Albita

Albita Rodriguez was born in Havana, Cuba in 1962. Albita grew up among musicians; her parents being well-known singers from the Cuban countryside (singing punto and guajiro) guaranteed her early exposure to music. Her early childhood toys included bongos and claves. Since her teen years, she began her professional career by performing in nightclubs and local concerts. She made her television debut on Cuba's variety show, Palmas y Canas.

In 1988, Albita released her debut album in Cuba, called Habra Musica Guajira (There will be guajira music), on the Egrem record label. Albita has been identified with Cuban son (an Afro-Cuban musical form). Albita inspired herself from personal experiences as well as from what was happening in Cuba at that time. The title song of that album talks about her mission to create music that was authentic Cuban music. Another hit of the album, “Son de Tahurete”, is about the time when Cuba fought for its independence from Spain.

In 1992, she traveled to Colombia and after some time she went to Mexico. In 1993, she traveled to the United States and made her residence in Miami. Albita spent some time performing in the restaurant Centro Vasco, where her work was appreciated by several figures of the entertainment such as Madonna and Gloria Estefan. In 1994, she released her first single in the U.S, "Que manera de quererte" (What a way of loving you), after being signed by Emilio Estefan’s Crescent Moon label. In 1995 Albita released her first US album titled No Se Parce a Nada (Unlike Anything Else). The album Dien Que followed, it featured a combination of traditional Cuban styles, as well as Baroque and African styles. Her career in the U.S. proved successful, producing albums like 2000’s Son, Hecho a Mano (Hand Made) in 2002 and Albita llego (Albita is here) in 2004.