Alex Cuba

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Alex Cuba

| image = Alex Cuba at BSOMF 2015.jpg

| caption = Alex Cuba performing at the 2015 Burlington's Sound of Music Festival

| image_size =

| birth_name = Alexis Puentes

| alias =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|March 29, 1974}}

| death_date =

| origin = Artemisa, Cuba

| instrument =

| genre = Afro-Cuban jazz, pop

| occupation = Musician

| years_active =

| label = Shell, Caracol

| associated_acts = Nelly Furtado, Adonis Puentes

| website = {{URL|alexcuba.com}}

}}

Alexis Puentes (born 1974),{{cite news| last =Terauds| first =John| title =Cuban water drawn from a Canadian well| page =H6| newspaper =Toronto Star| date =March 22, 2007}} better known by his stage name Alex Cuba, is a Cuban-Canadian singer-songwriter who sings in Spanish and English. He has won two Juno Awards for World Music Album of the Year: in 2006 for Humo de Tabaco, and in 2008 for his second album, Agua del Pozo. In 2010 he won the Latin Grammy for Best New Artist. His 2015 album, Healer, earned him a Latin Grammy Award for Best Singer-Songwriter Album and a Grammy Award nomination for Best Latin Pop Album. His 2021 album Mendó won the 2022 Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album.{{cite news |title=Alex Cuba scores Grammy award for album recorded in his Smithers, B.C., home |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/alex-cuba-grammy-1.6408178 |access-date=5 April 2022 |publisher=CBC News |date=4 April 2022}}

Biography

Puentes was born on March 29, 1974{{cite web | url-access=limited |archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/35336990520/10151455165925521 |archive-date = 2022-04-27| url = https://www.facebook.com/AlexCubaMusic/posts/thanks-for-the-happy-birthday-wishes-everybody-my-and-my-brother-adonis-puentes-/10151455165925521/ |title = Alex Cuba on Facebook |website=Facebook}}{{cbignore}}{{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}} in Cuba, spending his childhood in Artemisa. The son of guitar player and music teacher Valentin Puentes, he started playing guitar at the age of six. As an adult, he shifted into jazz fusion styles. He immigrated to Canada in 1999 after marrying a Canadian in Cuba. He and his twin brother Adonis first settled in Victoria, British Columbia, and worked as a duo called the Puentes Brothers, receiving a Juno Award nomination for Best Global Album at the Juno Awards of 2001.[http://www.journalpioneer.com/Living/2015-06-30/article-4199162/Adonis-Puentes-and-Voice-of-Cuba-Orchestra-bring-their-music-to-PEI/1 "Adonis Puentes and Voice of Cuba Orchestra bring their music to PEI"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729030700/http://www.journalpioneer.com/Living/2015-06-30/article-4199162/Adonis-Puentes-and-Voice-of-Cuba-Orchestra-bring-their-music-to-PEI/1|date=July 29, 2015}}. Journal Pioneer, June 30, 2015. They parted ways as a band to launch solo careers in 2004. In 2003, Puentes moved to Smithers, British Columbia, the hometown of his wife, Sarah, whose father is politician Bill Goodacre.Dunlevy, T'Cha (November 26, 2009). "[https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Alex+Cuba+smooth+soulful/2266050/story.html Smooth and soulful: Alex Cuba, who co-wrote more than half of Nelly Furtado's new Spanish-language album, brings his ever-expanding musical sound to L'Astral] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091127084759/http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Alex+Cuba+smooth+soulful/2266050/story.html |date=November 27, 2009 }}", The Gazette, p. C1. They have three children: Daniel, Rose and Owen Puentes.

