This Cuban star is a child of many musical influences

They say that the voice of some is music to the ears, and that’s certainly true for Yilian Cañizares. The Swiss-Cuban musician has just made her live performance debut in India with a show in Delhi. “I’m very excited. It’s like a dream for me,” she told us, speaking right before the Wednesday night event at the India International Centre. “I couldn’t wait to meet the audience and to enjoy your beautiful country.”

Presented by the Swiss Arts Council, her performance had Cuban and other influences. “Yes, my cultural roots are Cuban,” said Cañizares, “but I also had a solid classical training from an early age. I studied in Cuba with a Russian teacher and later on, I had the chance to pursue my musical studies outside of Cuba, in Venezuela and in Europe. Through these experiences, I was in contact with other cultural traditions. This gave me a different perspective and a different approach. For me, music knows no borders!”

Cañizares likes Indian music, too; more than that, she has had some solid training in it. “I [have] studied vocal percussion, learning some basics of Konokol, some basic Tihai and some Muktayam. I was really fascinated by these amazing traditions. I also have a lot of admiration for (Indian percussionist) Trilok Gurtu’s work,” she said.

Any talk of Indian music cannot be complete without a reference to Hindi film music. Cañizares said, “I’ve heard a little of Hindi movie music and I like it, because of its groove. We Cubans love groove and we love to dance! If given a chance to sing for Hindi films, I would absolutely say yes.”