Is an artist born or made? In the case of Yusa, she is definitely a member of the first group. “To me, it has always been natural. I do not remember a time when I was not playing an instrument, or surrounded by music in some way,” she explains, talking fast and passionately in her unmistakable Cuban accent. The tones and rhythms of her own voice seem to demonstrate why she is considered one of the greatest exponents of the island’s new wave of musicians who fusion traditional genres with funk, jazz, rock and pop influences.
Yusa on the stage (Photo by Helena Andell)
Throughout November, Yusa is playing a series of special concerts in the Club Atlético Fernández Fierro (CAFF), joined by top Argentine artists that are also dear friends to her. These shows represent the end of a very good year for Yusa, who’s been promoting her latest album, ‘Libro de cabecera en tardes de café’, brought out by her own record label. After 10 years touring around the United States, Europe and Japan, it seems Yusa has found a second home in Argentina.
Why did you create your own record label?
The birth of Yusa Records has to do with the time of my life right now. In 2011 and after a decade working together, my contract with an English label was about to finish and I felt I needed my independence. This could not have been possible without Argentina. I visited the country in 2008 for the first time and I was blown away. Suddenly, I realised there was an audience that knew me even if I had no albums edited in the country. And it was the first time a big number of fans were coming to see me, Yusa, and not just “a Cuban musician” as it used to be in other parts of the world. The Argentine audience is so passionate, so grateful… All this marked a turning point, both personally and professionally. As I always say, it was the universe conspiring to assist me yet again.
Yusa playing the guitar (Photo by Helena Andell)
Have you always felt this way?
Absolutely. Everything in my career happened naturally. I always did what I wanted to do and all the twists and turns have happened because they came to me. I am very “zen” in this. I don’t plan the future, although I do live the present to the most so I can seize every opportunity. I have been very lucky indeed.
How was the idea for this new record born?
It has been all about rediscovering my Latin roots. In that sense, my arrival to Argentina was crucial. I don’t know if it had to do with Che Guevara, but there were childhood influences and reminiscences that came to life again when I got here. So I thought: “It is time to thank the people who made me who I am”. The songs in this album are the ones I sing alone, while I take a shower for example. They represent different chapters of my life and they are the melodies I used to listen to while growing up.
What about the special guests in the album?
It has been so much fun to share this with them! They are all excellent artists and friends. The spinal tap of the album are Cuban and Argentine musicians and I recorded the great majority of the songs in Buenos Aires. For these special shows, it’s like having a different party every Friday night. I can’t wait to be with Ana Prada this 23rd, and on the 30th I’ll have the honor to share the stage with Steinar Raknes, Chick Corea’s double-bass player. Each occasion is relindísima (“super nice”).
You play the guitar, the bass, the double-bass, the piano, the tres (traditional Cuban instrument)…
At school, it was only natural to play my classmates’ instruments as well as my own. I graduated as a professional classic guitar and tres player, but I loved learning as much as I could. I even had a violin back home, because in our school we had an instruments library where we could borrow anything we wanted to try to play. That school was incredible. It was a magical world and I remember those times as the best of my life.
Yusa concert in Caff (Photo by Helena Andell)
How do you choose which one to play for each song?
I love all instruments, so it all depends on my mood or the requirements of the song. If I compose with piano, I can only play that particular song with the piano. I also kind of change my personality depending on the instrument… The bass, for instance, is the connection to the Earth. That low frequency works within the womb, the energy I feel is very different from the guitar, which is more playful and open.
What do you feel when you talk about Cuba?
I love my country. I am 100% Cuban and there is no other place in the world I’d rather be. I love my people, the sound of their laughter, their sense of humor. Through my art, I want to be part of the changes that are going on. I want my country to have freedom in all senses. I also wish that the absurd blockade finishes soon. When it comes to art, the urban cultural scene is amazing. We have always been a melting pot and now so many genres coexist: hip hop, salsa, bolero, nueva canción… There are also many cultural places reopening or being created and so the cultural energy right now is at a great peak.
What is music to you?
My mum swears I asked for a guitar when I was three years old. When they gave me a toy guitar manufactured in the USSR, as all toys back then, I said: “No, I want a real one”. Luckily, she realised this need in me and so she took me to the Conservatory, where my classmates were musicians, actors, dancers, painters… I’ve been surrounded by art all my life. Music gave me everything: joy, sadness, life lessons, the opportunity to travel and meet people from all over the world… I am now 39 and love my life. It is the best one I could ever dream of.
Yusa concert in Caff (Photo by Helena Andell)
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