"Life is a carnival! It's much more beautiful to live it singing." If you're unfamiliar with my life's mantra, perhaps you’d recognize it if I were instead to say "la vida es un carnaval, es más bello vivir cantando." Now put a salsa beat under it and add the iconic voice of the Queen herself, Celia Cruz. Sound familiar? One would hope.
We may be living in the winter of our disco de Bad Bunny but, before the King of Latin Trap, came the Queen of Salsa. There was a time that much like Benito [Bad Bunny’s given name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio], Celia’s music was hard to escape, not that one would want to. The two share certain similarities, both are royalty in the world of music, beloved by Latin audiences, thrust into the global narrative, and respected by those who can and cannot understand their lyrics yet are moved by the music.
Thanks to El Conejo Malo’s latest album, "Old School" salsa is experiencing a resurgence. New rhythms pay homage to the Fania Records of the past. This is the record company that gave birth to La Fania All Stars, bringing together salsa greats like Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe, Pete Rodriguez, and who else but Celia Cruz. The lone woman in a sea of men.
These dated rhythms have been given new life thanks to some young blood. I grew up listening to my father’s Fania albums and to see my worlds collide has been breathtaking, to say the least. Imagine my excitement when I learned that the Bergen Performing Arts Center will be celebrating old-school salsa to honor the centennial of Celia’s birth with "Celia Vive! A Celia Cruz Tribute." Immediately I demanded my Alexa stop playing Bad Bunny’s album that I’ve had on repeat, and switched over to the Queen of Salsa.
Now it’s Celia on repeat.
I make these parallels between icons, not just because I have a healthy obsession with each, but to insist that music is intergenerational when it is accessible. Celia was no stranger to a cultural movement in response to her artistry and I would be remiss were I not to mention the connection between Puerto Rican and Cuban cultures. The global response to Debí tirar Más Fotos is not new. Celia was to Cubans what Benito has become to Puerto Ricans. She was “that girl.”
I had the pleasure of interviewing Celia’s former manager and friend, Omer Pardillo Cid, who is responsible for maintaining her estate. When asked what it means to hold her legacy in his hands, he remarks, "It is an honor to carry her legacy the way she deserves. I am always looking for ways to pass Celia’s legacy on to the next generation."
She may have been the Queen of Salsa but she wasn’t afraid to try new genres. Her most famous foray into reggaeton resulted in the classic, "La Negra Tiene Tumbao" which I still sing to myself whenever the mood strikes. It’s one of my favorite earworms, should you care to know. Perhaps one day, if we are lucky, Benito will sample Celia’s music and re-introduce her to the younger generations doing what "Stranger Things" did for Kate Bush’s "Running Up That Hill." Perhaps this article will reach the masses and do the same. Better still, perhaps this will give Mr. Pardillo Cid some ideas. Let this half-Boricua dream, will you? (Boricua is a colloquial term referring to those of Puerto Rican heritage).
Honestly, I just want the younger generations to know what a badass Celia was.
Credited as one of the pioneers of the genre, making her mark was no small feat considering she was an Afro-Latina in an industry dominated by her lighter-skinned male peers. Performing through the years of legalized segregation, her complexion remained a point of contention, and pride. Knowing this, it makes sense that she chose to sing uplifting, "happy," music because while art is a reflection of life, it is also a welcome escape.
"Toda la vida, yo he cantado musica alegre; . . . no me gusta cantar nada triste. Pues debo tener mis momentos de tristeza … pero eso es para mi, para mi interior. . . no quiero transmitir al público." - Celia Cruz
[All my life, I’ve sung happy music; I don’t like to sing anything sad. Of course, I have unhappy moments, but they are just for me, for my inner life. I don’t want to bring that to the public.] - Celia Cruz por "Me llamo Celia Cruz," BBC Documentary (1988)
While Celia’s centennial birthday is being celebrated worldwide, the performance at Bergen PAC is especially meaningful as Celia called Bergen County home, having lived in Fort Lee, NJ for over forty years. Honoring her and bringing her music to life at the Bergen PAC will be her cherished friend, Cuban songstress, Lucrecia. The two met in 1998 in Marbella, Spain during a press conference for a performance organized by Bacardi Rum. While Lucrecia recalls being nervous upon that first meeting, Cruz went on to deem the singer her "successor" during that very presentation. The honor did not go unrecognized as Lucrecia in turn wrote a song in Cruz’s honor, "Agua con Azúcar y Ron."
Lucrecia explains, "That song was inspired by Celia, and the inspiration came in the studio because I say 'agua!' and Celia used to say 'azúcar!' All Cubans drink rum, and so it occurred to me to write that song with both. 'Agua con azúcar y ron.'"
Azúcar was more than a catchphrase, it was a rallying cry for Celia Cruz, one which her fans came to expect of her. She would joyously insert it into each performance and while it simply translates to sugar, the act of shouting “azúcar! with her unmistakable gravelly tone would send audiences into hysterics. The birth of the phrase came from a chance interaction in a restaurant. Celia would go on to share the story on a talk show, explaining that a waiter in Miami once asked her if she’d like sugar or none in her coffee and as a Cuban, she was shocked. "Azúcar! Azúcar! Azúcar!" She shouted playfully. "I’m Cuban, of course, I want sugar in my coffee." Those around her loved this reaction, applauding her response and she decided she liked the way it was received.
Combining their catchphrases into a memorable song became a clever tribute to a special friendship. When it comes to Celia, the inclusion of azúcar is a declaration of love. "I was fortunate to count her as a friend and to have the opportunity to tour with her in Spain," says Lucrecia.
This won’t be the first time that Lucrecia steps into Celia’s shoes as she originated the role of Celia in "Celia Cruz, El Musical" which had its premiere in Marbella, Spain in 2018 and eventually made its way to New York the following year. She reiterates, "It's always a pleasure to interpret Celia’s music because of the energy and rhythm of Celia."
As Bergen PAC shares, "With the flavor and rhythm of her unmatched style, [Lucrecia] will help us relive the great musical hits of the immortal 'Guarachera de Cuba,' like: La Negra Tiene Tumbao, Tu Voz, Bemba Colorá, La Vida Es Un Carnaval, among others."
You can see the talented Lucrecia bring Celia Cruz to life on February 6th at 8 PM at the Bergen County Performing Arts Center in Englewood and on February 8 at 8 PM at State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick.
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