''Celia'' is a Spanish-language

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar Drama (film and television), drama genres around the w ...

produced by

Fox Telecolombia TIS Productions, commonly known as just TIS and formerly known as The Independent Studios, Estudios TeleMéxico, Fox TeleColombia and TeleColombia, is a Colombian television production company owned by the Paramount Networks Americas division of ...

for

RCN Televisión RCN Televisión, branded as Canal RCN (''Radio Cadena Nacional'') is a Colombian free-to-air television network owned by Organización Ardila Lülle. It was founded as a television production company on March 23, 1967, and officially launched a ...

and

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content ...

which is based on the life of Cuban singer

Celia Cruz Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso (21 October 1925 – 16 July 2003), known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of , earning the nickna ...

. The telenovela's theme " La Negra Tiene Tumbao" received an award for Television Theme Song of the Year, at the 2016 American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Awards.

Plot

''Celia'' tells the story of one of the legends of Latin music and her major international career:

. We know the beginnings of her passion for singing in Cuba starting in 1950, and her recognition as the most decisive singer of La Sonora Matancera. Leaving Cuba with her future husband Pedro Knight, a trumpeter with La Sonora Matancera, the series follows her departure from Cuba to Mexico soon after the Castro revolution took control of the island in 1959. The series then showcases her subsequent move to New York City, and follows her early days there, and then how her career conquered markets in other languages as she became one of the most recognized

Salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

singers of all time. She honored the musical genre with her signature phrase "Azucar" (Sugar). The series showcases her love and longing for her Cuban country, always hoping that a positive change would come during her lifetime. Celia Cruz has become an invaluable legacy in the world in which she was renowned internationally as the "Queen of Salsa", "La Guarachera de Cuba", as well as "The Queen of Latin Music."

Cast

Main

Jeimy Osorio Jeirmarie "Jeimy" Osorio Rivera (born December 22, 1988) is a Puerto Rican actress and singer. Best known for telenovelas: '' Una Maid en Manhattan'', '' Porque el amor manda'', ''Santa Diabla Santa Diabla ( literally: ''Holy Devil'', Engl ...

as Young Celia CruzMusic artist Patricia Padilla would provide vocal voiceover for the eighty songs featured in the soap opera. Padilla remained un-credited for her participation in the soap opera however would be listed in the after credits."¿Quién canta realmente en ‘Celia’, la novela? – Tropicana Bogotá"
. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2017. * Aymée Nuviola as

* Modesto Lacén as Young Pedro Knight * Willy Denton as Pedro Knight *

Carolina Gaitán Carolina del Pilar Gaitán Lozano (born 4 April 1984) is a Colombian actress and singer. She studied at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute in New York and has been awarded two Premios Tu Mundo from Telemundo. She has starred in man ...

as Young Lola Calvo * Abel Rodríguez as Eliécer Calvo * Margoth Velásquez as Ollita Alfonso * Aida Bossa as Young Noris Alfonso *

Luciano D'Alessandro Luciano D'Alessandro González (born January 24, 1977, in Anzoátegui, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan/Colombian actor and model known for his work in various telenovelas. Biography Luciano D'Alessandro was born on January 24, 1977, in the Venezue ...

as Young Alberto Blanco * Jonathan Islas as Young Mario Agüero * Brenda Hanst as Ana Alfonso * José Narváez as René Neira * Alberto Pujol as Rogelio Martínez *

Indhira Serrano Indhira Rosa Serrano Redondo (born 27 January 1976)) is a Colombian actress and model. She has appeared in several telenovelas on Telemundo, including ''La traición (2008 TV series), La Traición'' and ''El Clon''. Selected filmography Fil ...

as Myrelys Bocanegra * Jorge Cárdenas as Caíto * Michel Guillo as Gamaliel "Gamita" Alfonso * Moisés Angulo as Simón Cruz *

Marcela Gallego Marcela Gallego (born October 4, 1971) is a Colombian actress, born in Tunja. Most of her work has been in Colombian telenovelas including '' Celia'', some of which have appeared in the U.S. She is also known for acting in the film '' Satanás''. ...

as Lola Calvo * Ivette Zamora as Noris Alfonso * José Rojas as Alberto Blanco * Mauricio Mauad as Mario Agüero

Recurring

* Carolina Sabino as Myrta Silva * Diana Wiswell as Young Raquel Moreno * Claudia De Hoyos as Raquel Moreno * Carlos Vesga as Billy Echaverría *

Juan Alfonso Baptista Juan Alfonso Baptista Díaz (born 9 September 1976) is a Venezuelan-Colombian actor and model best known for his roles in '' Gata Salvaje'', ''Pasión de Gavilanes'' and ''La Mujer En El Espejo''. Biography Juan Alfonso Baptista attended elemen ...

as Ramón Cabrera * Félix Antequera as Commander Fidel * Luis Gerado Lopez as Commander Lilo Candela * Mauricio Mejía as Commander Juan *

Mijail Mulkay Mijail Mulkay Bordon (born April 20, 1974 in Cuba) is a Cuban actor. Television * CELIA: La vida de Celia Cruz - Tico Fuentes (Tito Puente) (2015) *Voltea pa' que te Enamores - Mateo (2014) * En otra piel - Soler Hernández (2014) *'' Cosita ...

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music. He was also k ...

* Bárbaro Marín as Rolando Laserie * Laura Peñuela as Rita Laserie * Andrés Echavarria as Larry Harlow * Jean Phillipe Laurent as Jerry Masucci * Luis Eduardo Arango as

Johnny Pacheco Juan Pablo Knipping Pacheco (25 March 1935 – 15 February 2021), known as Johnny Pacheco, was a Dominican musician, arranger, composer, bandleader, and record producer. Born in the Dominican Republic, Pacheco became a leading figure in the New ...

* Victor Gómez as Willie Colon * Andy Caicedo as Oscarito * Ariel Díaz as

Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on ...

* Adrián Makalá as Ralphi Note(s)

Broadcast and audience

The series originally aired from 5 October 2015 to 5 February 2016 in Colombia on

. The series aired on

from 13 October 2015 until 8 February 2016. In

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, the series premiered with 13.3 of rating, exceeding the program '' La Voz Kids Colombia''. His final chapter by

Caracol Televisión Caracol Televisión () (known as Caracol and previously as Canal Caracol) is a Colombian free-to-air television network owned by Caracol Medios, a unit of Grupo Valorem. It is one of the leading private TV networks in Colombia, alongside Canal ...

only got a total of 8.3 rating. In the United States the series debuted with 2.38 million viewers.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
''Celia'' official website on Telemundo

''Celia'' official website on RCN Televisión
{{RCN Telenovelas Spanish-language telenovelas Telemundo telenovelas Spanish-language American telenovelas RCN Televisión telenovelas 2015 Colombian television series debuts 2015 American television series debuts 2015 telenovelas 2016 Colombian television series endings 2016 American television series endings Television series based on singers and musicians Television shows set in Bogotá Television shows set in Cartagena, Colombia