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
Tu Nombre
Alex Cuba Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Entre mas quiero olvidarte mas la ansiedad hace que me parte
Todavía no asimilo que ya no estas aquí
Pero aun así te acordaras de mi cuando tengas cocaína en la nariz Entre mas quiero escribir menos puedo seguir
Pero se que deshagandome de esta manera podre por fin salir
La marihuana me tienta para no seguir enferma
Pero eso no me pondrá mucho mas contenta
Como me gustaría ya no sentir nada por ella
Gritarle a todo él mundo que por fin saliste de mi cabeza
Pensarte encima suyo y me digas con gemidos vamos no te detengas
Que me sueltes de las manos y besar por fin otros labios
Te siento como un clavo clavada entre mis párpados
Decirle a los cuervos que tengo una mujer atravesada en la garganta
Y que él insomnio sea un juego donde no exista ninguna batalla
Te pido que me arranques los malditos ojos
Por que ya no aguanto llorar mas en sus hombros
Se que sueñas conmigo estando con otro
Y al despertar me olvides haciéndote osio
Di me como le haces para olvidarme Conviertes por amor al odio a por amor al arte
Me contradigo cuando me digo que no siento nada cuando te veo
Que por mi culpa ya no me quieres y quieres a tu Romeo
Pero aveces te pasas con una que otra botella
Y es tan injusto para ella follarme estando peda
Me cansa que le hable de ti por que ella siempre me quiso
Y se pone barreras por que sabe que todavía no te olvido
Me entiende de la manera que siempre quise que me entendieras
Pero no voy a estar comprando y dejando esto a medias
Llegue a sentir algo diferente cuando me tratabas indiferente
Esa indiferencia que sentí estando mi lengua entre sus piernas
Ojalá sientas esa diferencia estando con él Para que cuando me vaya tu te tengas que volver
Se que yo era la primera que te buscaba
Pero ya no voy a perder mas tiempo sobre mi almohada
Y cada que me estas madrugadas en mi cama y tu dormida en otra almohada despertar de golpe diciendo tu nombre
Mi corazón vuelve a ti te lo lanzo
Una poeta inocente yo soy
Cierra la puerta dejame en paz Gracias por todo por tu bendición Dejala
suelta la
Vete ya
No regreses nunca mas
Por que todo lo que esta pasando ya me lo sabia
Cada vez que nos peleábamos yo te lo decía
Me dolía si te dolía y por eso yo me iba Dices que fue mi culpa por dejarte por otra
Inventas mas cosas para no quedar como una loca
Mientes cuando le hablas de mi entre dientes
No se que versión le estarás dando a la gente
Estas haciendo lo que yo siempre quise que hicieras
Viendo sin querer su perfil infeliz tal vez aburrida pero ojala contenta
Yo no tengo la necesidad de demostrar mi felicidad con alguien mas
Y mucho menos reírme tan finjido como la vecina de atrás
El amor es ciego ahora lo entiendo después de mucho tiempo
Que tu eres la protagonista y yo la mala de tu cuento
Tu para mi eres campanita de peter pan y mi wendy me deja volara mas allá de nunca jamas
Si aquella amistad que me regalo alas para poder volar
La que borro mis discusiones de mi cabeza
Y me regala infinita paz
Joder todo fue una mentira para sacarme la sopa
Dedujo tus mentiras prestándole a él mi ropa
Pero soy yo tan idiota que perdona y aunque este muy rota
Ojalá y no discutas y dufrutes la vida con esta persona
Mi ansiedad se va desvaneciendo poco a poco
Así como también desapareces de mis ojos
Ya no te amaba como novia por que siempre quisiste un novio
Pero te amo como la culpable de mi insomnio
Me enamore de una buga que siempre me decía que yo tenia la culpa
Y que me arrebató él corazón para no ponerlo sobre mi tumba
Pero alguien me lo robo que sabe como la vida se disfruta
Ojala te interrumpa cuando a él se la pongas dura
Espero que no cometas los mismos errores con él
Aprendas a escuchar, y confiar y nunca pienses que te es infiel
Como conmigo de tus caprichos y por cuatro años soporte
Que no le saques su bilis como la bilis que te vomite
Fueron cuatro años y cuatro hojas de esta pobre canción
Lastima que no pudimos mejorar esta pobre relación
La musa de mis canciones basta ya las últimas grabaciones
Quise tatuar tu nombre en él cielo
Pero la luna me vómito tu nombre
La luna me vomito tu nombre
La luna me vomito tu nombre
Ahora le puedes dedicar la luna a alguien mas
Pues es que para mi te quedas atrás.
