¡Azúcar! The eternal voice of Celia Cruz sounds more modern than ever in a new “collaboration” with Gente de Zona, and no, it wasn’t done with artificial intelligence. “Celia,” which the Cuban duo premiered on Thursday (Feb. 22) live at the 2024 Premio Lo Nuestro ceremony, uses original recordings from the Queen of Salsa to create an infectious medley with two of her songs: “Ella Tiene Fuego” and “La Negra Tiene Tumbao.”
“That woman seems from another planet/ The way she moves is not natural/ Men can’t stand her resistance/ and one after another they come and go,” begins Alexander Delgado, the deeper voice of Gente de Zona, before giving way to the Cuban music legend. “She has spent the night testings and testing/ And now none of them want to dance, dance,” Cruz sings with such a contemporary sound, it feels like she was right there with them in the studio.
“This was something we had in mind for a long time,” Delgado told Billboard Español prior to the premiere. “When we arrived in this country it was a dream we had, but unfortunately she was no longer alive,” added Randy Malcom, the other half of the six-time Latin Grammy-winning duo, explaining that after a decade in the U.S., their priority was to make that dream come true for their upcoming album, DEMASIADO, which they plan to release between March and April.
Released under Magnus Music, “Celia” was produced by Angel “Pututi” Arce, Dale Pututi, and Malcom, and recorded in the latter’s studio about seven months ago. The project, which includes a new additional verse in “Ella Tiene Fuego,” had the full support and approval of Cruz’s estate executor, Omer Pardillo Cid, who helped them get the masters from Sony Music.
“When I heard the original voices, without any processing, I said, ‘That’s why she’s the queen’. It was something perfect, it was incredible to feel how she sang, her breathing,” recalled…
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