Addy's Mercedes
Addys Mercedes , formerly also: Addys D'Mercedes (* 1973 in Moa , Cuba ) is a Cuban singer and songwriter who specializes in pop and world music and lives in Germany .
Life
Addys was born in the eastern Cuban town of Moa and began singing at an early age. At the age of 10, her repertoire ranged from Son Cubano , Filín and Boleros , Mexican rancheras to American pop songs. The music school's guitar teacher took a liking to Addy's voice and rehearsed a duo with her, with which they performed frequently.
At the age of 15 she began performing with the professional band Timbre Latino . After a short time she was poached by the more successful band Los Neiras . In addition, she performed regularly on weekends in Moa on a disused old ferry (La Patana). After a short time, the concerts became a popular meeting place for young Cubans as well as international students and guest workers from Russia and various African countries who came to Moa because of the nickel factory. In the song "Ahí" (there) on her fourth album Locomotora a Cuba, Addys Mercedes tells of the experiences at her first regular gig and the encounter with an international audience.
At the age of 18 she became part of a newly formed band that had an engagement in the tourist center of Playa Guardalavaca . During the periodo especial , when food was scarce, this was the gig all musicians dreamed of. She lived in the tourist center and was completely fed, so that she could provide her whole family with fees and tips. Musically it was also a new experience, as the band also played pop and rock in addition to Cuban music and sang for the first time in front of a western audience away from their homeland. In 1993 Addys was invited to wintry Gelsenkirchen in Germany. In a short time she learned German. She regularly flew to Cuba to quench her homesickness, but at the same time absorbed many of the influences of her new home. She sang traditional Cuban music in a trio, but over the years she increasingly lost the desire to use a cliché in Germany with Cuban cover songs.
In 1998 she moved to Düsseldorf and together with Cae Davis began to produce the first solo album with her own songs, Mundo Nuevo , which she recorded mostly in Havana with musician friends from her hometown. Guest was among others Raúl Planas . Mundo Nuevo was released on the Media Luna record label in 2001 and received considerable media coverage with extensive reviews. TV recordings and interviews took place in Germany at the Leverkusener Jazztage , the ZDF TV garden , the Hanse Sail , the current show booth , the Bardentreffen and the Popkomm, among others .
In 2003 her second album Nomad (Media Luna / Sony) was released, which was recorded between Germany and Barcelona and combines her Cuban roots with elements of rock, rhythm and blues , house , flamenco and hip-hop . She toured 16 European countries with her own band, including Eric Clapton , Bob Geldof , Mike Rutherford , Gary Brooker and Tito Nieves . Singles and video clips appeared for the songs Mundo Nuevo , Gitana Loca and Esa Voz . In addition to her albums produced by Cae Davis , her label Media Luna includes numerous remixes by DJs such as Andry Nalin ( Afro D'Mercedes ), Ramon Zenker ( Cha Ka Cha ), Tony Brown ( Mundo Nuevo ), Guido Craveiro ( Cry It Out ) or 4tune Twins ( Oye Colombia ) released. From 2005 to 2010 she commuted between Germany and the Canary Island of Tenerife . Addys also gave numerous television interviews and concerts in Spain, including at Antena 3 and MTV .
Addys has lived in Essen since 2011 . In 2011 her single Sabado Roto was released from the third album Addys , which was produced by Pomez di Lorenzo ( Sasha , Dick Brave ) and her co-author Cae Davis. Sabado Roto reached u. a. 1st place in the WDR 2 listener charts. In 2012, the third album named after her, Addys, was released .
Addys Mercedes has been touring with her family band since 2001 with her daughter Lia (violin, piano, keyboards, percussion), her partner Cae Davis (bass, guitar, cajon) and the "adoptive uncle" Pomez di Lorenzo (guitar, tres, ukulele ) accompanied. Addys Mercedes also plays guitar, bass and cajón, and Cuban percussion instruments such as maracas , güiro and claves . She tours mainly through concert halls, theaters and festivals in u. a. Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, she moderates her historically rich songs for a non-linguistic audience in Spanish as well as in English or German.
Her daughter Lia (* 2000) has been studying classical violin at the Folkwang University of the Arts since 2011 , with Professor Mintcho Mintchev, Roeland Gehlen and Johannes Heidt. During the touring with her mother, she was released from regular classes at the grammar school and initially taught by the Hessian "School for Children Professional Travelers". When she entered the upper school in summer 2014, Lia was taught by departmental teachers during travel times. Outside of the tour periods, she attends a regular grammar school with a reduced timetable to partially compensate for the time required for her early studies.
In September 2014, the 4th studio album Locomotora a Cuba was released, which was nominated for the German Record Critics' Prize and - although only partially attributable to this genre - reached number 13 in the "World Music Charts Europe". The pre- single Rompe el Caracol (come from your snail shell) was released in May 2014 . The accompanying video was made on the Kubatournee in winter 2013/14 and was selected as video of the month by the music magazine Soundcheck . Rompe el Caracol was the only completely Spanish original song to climb into the Top 100 of the German airplay charts (# 90) and came in at number 20 in the German mainstream charts. The song "Nada" was the second single from the album after Rompe el Caracol and in March 2015 reached number 133 in the German airplay charts. The video clip was shot mainly during a concert break in orange groves on Mallorca.
The new summer single Too Hot for Revolution is announced for release on June 5, 2015. After the last, purely Spanish-language albums, Addys Mercedes sings here in both English and Spanish. The text is about the omnipresence of the revolution in everyday Cuban life, although it has been history for half a century. In interviews and on her Facebook page, she expressly welcomes the plans to re-establish diplomatic relations between Cuba and the USA and commented on a photo with "Obama / Castro ya va siendo tiempo ... it was about time". The construction of a bridge between Cuba and the rest of the world is also a central theme of the album title song Locomotora a Cuba , which is about a fictional locomotive that can cross the sea and thus contributes to a cultural exchange.
Discography
Albums
- Mundo Nuevo (2001 Media Luna)
- Nomad (2003 Media Luna)
- Addys (2012 Media Luna)
- Locomotora a Cuba (2014 Media Luna)
- Extraña (2016 Media Luna)
Singles
- Mundo Nuevo (2001 Media Luna)
- Gitana Loca (2005 Media Luna)
- Esa Voz (2005 Media Luna)
- Sabado Roto (2011 Media Luna)
- Hollywood (2012 Media Luna)
- Gigolo (2012 Media Luna)
- Rompe el Caracol (2014 Media Luna) # 90 German Airplaycharts
- Nada (2015 Media Luna) # 133 German Airplaycharts
- Too Hot for Revolution (released June 5, 2015 Media Luna)
Web links
- Official website
- Video clip Rompe el Caracol
- Video clip Nada
- Addys Mercedes live Jazzfestival Viersen 2014 WDR
- Addys Mercedes Facebook
- Single Addys Mercedes - Too Hot for Revolution - Summer 2015
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mercedes, Addys |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | D'Mercedes, Addys |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Cuban singer and songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1973 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Moa (Cuba) |