About this Artist
ALBITA began her professional career at fifteen in her native Cuba. Since the beginning, her goal was to renew the traditional forms of Cuban music; with this concept, she started composing and singing her originals in a unique way.
Hew first album, Habrá Música Guajira (1988), includes 10 songs of her own, and in all of them the research and fusion that would characterize her future works is obvious. In April of 1993, she defected to the United States, settling in Miami. Very soon the media and famous names began attending her shows at a venue in Little Havana –Quincy Jones, Madonna, Angelica Houston, Oprah Winfrey, Rosie O’Donnell, Liza Minelli, and the late Gianni Versace, among others. Emilio and Gloria Estefan also became fans and signed her to their label, Crescent Moon. In 1995, her debut album for the United States was released, No se parece a Nada. The album quickly sold over 100,000 copies and was nominated to win “Lo Nuestro” Award of Latin Music.
In September 1996 her second album on the Crescent Moon label, Dicen Que…, was released. In this recording, she showcases mainly her originals in a variety of Cuban styles. Most of the album was recorded live in the studio in one take with no sequencing or technology. At the 39th edition of the Grammy Awards, Dicen Que… was nominated as Best Tropical Music Album and won a Billboard award for Tropical Album of the Year. Albita performed at Bill Clinton’s inaugural ball, at the Herencia Hispana Awards, and at sold-out concerts through the United States.
1997 was the year of Una Mujer Como Yo. A new nomination for the Grammys and a new inclusion at the “Lo Nuestro” Awards were the result of this production. Albita was featured in the festivities for the 50th anniversary of Quincy Jones’ career, together with stars like Gloria Estefan, Stevie Wonder, and Nancy Wilson, also attending the “Herencia Latina” Awards and once again touring different countries. Her music has been included in the soundtrack of films such as Mascaró from Venezuela, Café con Leche, The Specialist, and Dance with Me.