Collaborators on his debut, Humo De Tabaco, include Ron Sexsmith and Corinne Bailey Rae. "Lo Mismo Que Yo", a duet with Sexsmith, became a hit in the UK Singles Chart, reaching No. 52.{{cite news| last =Devlin| first =Mike| title =From Cuba to Smithers with a jazz twist| page =D6| newspaper =Times-Colonist| date =February 8, 2007 }}{{cite book

| first= David

| last= Roberts

| year= 2006

| title= British Hit Singles & Albums

| edition= 19th

| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited

| location= London

| isbn= 1-904994-10-5

| page= 129}}

In 2009, he co-wrote and recorded a duet with fellow Canadian Nelly Furtado. "Mi Plan" turned out to be the title track for her fourth studio album of the same name. Puentes co-wrote more than half of the songs on Furtado's album.

His music reflects primarily Latin and African influences, but with a mix of funk, jazz and pop.

He received a Latin Grammy on November 21, 2013.

In 2016, he performed as part of the national Canada Day celebration on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

His 2021 album Mendó won the 2022 Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album; it was his fourth nomination for the award and his first Grammy win.

In 2022, he received an honorary doctorate from Queen's University.{{Cite web |title=Renowned musician Alex Cuba will receive an honorary degree from Queen's University. {{!}} Department of Global Development Studies |url=https://www.queensu.ca/devs/renowned-musician-alex-cuba-will-receive-honorary-degree-queens-university |date=October 12, 2022|access-date=2023-04-29 |website=www.queensu.ca}}

He gave a Tiny Desk Concert with his band in 2023.https://www.npr.org/2023/10/04/1200582948/alex-cuba-tiny-desk-concert {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}

Discography

The Puentes Brothers:
2001: Morumba Cubana
Solo:
2004: Humo de Tabaco
2007: Agua del Pozo
2009: Alex Cuba
2012: Static in the System – "Ruido en el sistema"
2015: Healer
2017: "Lo Único Constante"
2019: "Sublime"
2021: "Mendó"
2023: "El Swing Que Yo Tengo"

Awards and nominations

=Grammy Awards=

The Grammy Award is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement on the music industry. Cuba has received four nominations.{{cite news|title=2016 Grammy Awards: Complete list of nominees|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-grammys-2016-nominees-winners-list-story.html|access-date=December 7, 2015|date=December 7, 2015|journal=Los Angeles Times}}{{cite news|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/8047027/grammys-2018-complete-nominees-list|title=Grammys 2018: See the Complete List of Nominees|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Eldridge Industries|date=November 28, 2017|access-date=November 28, 2017|first=Joe|last=Lynch}}

| 2011 || Alex Cuba || Best Latin Pop Album || {{Nom}}

| 2016 || Healer || Best Latin Pop Album || {{Nom}}

| 2018 || Lo Único Constante || Best Latin Pop Album || {{Nom}}

| 2022 || Mendó || Best Latin Pop Album || {{Win}}

=Latin Grammy Awards=

A Latin Grammy Award is an accolade by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. Alex Cuba has received four awards out of five nominations.{{cite news|url=http://www.infobae.com/2015/09/23/1757537-la-lista-completa-nominados-los-latin-grammy-2015|title=La lista completa de nominados a los Latin Grammy 2015|publisher=infobae|access-date=October 2, 2015|date=September 23, 2015|language=es}}

| rowspan=2|2010 || Alex Cuba || Best New Artist || {{Won}}

| Alex Cuba || Best Male Pop Vocal Album || {{Nom}}

| 2012 || "Toma Mi Vida" || Best Tropical Song || {{Won}}

| 2013 || "Eres Tú" || Best Short Form Music Video || {{Won}}

| 2015 || Healer || Best Singer-Songwriter Album || {{Won}}

References

External links

[http://www.alexcuba.com/ Alex Cuba] official site
[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114050051 Alex Cuba: Cuban Soul That Runs In The Family (NPR, November 15, 2009)]

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Category:1974 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century Canadian guitarists

Category:21st-century Canadian male singers

Category:21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters

Category:Afro-Cuban jazz guitarists

Category:Afro-Cuban jazz musicians

Category:Canadian jazz guitarists