The lyrics of Alex Cuba's song Tu Nombre are expressive and intense, describing the struggle of trying to forget an ex-lover. The singer is trying to move on from the relationship and the pain it has caused, but finds that the more they try to forget, the more anxiety they experience. The lyrics are filled with contradictory emotions, as the singer wants to forget their ex-lover but also hopes that they remember them. There is a sense of desperation as the singer tries to find ways to cope with the pain, including using drugs and hoping for a rebound relationship. There is also a sense of anger towards their ex-lover, blaming them for the end of the relationship and feeling betrayed by their actions.
The song is a portrait of a relationship that has ended badly, leaving the singer with feelings of heartbreak and vulnerability. The lyrics are raw and emotional, capturing the pain of a broken heart in a powerful way. The use of imagery, such as the clavo (nail) that feels stuck in the singer's eyelids, adds to the overall intensity of the song. The use of repetition, especially the line "La luna me vomito tu nombre" (The moon vomits your name), reinforces the idea of being haunted by the memory of the ex-lover.
Overall, Tu Nombre is a deeply personal and moving song that speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and the struggle to move on from a failed relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Hay tanto que decir para que mi cabeza ya no se acuerde de ti
There is so much to say so that my mind no longer remembers you
Entre mas quiero olvidarte mas la ansiedad hace que me parte
The more I try to forget you, the more anxiety tears me apart
Todavía no asimilo que ya no estas aquí
I still can't grasp that you are no longer here
Pero aun así te acordaras de mi cuando tengas cocaína en la nariz
But still, you will remember me when you have cocaine in your nose
Entre mas quiero escribir menos puedo seguir
The more I try to write, the less I can continue
Pero se que deshagandome de esta manera podre por fin salir
But I know that by unraveling myself in this way, I will finally be able to break free
La marihuana me tienta para no seguir enferma
Marijuana tempts me to not continue feeling sick
Pero eso no me pondrá mucho mas contenta
But that won't make me much happier
Como me gustaría ya no sentir nada por ella
How I wish I didn't feel anything for her anymore
Y al cerrar los ojos entre mis párpados ya no aparezca
And when I close my eyes, she no longer appears between my eyelids
Gritarle a todo él mundo que por fin saliste de mi cabeza
Shouting to the whole world that you finally left my mind
Pensarte encima suyo y me digas con gemidos vamos no te detengas
Imagining you on top of someone else and they say to me with moans, let's not stop
Que me sueltes de las manos y besar por fin otros labios
To let go of my hands and finally kiss other lips
Te siento como un clavo clavada entre mis párpados
I feel you like a nail stuck between my eyelids
Decirle a los cuervos que tengo una mujer atravesada en la garganta
To tell the crows that I have a woman stuck in my throat
Y que él insomnio sea un juego donde no exista ninguna batalla
And that insomnia becomes a game where there is no battle
Te pido que me arranques los malditos ojos
I ask you to rip out my damn eyes
Por que ya no aguanto llorar mas en sus hombros
Because I can't stand crying on their shoulders anymore
Se que sueñas conmigo estando con otro
I know you dream of me while being with someone else
Y al despertar me olvides haciéndote osio
And when you wake up, you forget about me by making yourself busy
Di me como le haces para olvidarme
Tell me how you manage to forget me
Conviertes por amor al odio a por amor al arte
You turn from love to hate for the sake of art
Me contradigo cuando me digo que no siento nada cuando te veo
I contradict myself when I say I don't feel anything when I see you
Que por mi culpa ya no me quieres y quieres a tu Romeo
That because of me, you no longer love me and want your Romeo
Pero aveces te pasas con una que otra botella
But sometimes you go overboard with a few bottles
Y es tan injusto para ella follarme estando peda
And it's so unfair for her to have sex with me while drunk
Me cansa que le hable de ti por que ella siempre me quiso
It tires me out that she talks to me about you because she always loved me
Y se pone barreras por que sabe que todavía no te olvido
And she puts up barriers because she knows I still haven't forgotten you
Me entiende de la manera que siempre quise que me entendieras
She understands me in the way I always wanted you to understand me
Pero no voy a estar comprando y dejando esto a medias
But I won't keep buying and leaving this unfinished
Llegue a sentir algo diferente cuando me tratabas indiferente
I started feeling something different when you treated me with indifference
Esa indiferencia que sentí estando mi lengua entre sus piernas
That indifference I felt with my tongue between her legs
Ojalá sientas esa diferencia estando con él
I hope you feel that difference when you're with him
Para que cuando me vaya tu te tengas que volver
So that when I leave, you will have to come back
