Guillot and her family moved to Ciudad Havana when she was a small child. As a teenager, she and her sister, Ana Luisa, performed as a duo, named the "Duo Hermanitas Guillot".
It wasn't until 1945 that her talent as a bolero singer would be discovered, when Facundo Rivero, an influential man in the Cuban music industry of the era, heard her sing for the first time, and helped her make her professional singing debut, at a famous Havana night club. Soon after, Guillot met Miguelito Valdes, who took her to New York city, where Guillot was able to record her first album, with the Decca label.
Guillot traveled to Mexico in 1948. There, she established herself as an international singer and actress, participating in various films and making her second album. In Mexico, Guillot began to enjoy much popularity for the first time in her career.
In 1954, she recorded her song "Mienteme" ("Lie to Me"), which became a hit across Latin America, and earned her three consecutive awards back home in Cuba as Cuba's best female singer.
1958 proved to be an important year for Guillot, as she toured Europe for the first time, including stops in Italy, France, Spain and Germany. She sang alongside the equally legendary Édith Piaf during a concert held in Cannes.
Olga Guillot kept a house in Cuba as she traveled around the world with her music, apart from her house in Mexico. But Guillot opposed Fidel Castro's Government, and, in 1961, she decided to leave Cuba for good and establish herself in Venezuela. Not long after that, she left Venezuela, making Mexico her only permanent residence country.
Meanwhile, she kept touring around the world, singing in places such as Israel, Japan, Hong Kong and many others. In 1963, Guillot was given the Golden Palm award as "best bolero singer of Latin America". She received the award in Hollywood, California. Guillot sang in 1964 at New York's famed Carnegie Hall.
Guillot continued on touring for the next forty years, releasing over fifty albums and winning numerous awards for her activity in the music world. She was very good friends with Celia Cruz, to whom she often referred to as "(her) sister". When Cruz died from cancer, Guillot was one of the most affected persons in the show business world.
Her albums and music are prohibited in Cuba. Guillot remained a quiet, but strong critic of Castro and his policies towards Cuban residents.
Guillot lived mainly in Mexico and had another home on Miami Beach, Florida.
On July 12, 2010, she died of an infarction at the age of 87 in the city of Miami Beach. She is survived by one daughter, Olga Maria Touzet-Guillot, born from her relationship with pianist and composer, René Touzet.
Voy
Olga Guillot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Con agua bendita
para lavar los besos
que una vez me diera
tu boca maldita
Voy a ponerme en los ojos
un hierro candente
que volver a verte
Voy a tratar de olvidar
que una vez fuiste mío
Voy con mi sueño
a matar el amor
de mi vida.
Voy a mojarme los labios
con agua bendita
para lavar los besos
que una vez me diera
tu boca maldita
Voy a tratar de olvidar
que una vez fuiste mío
Voy con mi sueño
a matar el amor
de mi vida.
Voy a mojarme los labios
con agua bendita
para lavar los besos
que una vez me diera
tu boca maldita
The lyrics to Olga Guillot's song "Voy" describe a woman's determination to move on from a toxic relationship. She begins by saying she will wash away the kisses she received from her former partner's "cursed mouth" with holy water. Then, she declares that she would rather burn her eyes and be blind than ever see him again. She is going to try to forget that he was ever hers and focus on killing her love for him with the power of her dreams.
These lyrics paint a picture of a woman who has been hurt deeply by someone she once loved. She is willing to take drastic measures to rid herself of the memories and pain he has inflicted upon her. The use of religious imagery, like the holy water and "cursed mouth," adds to the song's emotional intensity. It's clear from the lyrics that the pain caused by this past relationship is not something the woman will easily forget, but she is committed to moving forward and healing.
Line by Line Meaning
Voy a mojarme los labios
I am going to wet my lips
Con agua bendita
With holy water
para lavar los besos
To wash away the kisses
que una vez me diera
That your cursed mouth once gave me
tu boca maldita
Your wicked mouth
Voy a ponerme en los ojos
I am going to put in my eyes
un hierro candente
A red-hot iron
pués mil veces prefiero estar ciega
Because I would rather be blind a thousand times
que volver a verte
Than to see you again
Voy a tratar de olvidar
I am going to try to forget
que una vez fuiste mío
That once you were mine
Voy con mi sueño
I am going with my dream
a matar el amor
To kill the love
de mi vida.
Of my life.
Writer(s): Luis Demetrio Traconis Molina
Contributed by Grayson K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@javieremilio1902
Qué maravilloso es escuchar cantar y ver, a Olga Guillot! Es tan triste, cuándo estás estrellas parten hacía la eternidad, y ya no las podemos volver a ver. Música sana, romántica y hermosa, cuándo hoy vivimos el peor momento de la música, dónde se premia la mediocridad, y la vulgaridad. Siempre vivirás en mi corazón, Olguita de Cuba! 🇵🇷 🇨🇺
@ninapena2945
una vez más está intérprete cubana dejó bien claro que solamente había una reina del bolero con nombre y apellido Olga Guillot en estos tiempos tendría como 55 años o un poquito más y la voz la tenía impecable bellísima bellísima interpretación
@manuelguerrero1435
La mejor interprete del bolero, la mas grande del bolero. Incomparable. La grandisima Olga Guillot.
@fredyalfonsope
Que boleraso, que fuerza, que voz, que letra, esto es lo que hace que la vida valga la pena. Olga Guillot, tu nunca partiras, estaras aca por siempre.
@VILJL
El 9 de octubre del 2023 se cumplio el centenario del nacimiento en Santiago de Cuba de Olga Guillot, para muchos la mejor cantante de boleros que ha dado Hispanoamérica.
Multipremiada, querida, respetada y con la voz en forma hasta sus últimos días, Olga Guillot murió en Miami, a los 87 años, el 12 de julio de 2010. Cuando ya se sentia cerca del fin, dijo que el mayor dolor que llevaba en su alma era no ver a Cuba libre y poder regresar a cantar en ella.
@felipecrliz
Seguimos escuchándola, vibrando nuestros corazones y acá en pleno 2021, una voz INMORTAL! Dios la tenga en su Reino!
@trucoalaspardasalaspardas30
Que pena que ya no existan estos artistas! Impresionante!
@carlosvillelva9363
No hay duda alguna una diosa del bolero la señora olga guillot x sienpre ....
@anamariaarocasperez1073
Me emocionan sus canciones y su fuerza vital cuando las interpreta
@Latino1630
Y claro que sigue viva, Olga Guillot de Cuba y América es única. Ya está en el Olimpo de los Inmortales de la Música Latino Americana. Un gran aplauso desde Lima Perú.