for obvious reasons. The largest of those, according to Spotify statistics, is Mexico so he is making inroads there now that he has just released his latest album Lo Único Constante.
He will be live in concert at Artspace on Wednesday night. Tickets are available now at Books & Company while supplies last.
Canada has never ceased to be supportive of his music...