Liset Alea is the stage name of Lissette Gonzalez-Alea, a Cuban-born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who lives in Paris, best known as a solo artist and lead singer in
Nouvelle Vague
The New Wave (, ), also called the French New Wave, is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of i ...
Miami New Times
The ''Miami New Times'' is a newspaper published in Miami, Florida, United States, and distributed every Thursday. It primarily serves the Miami metropolitan area, and is headquartered in Miami's Wynwood Art District.
Overview
It was acquired ...
'', November 11, 2010. Soon after, she left the band to pursue a solo career. Her debut LP, ''No Sleep'', was released in multiple European territories on
EMI
EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
in 2005. Around that time, she also began writing songs for other artists, including "Catfight," a single from
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
’s ''
Star Academy
''Star Academy'' is a Dutch-developed reality television talent show format that first aired in the Netherlands as '':nl:Starmaker (televisieprogramma), Star Maker''.
Format
There are many versions of the show, each country having its own sl ...
'' winner Katerine’s 2005 debut. She later co-wrote "Il Futuro Che Sara" for Chiara Galiazzo, which was in competition at the 2013 Sanremo Music Festival in Italy.
In 2010, Alea independently wrote and co-produced a Spanish-language album, ''Sin Cera''. It has not been released.
Nouvelle Vague
In 2008, Alea met Marc Collin, the founder of
Nouvelle Vague
The New Wave (, ), also called the French New Wave, is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of i ...
. She opened for the group in Miami, and officially joined them as a lead singer in 2009. She sings a cover of the
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...
song "Athol Brose" on Nouvelle Vague's 2016 album ''I Could Be Happy''. After 8 years of touring with the band, she left the group in 2017.
Music in television
While residing in Paris, Alea began collaborating with French DJ Alexkid, appearing on his 2003 album ''Mint''. In 2009, Alea, Alexkid and French producer/DJ Rodriguez Jr formed the Honeythieves. The trio's song "Reminder" was in 2009 episodes of ''
Entourage
An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...
RAC
RAC or Rac may refer to:
Organizations
* Radio Amateurs of Canada
* RATCH-Australia Corporation, electricity generator
* Refugee Action Collective (Victoria), Melbourne, Australia
* Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, US
* Rent-A-Cent ...
“Ceremony," a multimedia "costume show turned concert" created and directed by French fashion designer
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac
Jean-Charles, marquis de Castelbajac (born 28 November 1949), also known as JC/DC, is a French fashion designer. He has enjoyed international success with some of his creations, including a coat of teddy bears worn by pop star Madonna and by su ...
, was based on Nouvelle Vague's repertoire. Alea participated in all live performances of the musical, including presentations of the show at the 2011 digital arts festival Exit at the MAC Creteil art center in Los Angeles,Devorah Lauter “Cultural Exchange: A French fashion designer launches a rock musical,” ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the State media, state-owned international radio news network of France. With 59.5 million listeners in 2022, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world ...
, March 23, 2011. She has toured the world with Nouvelle Vague, including North America, Europe, Russia and South Africa.“Varied Notes,” '' The Sunday Independent'' (South Africa), April 8, 2012. She has done a European tour with Alexkid in support of the release of ''Mint'', a tour supporting Sananda Maitreya (formerly known as
Terence Trent D'Arby
Sananda Francesco Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard; March 15, 1962), who started his career with the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, '' Introducing the Hard ...
), and performed with
Raul Paz
Raul, Raúl, Raül, and Raüll are forms of a common first name in Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Galician, Asturian, Basque, Aragonese, and Catalan. The name is cognate of the Anglo-Germanic given name Ralph or Rudolph and the French R ...
.Karl Avanzini “Pan-American Pop,” ''Playback'', September 3, 2010. She shared the stage with
Juanes
Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez (born 9 August 1972), known professionally as Juanes, is a Colombian musician who was a member of the Rock music, rock band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. Since releasing his solo debut album ''Fíjate B ...
at the 2009
Paz Sin Fronteras II
Paz sin Fronteras (Peace without Borders) refers to a series of free outdoor concerts led by the Colombian singer Juanes along with other internationally recognized artists. The first string of concerts took place in 2008 along the Colombia–Venez ...
concert in Cuba, performing to an audience of 1.2 million people.
Personal life
Alea was born in
Havana, Cuba
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. She was raised in
Miami, Florida
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, and has lived in New York City,
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
, Paris, London and
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
. She is in a relationship with musician Rodriguez Jr.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
'' – "Come With Me" (with Alexkid) (2003, Season 1, Episode 9)
* '' Six Feet Under'' – "Don’t Hide It" (with Alexkid) (2005, Season 5, Episode 59)
* ''
Entourage
An entourage () is an informal group or band of people who are closely associated with a (usually) famous, notorious, or otherwise notable individual. The word can also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* L'entourage, French hip hop / rap collecti ...
'' – "Reminder" (with Honeythieves) (2009, Season 6, Episode 11)
* '' 90210'' – "Reminder (RAC Remix)" (with Honeythieves ) (2009, Season 2, Episode 3)
* '' Holy Rollers'' – "If You Forget Me" (with Remix Artist Collective) (2010)