Carlos Victoriano Varela Cerezo

Carlos Varela is someone who sings the reality of Cuban youth with their "defects and virtues"; his music and work are the most representative of the so-called newest Cuban troubadour movement.

Carlos Varela was born in La Habana. In the early 1970s he began studying music. In 1977 he began playing drums in some rock groups, in 1978 he began writing his first songs, and by 1980 he was already part of the New Troubadour Movement. From then on he began performing on the most important stages in Cuba, becoming one of the most popular musicians on the Island, capable of drawing large crowds to his performances.

Together with other young singer-songwriters, Carlos Varela creates his own space within the Cuban cultural landscape of the 1980s, which both the public and critics define as newest troubadour movement. Within this Movement, Varela stands out for the urban and chronicler sense of his lyrics, for his stagings, as well as for his discography with a sound closer to rock than to typical Cuban music.

In 1983 he studied theater specialization for five years at the Superior Institute of Art in La Habana.

Varela founded his first band in 1988. Over the years, this band has been made up of prestigious young Cuban musicians. Since then, his performances have always been highlighted with great praise from specialized critics inside and outside Cuba.

His Theater studies at the Superior Institute of Art and the high level of the musicians accompanying him, create the ideal conditions so that in Varela's shows the dramatic, emotional, poetic, and musical elements are noted in an exceptional and unique way. Each performance by Varela is received as an event of great distinction and quality within the current Cuban musical landscape.

Varela conducted several tours inside and outside Cuba with Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés. In 1995 he did an extensive tour with Joaquín Sabina through various cities in Spain. In that same year they composed together Tan joven y tan viejo, a song that appears on Sabina's album "Yo Mi Me Contigo".

In 2004 Varela conducted a tour with Jackson Browne through England and various countries in Europe.

In 2005 the award-winning Mexican director Alejandro Gonzáles Iñarritu chose the song Una palabra for his short "The Hire - Powder Keg".

A year later this song was also selected by the important American director Tony Scott for the final scene of the film Man on fire, starring Denzel Washinton and Dakota Fanning, among others. This made this ballad become Carlos's most covered song in different languages and by different musicians.

His songs have also been performed by Joaquin Sabina, Ana Belén, Miguel Bosé, Ana Torroja, Luis Enrique, Pablo Milanés, among others.

Carlos Varela's performances frequently take place in countries such as Austria, Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Spain, Denmark, United States, Mexico, Sweden, Santo Domingo, Panama, Holland, England and Ireland; sharing stages with renowned musicians from around the world.

On December 8, 2006, he offered a memorable concert at the Stadium of the recreational center "José Antonio Echeverría" in La Habana, which was dedicated to the 26th anniversary of John Lennon's death and also to the 28th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema. Varela played for almost two hours despite the bad weather. "Blessed rain," said Varela and continued to star in one of his most memorable concerts.