By Kamila Del Grito
El Grito attempts to reflect the paradoxes of Cuban music. An example of this is that Pete, a crusty old punk, is always on the lookout for signs of youthful rebellion, while I, a young journalist, have been captivated by old and new Cuban trova since I was a child.
Faithfully following El Grito’s purpose, which is to promote young musicians in the Cuban music scene, we meet Céline Diaz, an emerging young woman from the small town of Yara, in the province of Granma.
Celine is a very multifaceted young artist; she is a pianist and flautist for the flamenco group Alma Gitana and the renowned composer Reynier Mariño. She has her own YouTube channel and is an aspiring actress. She began studying music at age eight, balancing karate, soccer, and piano lessons, while according to Celine herself, her mother swore that music was just another “attraction.”
“God’s work,” Celine tells us later, her eyes wide open and her tone serious for a moment before bursting into laughter, when we ask her why she decided to pursue music professionally. “Becoming a musician was on my path,” she finally confirms.
Peter loved the way she played every angle to make it in Havana. I loved her alignment with Reynier Mariño and a long-established flamenco bandleader. We were both inspired by the way she had used social media to entangle herself in the world of Cuban artists. So I took her to the Hotel Nacional, bought her a drink, and we started talking.
As we chatted, and I was delving into the flamenco sound of Céline Diaz, one of the questions that came to mind was, “Why would a young Cuban art school graduate choose flamenco music? She leaned toward this genre, which isn’t very common in our country?” To which Céline replied, “Well, it was actually a surprise.” I graduated and never even thought about playing flamenco. At school, they teach you classical music, Cuban music, but not flamenco. And just after graduating, I posted a post on Instagram playing Cuban music. In fact, right here at the Hotel Nacional, and maestro Reynier Mariño wrote to me that his flutist had left Cuba, that he needed a new flutist for his group, that he liked the way I played, and that’s how flamenco emerged in me.
“You fell in love little by little?”
“Yes, I joined Reynier’s group with zero knowledge of flamenco. And I remember that the first time we saw each other was very funny. Because we hadn’t rehearsed or anything, and it went straight to television, on the Habana channel.”
It’s worth noting that flamenco music and Cuban music are two genres that go hand in hand due to their passion for colorful and vibrant sounds. Flamenco music, although not a very popular genre on the island today, is a genre that has migrated since colonial times during the 19th and 20th centuries, and today belongs to our vast array of musical heritage, just as Afro-Cuban music, which has intertwined over the centuries, giving rise to what we know today as salsa, rumba, and sones.
It was gratifying to talk with Celine about her desire to make music in Cuba, despite the harsh reality on the island, where many young people drop out of school in search of economic success. As a young musician, Celine overcomes these inconsistencies and tells us about her first solo album, which we will have the pleasure of hearing in a few months. An album that is in full swing, still unbottled: lyrics, melodies, music, ready, waiting for the crucible of recording. Flamenco fused with Cuban rhythms, relentless, vibrating in every song. El Cigala’s inspiration runs through her veins, and a young singer, Yord—Cuban, but with a gypsy spirit—joins Celine. “It’s one of my passions,” she says, her voice low and intense, like a secret flame.
Another topic we discussed with Celine was her phase as a YouTuber, as her channel has gained a certain amount of popularity in recent months. Celine tells us that her YouTube channel is primarily focused on music and that her musical career is nourished by her YouTube channel by covering both emerging stars and national and international legends through her interviews. Such as Croatian painters, Spanish singer-songwriters like Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés—all channeled through her frenetic energy and her desire to make art and music. She tells us that entering the world of social media is like acting in one of her dreams. “This is the closest I’ve ever been: intimate, raw, a direct line to the public,” Celine affirms, and the versatility and proximity of social networks is a good opportunity to break new barriers.
Celine Díaz no es solo músico o YouTuber o aspirante a actriz. Es un ejemplo de transición de chica de campo a chica de ciudad, para aquellas muchachas de provincia que sueñan con venir a la Habana hacer música. Es un ejemplo de que la música no pasa de moda y aunque en la industria predominen ciertos estilos más comerciales, mientras siga generando músicos como Celine, el flamenco nunca morirá .
Por supuesto, la grabamos tocando su flauta con su espalda al Atlántico y nos dejó rezando para que hayamos capturado las primeras imágenes de una estrella emergente. Celine no es solo música, es un prodigio de la música flamenca floreciendo en la isla de Cuba.
El Grito 