Kelvis Ochoa (born 1970) is a

Cuban Cuban or Cubans may refer to: Related to Cuba * of or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban Americ ...

singer, songwriter, and composer. He co-composed the original soundtrack for the film

Habana Blues ''Havana Blues'' (''Habana Blues'') is a 2005 Spanish- Cuban film directed and co-written by Benito Zambrano which tells the story of two young musicians in Cuba. The film revolves around their music and contains criticism of problems in Cuba su ...

and is a member of the Cuban band Habana Abierta.

History

Childhood

Ochoa was born in Las Tunas, Cuba, in 1970. At the age of 3, he moved with his parents to

Isla de la Juventud Isla de la Juventud (; ) is the second-largest Cuban island (after Cuba's mainland) and the seventh-largest island in the West Indies (after mainland Cuba itself, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and Andros Island). The island was ...

('Isle of Youth'), where he was raised. The island is located approximately 100 kilometers south of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

tunes with friends in the streets and made his stage debut at the age of 14, singing a song by Cuban Sucu Sucu musician Mongo Rives at an inter-school festival. He later took guitar lessons and began writing poetry and songs.

Musical style

Ochoa's hometown,

, is known as the birthplace of Sucu Sucu: a musical tradition characterized by a soloist improvising in response to a repeated chorus, accompanied by various instruments. Kelvis Ochoa blends traditional Cuban rhythms such as Sucu Sucu, Cha Cha Cha, Macuta, and

Songo Songo may refer to: * Songo music, a type of contemporary Cuban music originating in Havana * Songo people, of northern Angola * Songo-salsa, a style of music that blends Spanish rapping and hip hop beats with salsa music and songo * Songo.mn, an ...

with modern genres, including

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

, and international

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

Career

After moving to

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Pável Urkiza, a member of the duo ' Gema y Pavel,' who produced Ochoa's contributions to "Habana Oculta", a July 1996 compilation of Cuban artists released on the Madrid-based Nubenegra label. This record led to the creation of the band Habana Abierta. The group released the album Havana Abierta under the Spanish label

BMG Ariola Ariola (also known as Ariola Records, Ariola Express, Ariola-Eurodisc and BMG Ariola) is a German record label. In the late 1980s, it was a subsidiary label of the Bertelsmann Music Group, which in turn has become a part of the international ...

. Habana Abierta gained popularity in Spain, selling out concerts in the 1990s, and performed in Cuba at La Tropical in 2003. A documentary about the band was directed by

Jorge Perugorría Jorge Perugorría Rodríguez (aka "Pichi," born 13 August 1965) is a Cuban actor, film director and painter. He is well known for his part as Diego in '' Strawberry and Chocolate'' (original title in Spanish ''Fresa y chocolate'' (co-directed ...

and Arturo Soto. Ochoa also released the solo album ''Kelvis'' with BMG Ariola in 2001. In 2009, he collaborated with fellow Cuban musician

Descemer Bueno Descemer Bueno (born July 5, 1971) is a Cuban singer, songwriter, and record producer. His first professional gigs were playing bass with Cuban troubadour Santiago Feliú. Early career Bueno studied music and became a music teacher before form ...

on the album ''Amor y Música,'' which was produced and co-written by Bueno and released on Cuba's

EGREM EGREM (Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicales, Spanish for ''Enterprise of Recordings and Musical Editions'') is the national record label of Cuba. It is headquartered in Centro Habana, where its main record studios (''Estudios Areito'' 101 ...

label. Ochoa and Bueno won the 2006 Goya Award and the 2006 Premio de la Musica for best movie soundtrack for Havana Blues. In 2013-14, Swiss filmmaker Beat Borter directed a documentary titled ''Yo sé de un lugar - Música y vida de Kelvis Ochoa'' ''(I Know of a Place - The Music and Life of Kelvis Ochoa).''

Awards

* 2006: Premio de la Musica for best movie soundtrack for Habana Blues (Madrid, Spain). * 2006: Goya Award for best movie soundtrack for Habana Blues (Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España).

Discography

* 1996: Habana Oculta (compilation, BMG Ariola). * 1997: Habana Abierta (with Habana Abierta, BMG Ariola). * 1999: 24 Horas (with Habana Abierta, BMG Ariola). * 1999: La Isla. * 2001: Kelvis (BMG Ariola). * 2005: Boomerang (with Habana Abierta). * 2008: Amor Y Musica (EGREM). * 2014: Dolor con amor se cura (BIS). * 2018: Calle Amores (Universal). * 2021: 50 Grados (BisMusic).

References

External links

Myspace page
*
Para Dar A Luz by Kelvis Ochoa Y 4 Gatos
on Yahoo

"Havana, Havana!"

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

TV documentary series, July 27, 2012. Interview with Kelvis Ochoa. * http://vimeo.com/100750847 Trailer "Yo sé de un lugar - Música y vida de Kelvis Ochoa". Documentary. Switzerland/Cuba 2014, 97' {{DEFAULTSORT:Ochoa, Kelvis 1970 births Cuban musicians Living people