It was then when the woman appeared, barely wearing make-up, looking just as in the videos, eating a package of homemade fries as a regular citizen. I couldn't believe that.
The other image came in the concert of Zuchero Fornaciari in Havana. Laritza Bacallao was the only one of the new artists to be included in such a historic show. "Well, we'll see what she can do", the whole country might have wondered. What does she do? What didn't she do? The duets of the Italian singer with David Blanco and Pedrito Calvo spoke for themselves. Hers, left the crowd mute. The girl killed it, convinced everyone, made the people drool. And one might ask out loud: Where had this phenomenon been all this time?
In the few interviews you have given, you make particular emphasis on a very sacrificed childhood because of music. A prodigy child?
"My passion and vocation for music comes with the family. I'm a granddaughter of Felo Bacallao, ex-member of the Aragon band. But it has been a long way full of sacrifice. At the age of seven I registered at the music school, it was a night course at that time. I finished at 4:20 pm from the primary school, I got home, took a bath, got dressed and left to school again until 10 pm. It was a lot, but I don't regret it. My childhood was subjected to music in order to prepare myself for what I wanted in the future. I've always knew that singing was my thing"
You feel comfortable with Cuban popular music, but your best performances have been in the jazz and electronic genres…Even with Zuchero you showed us a different Laritza.
"I like all genres. I can't deny that I enjoy temperamental songs, I'll do them very well, I think. I also like to see people dancing at the beat of the drums. I always let the audience choose for me".
For the rest of the interview see Pinar del Rio news site El guerrillero here
Watch Laritza Bacallao sing the duet with Zucchero 'Like the Sun' on TV in Havana 2014 below
Cuba 50 