New Albums

SHAMELA: "A MI MANERA" (MY WAY)

SHAMELA: "A MI MANERA" (MY WAY)
Like emerging from a flamenco guitar power chord, the dark look of her eyes and tanned skin make a statement about the depth of her voice. This woman hypnotizes, charms... even when her gypsy name, Shamela, means joy and youth, listening to her awakes many other sensations.

Shamela returns with a new CD and a video clip. She wants the public to enjoy her new style that she calls "much more urban and contemporary". As always, cubamusic.com has the exclusive.

Shamela's album "A mi manera" available at Cubamusic.com

"This time I am presenting a piece of work that I really enjoyed doing it. I recorded the songs I wanted the way I wanted, so I did the CD my way". This was Shamela's confession to cubamusic.com during a lively conversation. We caught up with her about the re-launching of her career after being away from the stage for some time.

- What kept you away from your career during all this time?
"Maternity. Pregnancy and delivery of my first child drained all my time in the last two years. This has been a wonderful experience, taking care of my baby, feeding him and looking after him. All these really kept me away from my other great passion, music. Although I never quit composing and working on the CD's tracks.
I am totally back to business. This time I am way more eager to make music."

- What are your expectations with this new album?
"I told my producer that I wanted this CD be entitled A mi manera, because I was planning to make it my way. I was looking forward to feel free, to enjoy every note and recording... and this disc was the result of it. I liked what I did, a fusion of various music genres. The CD includes, for example, a song (Corazón dividido) that is growing into a hit in Cuba and already has a video clip.
In previous record productions I followed my producer's instructions. I am very disciplined and follow all suggestions. But, this time I was more daring and stubborn with the changes I had planned. Maternity influenced my behavior. Being a mother makes you more determined and strong (laughs). The CD brings a more contemporary sonority with a fusion of my favorite Cuban music genres."

- Actually, your career began with a Cuban traditional music band "Son Pelegrin". What are your main references regarding our music?
"My grandfather was a reference, he was always singing at home and playing with different sonorities of the tres. I also remember that my grandmother listened to Celina Gonzalez's "El punto cubano" and "Que viva Chango". That was really something for me. I always included those songs in my repertoire. Later, I started looking for more info about Cuban music and totally fell in love with Celia Cruz's music. Discovering her was like finding the climax of Cuban identity."

- More currently, what artists would you like to work with for the first time? Here at cubamusic.com we can find you featuring Descemer and Baby Lores indistinctively.
"I like to feature. I love to do it as long as the essence of my work prevails. From today's Cuban music I enjoy Leoni Torres a lot. I know him personally, he and his wife are excellent people. I would like to feature him. Regarding urban music, I am crazy about El Chacal's music, I follow it hopelessly. I like his work because no one in his genre has the energy and the power he projects."

- What does it mean to you be part of a generation of singers that inherit the legacy of Omara Portuondo and Elena Burque?
"It really means a lot, especially now that the market of Cuban music is flooded by men artists. I have fond memories of Elena Burque and Omara, two life-changing influences for any Cuban female singer."

- You are probably aware that the world of music CDs and their promotion are quickly changing. How important is a platform like cubamusic.com to you?
"After all this time I was away from the stage due to my son's birth, the whole business of music production and promotion quickly changed. The issue with the CD-ROM has really shocked me.
For that, I believe in the importance of sites like cubamusic.com that give people the possibility of knowing your work and listening to it. I am a little behind in time, when a CD was totally created and finally published its entire content. Now it is different, tracks are gradually recorded and you can release them as they are ready to go commercial, so that people listen to them.
Most importantly, through cubamusic.com people know that Cuban artists keep creating good and diverse music, with high vocal and sonorous qualities. That is very important. I thank cubamusic.com for that."

Shamela is very chatty and an excellent host but the fluent and nice conversation had to finish. The artist had to return to her busy daily life in which she manages to be the mother of a two-year-old boy, the owner of one of the most visited sites in Havana, restaurant La Pachanga, and a successful singer-songwriter.
She said goodbye smiling from the door of her business and before leaving we surprised her with a mandatory question. Is your heart really divided into two?

She answered while laughing out loud. "What a final question! (laughs)... Maybe my heart is divided because my son takes the largest portion of tenderness to the point that sometimes my husband tells me: Hey, I am here too! So Shamela's divided heart belongs to my son and my husband, and that is it", she stated while waving her hand.