Carlos Varela (singer-songwriter)

Carlos Victoriano Varela Cerezo, born April 11, 1963 in Havana, Cuba, is a singer-songwriter of Nueva Trova, a political and poetic musical genre. Nueva Trova began as a reaction to the unjust conditions that led to the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Varela joined the Nueva Trova musical movement in the 1980s while in his 20s. He has earned the nickname ("cariño" in Spanish) of "Nomo" (Gnome), due to the way he dresses.

For the 1940s bandleader, see Carlos Varela (bandleader).
Carlos Varela
Varela at the Miami International Film Festival presentation of The Poet of Havana
Background information
OriginCiudad de La Habana
GenresNueva Trova

Silvio Rodríguez, one of the most well-known founders of Nueva Trova, discovered Varela and took him on tour in Spain. His first CD, "Jalisco Park", was published there in 1989.

Today Varela's music is known for its open criticism of the status quo in post-revolutionary Cuba, but is still considered part of the Nueva Trova movement and genre.

Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne translated Carlos Varela's song "Walls and Doors" into English for Browne's 2014 Standing In The Breach recording and tour.[1][2]

Varela's song "Una palabra" ("One Word") was used in the soundtrack of the film Powder Keg (2001) directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu starring Clive Owen,[3] and again in the film Man on Fire in 2004 starring Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning.[4] He has integrated his music into the soundtracks of several Cuban films as well, such as Las profecías de Amanda ("The Prophesies of Amanda") and Video de familia ("Family Video"), among others.

Discography
Year Album
1989 Jalisco Park
1991 Monedas al Aire
1992 Carlos Varela en vivo
1995 Como los peces
2000 Nubes
2003 Siete
2005 Los Hijos de Guillemo Tell Vol.1
2009 No es el Fin
2019 El Grito Mudo

References
  1. Browne, Jackson. "Standing in the Breach - English". jacksonbrowne.com. Inside Recordings. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  2. Thompson, Ginger (December 28, 2009). "Trying to Sway America's Cuba Policy With Song". The New York Times. p. A4. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  3. "Carlos Varela regresa a Miami". 14ymedio (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  4. Puertas, Céline (9 March 2019). "L'interview insomniaque de Gringe". Glamour.com (in French). Retrieved 23 March 2019.
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