Daymé Arocena (born January 1992) is an Afro-Cuban jazz singer from Havana, who has been described as Cuba's "finest young female singer." She won the 2015 Juno Award for the best jazz album, as a member of the jazz band Maqueque performing with Canadian musician Jane Bunnett.
Arocena is on National Public Radio's (NPR) list of 50 favourite albums of 2015, with the album Nueva Era. Describing Arocena's voice, NPR host Felix Contreras called her "a cross between Celia Cruz and Aretha Franklin," saying that Arocena's name "deserve to be alongside those two legendary voices."
Arocena began performing semi-professionally when she was eight years old; at the age of 14, she became the lead singer of the band Los Primos. She is considered a musical prodigy, and is a trained composer, arranger, choir director, and band leader, in addition to being a singer.
Arocena is a strong believer in Santeria, an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba principles; to mark her faith, she frequently performs wearing a turban and dressed in white.
Discography
- Studio Albums
- Nueva Era (2015)
- One Takes (2016)
- Cubafonía (2017)
- Sonocardiogram (2019)
- Alkemi (2024)
References
- Pareles, Jon (23 March 2016). "Review: Daymé Arocena Mixes a Cosmopolitan Vibe With an Earthy Tone". New York Times nytimes.com. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- Brown, August (29 March 2016). "Review Daymé Arocena brings exultant Afro-Cuban rumba to Eagle Rock". LA Times latimes.com. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Dayme Arocena Is The World's Next Jazz Phenomenon". Vibe. 2016-09-29. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
- Denselow, Robin (2017-03-16). "Daymé Arocena: Cubafonia review – Cuba's finest young female singer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
- "Jane Bunnett & Maqueque Win 2015 Juno". latinjazznet.com. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
- ^ "NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums Of 2015". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
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