VIDA is the latest album release by Omara Portuondo, the grand Cuban Lady of Feeling.
In 1997, at the age of 67, Omara became The Diva of Buena Vista Social Club, crowning her fame after
half a century of a huge national and international solo career. Omara won her first Latin Grammy Award
for Best Contemporary Tropical Album along with a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
She received three Grammy Award nominations in 2019, and in 2021, Omara was awarded with the Gold
Medal for Merit in Fine Arts”by the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Sports, in a ceremony presided over by
the King and Queen of Spain, and then she won the prestigious Songlines Pioneer Award for her life long
contribution to Cuban music and culture.
At the age of 90, Omara found her self stuck in Havana due to the pandemic, and the busy lady, like
everyone else, had to put the tours on hold. Known for her compassion and her sense of humanity, Omara
naturally chose to express herself through music in those significant times of human history. Omara has so
much love to give and with her tremendous energy, she invited life long friends and colleagues to
participate in the long distance project, a way to keep each other close. Omara’s son, Ariel Jiménez
Portuondo, who has been taking care of Omara’s career and her well-being for the past two decades,
organised the recordings, well knowing his mothers need of action. Ariel found the perfect artistic
producer, the recently Grammy nominated Guatemalan singer- song writer, Gaby Moreno, who has
a similar soft and kind personality as Omara. This album is a tribute to Omara's musical legacy. On “VIDA”
Omara sings together with a stellar line up of legendary singers. Anyone who has loved Cuban and Latin
music of the last 50 years will recognise the beauty of the timeless songs. “VIDA” reflects Omara’s
thoughts and feelings during this heavy period, as well as being a general homage to life. Like so many
others, she found herself mourning dear friends lost to the pandemic. The ballads “Silencio”, “No puedo
ser feliz”, “Duele” reflect her ‘melancolía’. Besides Covid, the year 2020 brought to the surface another
pandemic: the one of systemic racism and violence. Unfortunately the murder of George Floyd was just
reflecting what has been a reality for black people in the US since the times of slavery. “I was very sad and
upset by the murder of George Floyd. I told myself, it is time to sing “Now” again!”, Omara explains, and by
this song, elegantly showing her protest in support of BLM. The song was originally song by Lena Horne in
1963, and in the 70’es, Omara made it famous in Cuba. Yet, deep inside Omara’s heart, there’s always joy
and optimism, surplus and gratitude for what became her destiny as a singer, as an artist, as a woman, as
a human. Gaby Moreno’s “Bolero a la Vida”, got them a Latin Grammy Nomination, “Honrar la Vida” sung
beautifully together with Ruben Blades, “Se Feliz” with Keb’ Mo’ and “Gracias a la vida” with Natalia
Lafourcade, all reflect Omara’s eternal positive spirit. The en “Con 2 que se quieran”, sung together with
Amaury Pérez and Alexander Abreu, is an explosion of a party to leave you with a smile, dancing down
your road of life.

TRACKS

01. Bolero a la Vida ft Gaby Moreno
02. Silencio ft Andy Montañez
03. Lo que me queda por Vivir feat Rapahel & Orchesta Failde
04. Duele ft Gonzalo Rubalcaba
05. Como la Gigarra ft Susana Baca
06. Me Toca ft Carlos Rivera
07. Se Feliz ft Keb’ Mo’
08. Now
09. Honrar la Vida feat Ruben Blades
10. Gracias a la Vida ft Nathalia Lafoucade
11. Con 2 que se Quieran ft Amaury Pérez & Alexander Abreu.