From his earliest years in Artemisa, he was immersed in music. Alex's first stage appearance on national TV was at the tender age of four, playing claves (a percussion instrument) in a group directed by his music instructor father. Alex went on to study guitar, tres, percussion and bass, practicing eight hours a day during his teens.
After a stint with his twin brother Adonis to record Morumba Cubana, as The Puentes Brothers, Alex departed from Cuban music norms to follow his own path. His debut CD with the Alex Cuba Band, “Humo De Tabaco”, earned him a Juno award for World Music Album in 2006, with the single “Lo Mismo Que Yo”, featuring Ron Sexsmith charting in the Top 20 at BBC Radio 2. For “Humo”, Alex took UK producer Martin Terefe to Cuba to record the album’s funk infused horns and percussion, a sound that got under Terefe’s skin. By extension, that “Alex*Cuba sound” is now evident on Terefe’s productions for Craig David, Ron Sexsmith and Jason Mraz.
After a musical and spiritual evolution, Cuba returned to the studio, this time with co-producer Joby Baker of Victoria, to record “Agua Del Pozo” which was released in Canada in February 2007 under his own Caracol Records imprint. Acclaimed for its blend of tempo, instrumentation and songwriting, the album is a clear evolution from the debut, punctuated by the introduction of Alex's electric guitar, a vintage Gibson. With the soul-pop sensibility of tracks like “Si Pero No”, the album revealed Alex’ Latin Soul DNA. The song, which was an iTunes Single of the Week in Japan, proved to be huge with fans and confounded radio programmers who didn’t know which format in which to program it. “Agua” earned Alex his second Juno Award for Best World Music album 2008. “Agua Del Pozo” was released in the U.S. with two unreleased tracks on September 22, 2009 to fan and critical acclaim alike.
In the digital space, Alex*Cuba has had four iTunes Singles of the Week (Canada, U.S., Japan, Netherlands), has charted on various iTunes charts in Canada, the U.S. and Japan and has independently built an impressive, loyal online community around the world.
Alex recently collaborated with Nelly Furtado for her Spanish language debut album “Mi Plan” (My Plan) which was released September 2009 around the world (Universal). The creative chemistry between Alex, Nelly and James Bryan was magical and resulted in nine co-writes including the #1 single “Manos Al Aire” (Hands in the Air) and the title track where he appears as an invited guest on vocals. A prolific songwriter, Alex is continues working on new collaborations with writers and artists on various projects.
In between tour dates and the Nelly Furtado collaborations, Alex recorded his third album at Baker Studios in Victoria, B.C. The self-titled project was released October 27th, 2009 in Canada and the U.S. release is slated for June 8th, 2010. Featuring surprising new grooves, innovative electric guitar inflections and varying tempos and structures, the album is an important step in Alex Cuba’s ongoing musical revolution. The first single “Caballo” (Horse), a Cuban-funk-rocker, was also made into video conceived and produced in Smithers. Other highlights are “Solo Tu” (Only You), a moving, mid-tempo rock ballad, “Tierra Colora” (Red Soil), a samba-rock-surf-punk sizzler and the funked up “If You Give Me Love”, Alex’ first-ever song in English, which was recently serviced to radio, video and online outlets in Canada. The album was just released in the U.S. to acclaim by media outlets and his growing, loyal fan community. Early radio accolades for the album include an NPR “First Listen” feature, an “Album Of The Week” feature at Jazz FM UK, a glowing Billboard review and lead-off track “Directo” was selected as KCRW’s “Today’s Top Tune.” Most recently, Alex was honored with the award for Best New Artist at the 2010 Latin Grammy Awards which took place Nov. 11th in Las Vegas. The album “Alex Cuba” was also nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Album.
Critical to Alex’ success has been constant touring with a live show that has been described as explosive. Revealing his bass player past, Alex picks, plucks, strums and rocks his Gibson ES355, equipped with the heaviest guage steel strings available, without a pick. With Alex its just skin on steel, with solos that often lead to bleeding fingers. His visionary rebel nature is evident in the fact that contrary to the prevailing Cuban and Latin big band formations, Alex*Cuba performs as a trio (Alex on vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, electric bass and drums). The simplicity, power, and sheer efficiency of this formation has stolen the stage from bands quadruple their size and has confused many production teams expecting the typical big band at load-in. Doing more with less is an ever-present mantra for Alex*Cuba.
With a heart as big as his retro 'fro, Cuba takes it all in stride and focuses on what he does best: crafting songs that cut through linguistic and cultural barriers like a machete through sugarcane.
Milestones in the Musical Life of Alex Cuba:
#1 Album on iTunes US Tropical (Agua del Pozo), #1 Album on iTunes US Alternativo (Live From Soho), #3 iTunes US Alternativo Song Download ("Si Pero No");
Humo De Tabaco (2005) - Juno Award Winner 2006
Agua Del Pozo (2007) - Juno Award Winner 2008, "indie" Award Winner 2008, West Coast Music Award 2008
Alex Cuba (2009) - Juno Award nominee 2010, Indie Award winner 2010, Latin Grammy Awards - Best New Artist 2010
Como Amigos
Alex Cuba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sin luna
Oscura de tu mirar
La brisa
Fortuna
Del parque
Sin caminar
Y lejos
Del día
Descubren
Mi soleeedaaaad
Sin ningún regreso
Me he perdido
Inventándome volar
En un viaje, sin fiiiinaaaal
Empecé contigo, como amigo
Quién diría que de ti
Me llegara a enamoraaaaar?
Sin ningún regreso
Me he perdido
Inventándome volar
En un viaje, sin fiiiinaaaal
Empecé contigo, como amigo
Quién diría que de ti
Me llegara a enamoraaaaar?
La noche, sin lunaaaa
Oscura, de tu miraaar
The song "Como Amigos" by Alex Cuba is about the journey of falling in love unexpectedly. In the opening lines, the night is described as dark and without a moon, mirroring the singer's feelings of loneliness and emptiness. He finds solace in the park where the breeze is a blessing, but he is still lost in his thoughts, dwelling on his own solitude. The lights of the day reveal his isolation, and he feels as though he has nowhere to go.
The following stanza repeats the concept of being lost, but this time it's in his own imagination. He's dreaming of flying away without any return and starting a never-ending journey. The chorus reveals the key line of the song, where he reflects on how he started his journey with the person he's singing about innocently, as just friends. However, he never expected that he would end up falling deeply in love with them.
The song, with its mellow tune, describes the experience of falling in love in a relatable and intimate manner. The singer's voice is calming and soothing, emphasizing the themes of comfort and solace. The lyrics tell a story that many can relate to, where love comes unexpectedly, and friendship transcends into something more profound.
Line by Line Meaning
La noche
The night
Sin luna
Without the moon
Oscura de tu mirar
Darkened by your gaze
La brisa
The breeze
Fortuna
The fortune
Del parque
Of the park
Sin caminar
Without walking
Y lejos
And far away
Las luces
The lights
Del día
Of the day
Descubren
Reveal
Mi soleeedaaaad
My loneliness
Sin ningún regreso
Without any return
Me he perdido
I have lost myself
Inventándome volar
Inventing myself to fly
En un viaje, sin fiiiinaaaal
On a never-ending journey
Empecé contigo, como amigo
I started with you, as a friend
Quién diría que de ti
Who would have thought that from you
Me llegara a enamoraaaaar?
I would end up falling in love with you?
La noche, sin lunaaaa
The night, without the moon
Oscura, de tu miraaar
Darkened, by your gaze
Writer(s): Alexis Puentes
Contributed by Hannah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.