Erick Iglesias Rodríguez

Cuban vocalist, composer and music producer, whose style is an original fusion of funk with Afro-Cuban music. He has drawn from the work of Cuban musicians Benny Moré, Bola de Nieve and Juan Formell, and Americans James Brown, George Clinton, Prince, Al Green, Bill Withers.

Cimafunk was born in a rural area 4 km from the city of Pinar del Río.

His first steps in music were in the Baptist Church of his neighborhood. Later he ventured into reggaeton, until he immersed himself fully in trovador music. After completing middle school, he studied Medicine up to the second year of the program.

On the recommendation of his friend Yordi Toledo, who was recording an album in the capital, he moves to La Habana, where he sings backup vocals in groups of artists such as Raúl Paz, David Torrens, Liuba María Hevia, Hoyo Colorao, Los Boys and Interactivo.

He begins his solo career at the end of 2016, under the stage name Cimafunk, which combines the words cimarrón and funk, the music he loves.

His first album is titled Terapia, and features electronic sounds, influences of funk music and Cuban genres. Said album was launched in France and was completely an independent production.

In July 2018, as part of the XIV Edition of the Gibara International Film Festival, he shared the stage with Argentine composer and performer Fito Páez who introduced him as "Cimafunk: the future" and described him as "god of ebony".

Awards and Nominations
First Place in the "Primera Base" contest of the Havana World Music 2018 Festival.
Grand Prize Cuerda Viva 2018 in the Novel Group category and nominated in the Funk category.
Nominated for the Cubadisco 2018 Awards in the Best Fusion Music Album category.
Nominated for the Lucas Awards in the categories of Best Fusion Video, Best Debut Artist Video and Most Popular Video of the Year with the music video for the song Me voy, with which he began promoting his album.

In an interview conducted by Jiribilla, Cimafunk expressed: "I started getting involved in trovador gatherings with Víctor Quiñones and a lot of people who at that time were part of a major movement of the genre in Pinar del Río, there a friend and I joined together and traveled throughout the province".

Once I finished middle school, I began studying Medicine, which I left in the second year. According to this artist, he came to La Habana on the recommendation of his friend Yordi Toledo, who was recording an album in the capital.

"When I arrived here and saw the buildings, the streets and all that, I told myself that I wasn't going back to Pinar anymore. Once I moved, I lived one day in one person's house and the next day in another's. I worked doing anything for about a year, until one day.

The first door Erik knocked on was that of his fellow countryman Raúl Paz, "I found out the address of his house and spoke to him to listen to some of my songs, he did and invited me to be his backup singer in that great concert that was Carnival at the Karl Marx".

David Torrens, Liuba María Hevia, Hoyo Colorao, Los Boys and Interactivo have been platforms in the career of this young man. "They called me for several jobs and I went to each one. With Interactivo everything has been delightful, you learn a lot while having much freedom".

Composing his songs is fundamental to him, "I compose on sexual themes, women, food mixed with sex, with double meanings and without vulgarity; I'm also drawn to African themes".

At the end of 2016, he begins his solo career under the stage name Cimafunk. "I chose that name because I wanted to combine the idea of the cimarrón with the music I like, funk, so we made a mix of those words and Cimafunk was born".

Having gone through several genres, the band cannot do without Afro-Cuban rhythms and funk, "we want to escape from the music that's around, we want to make something on our own terms, with my style".

Once they start as a band, Erik sets about producing an album that was released in France last year. "Terapia was completely independent production, once I did that work in France, I returned to Cuba knowing what I wanted to project".

Cimafunk was First place in the "Primera Base" contest of the Havana World Music 2018 Festival and was winner of the Grand Prize Cuerda Viva 2018 in the Novel Group category and nominated in the Funk category.

"I really like what I do, but I think the most difficult challenge lately has been putting the band together, that everyone agrees, finding good musicians, that the work functions well and that they understand what I want to convey to the public".

This singular artist draws from the music of Americans James Brown, George Clinton and Prince, Al Green, Bill Withers and Cubans Benny Moré, Bola de Nieve and Juan Formell.

Cimafunk has built an audience that listens to and follows him, and in addition to singing with Interactivo on Wednesdays at the Bertolt Brecht, he has a space with his band at that same venue on alternate Saturdays each month.

Also, at the beginning of next July he will be at the XIV Edition of the Gibara International Film Festival and on the 14th at the graduation of the International School of Film and Television of San Antonio de los Baños.

"I've wanted to be at the Gibara Film Festival as an artist for a while now and now, fortunately, all the conditions came together".

Meanwhile, at the Casa del Alba Cultural he made the Patio de Baldovina vibrate, where a large audience gathered who danced and sang his catchy songs. For this artist, taking the stage and singing with his band represents "having a good time".

He never has a preset script, but he did want to start the evening with two of his songs: "Pasar el tiempo" and "A tu merced". Also joining on stage were musician friends from various parts of Latin America, who call themselves "Los Yumas".

"I like to see how the energy flows, I sing until I feel like it, I like to feel the flow of the moment", the musician confessed.

Erick Cimafunk doesn't stop moving forward, they don't plan to rest until establishing himself on the Cuban music scene. He's no shortage of goals and plans, just as he's full of style, because as he assures us "artists have the power of spectacle, everything you dream of being as a child you can do on stage".