Se que yo era la primera que te buscaba
I know I was the first one who sought you out
Pero ya no voy a perder mas tiempo sobre mi almohada
But I won't waste any more time on my pillow
Y cada que me estas madrugadas en mi cama y tu dormida en otra almohada despertar de golpe diciendo tu nombre
And every time you wake me up in the middle of the night in my bed, while you sleep on another pillow, shouting your name
Mi corazón vuelve a ti te lo lanzo
My heart returns to you, I throw it to you
Una poeta inocente yo soy
I am an innocent poet
Cierra la puerta dejame en paz
Close the door, leave me in peace
Gracias por todo por tu bendición
Thank you for everything, for your blessing
Dejala
Leave her
Suelta la
Let go
Vete ya
Go away now
No regreses nunca mas
Never come back again
Por que todo lo que esta pasando ya me lo sabia
Because I already knew everything that is happening
Cada vez que nos peleábamos yo te lo decía
Every time we fought, I told you this
Me dolía si te dolía y por eso yo me iba
It hurt me if it hurt you, and that's why I left
Dices que fue mi culpa por dejarte por otra
You say it was my fault for leaving you for someone else
Inventas mas cosas para no quedar como una loca
You invent more things to not seem like a crazy person
Mientes cuando le hablas de mi entre dientes
You lie when you talk about me under your breath
No se que versión le estarás dando a la gente
I don't know what version you're giving people
Estas haciendo lo que yo siempre quise que hicieras
You're doing what I always wanted you to do
Viendo sin querer su perfil infeliz tal vez aburrida pero ojala contenta
Seeing her unhappy profile unintentionally, maybe bored but hopefully content
Yo no tengo la necesidad de demostrar mi felicidad con alguien mas
I don't have the need to prove my happiness with someone else
Y mucho menos reírme tan finjido como la vecina de atrás
And much less fake laugh like the neighbor behind
El amor es ciego ahora lo entiendo después de mucho tiempo
Love is blind, now I understand after a long time
Que tu eres la protagonista y yo la mala de tu cuento
That you are the artist and I am the villain of your story
Tu para mi eres campanita de peter pan y mi wendy me deja volara mas allá de nunca jamas
To me, you are Peter Pan's Tinkerbell, and my Wendy lets me fly beyond Neverland
Si aquella amistad que me regalo alas para poder volar
If that friendship gave me wings to be able to fly
La que borro mis discusiones de mi cabeza
The one that erased my arguments from my mind
Y me regala infinita paz
And gives me infinite peace
Joder todo fue una mentira para sacarme la sopa
Damn, it was all a lie to get information out of me
Dedujo tus mentiras prestándole a él mi ropa
He deduced your lies by lending him my clothes
Pero soy yo tan idiota que perdona y aunque este muy rota
But I'm such an idiot that I forgive, even though I am very broken
Ojalá y no discutas y dufrutes la vida con esta persona
I hope you don't argue and enjoy life with this person
Mi ansiedad se va desvaneciendo poco a poco
My anxiety is slowly fading away
Así como también desapareces de mis ojos
Just like you also disappear from my eyes
Ya no te amaba como novia por que siempre quisiste un novio
I no longer loved you as a girlfriend because you always wanted a boyfriend
Pero te amo como la culpable de mi insomnio
But I love you as the one responsible for my insomnia
Me enamore de una buga que siempre me decía que yo tenia la culpa
I fell in love with a stubborn person who always told me it was my fault
Y que me arrebató él corazón para no ponerlo sobre mi tumba
And who snatched my heart away so it wouldn't be placed on my tomb
Pero alguien me lo robo que sabe como la vida se disfruta
But someone stole it from me who knows how to enjoy life
Ojala te interrumpa cuando a él se la pongas dura
I hope I interrupt you when you get intimate with him
Espero que no cometas los mismos errores con él
I hope you don't make the same mistakes with him
Aprendas a escuchar, y confiar y nunca pienses que te es infiel
Learn to listen and trust, and never think he is unfaithful
Como conmigo de tus caprichos y por cuatro años soporte
Like how I endured your whims and supported you for four years
Que no le saques su bilis como la bilis que te vomite
Don't bring out his bile like the bile I vomited towards you
Fueron cuatro años y cuatro hojas de esta pobre canción
It was four years and four sheets of this poor song
Lastima que no pudimos mejorar esta pobre relación
Too bad we couldn't improve this poor relationship
La musa de mis canciones basta ya las últimas grabaciones
The muse of my songs, that's enough, the latest recordings
Quise tatuar tu nombre en él cielo
I wanted to tattoo your name in the sky
Pero la luna me vómito tu nombre
But the moon vomited your name at me
La luna me vomito tu nombre
The moon vomited your name at me
La luna me vomito tu nombre
The moon vomited your name at me
Ahora le puedes dedicar la luna a alguien mas
Now you can dedicate the moon to someone else
Pues es que para mi te quedas atrás
Because for me, you stay behind
Contributed by Aubrey R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.