Rochy Ameneiro

Outstanding Cuban singer-songwriter considered by critics as one of the most rigorous singers in Cuba.

Rochy has been singing since she was very young. When she was 6 years old, she founded a children's program called Escenario Escolar, directed by Luciano Mesa and Virginia Wong.

Later she continued singing in amateur movements with the pioneers, the FEEM, and then at the University. Years after graduating as an Architect, she participated in an AHS Festival where she was selected as a National Project of that organization. Through them she was evaluated and was able to enter professional life more than 15 years ago, which marks the time of her career as a professional artist.

Her national tour will be remembered, during which she was accompanied by her group made up of Roberto Luis Gómez on guitars, Mario Riaño on bass, and David Suárez on drums, with a special guest on piano, Tony Rodriguez. Singer-songwriter Diego Gutiérrez also accompanied them, and they had other guests in each province.

Todas Contracorriente
Rochy Ameneiro today leads Todas Contracorriente, a musical project aimed at strengthening a culture of peace and framed within the national campaign to fight gender violence.

Rochy has stated that it is a song with many interpretations, and the intention is for everyone to make it their own in their personal struggle to become a better human being.

"Our idea is to raise awareness that through music, many things can be done to improve society, because nowadays some manifestations of this art incite violence, sometimes due to the creators' own lack of awareness." "We are concerned because our children are receiving a lot of incitement to violence through music, and I want musicians to identify with this problem as much as possible, and also for Cuban women to gain self-esteem," argues the artist.

Attending a Rochy concert is quite a cultural event. Rochy's great value begins with the exquisiteness of her repertoire. In almost two decades of work, there is not one concession, a silly ballad, a misplaced frivolity: Rochy always faces beautiful songs, without renouncing grace and sensuality. In recent times, she does not hide a certain inclination towards parodic themes, which only reinforce the convincing histrionicism of the performer. She sings with great art, with great feeling, without fanfare, without underlining, without tearing her clothes or making a scandal on stage at the first opportunity.

Rochy intones the most tragic truths in the most subtle way: the shudder she achieves is what great art has always provoked, not what comes from populism. I see only two precedents for rigor in relation to Rochy's career: the Spanish Ana Belén (in fact, in certain circles, Rochy is called "the Cuban Ana Belén"), and that other national marvel named Miriam Ramos. Cultural rigor, elegance, presence, respect for the audience, sober but deeply felt emotions are merits shared by these three great divas of the new song. But I was saying that none of this was achieved against the grain of sensuality.

La Rochy exudes sensuality from every pore. You had to see the grace and charm with which she danced some songs, sipped a drink of rum, or told an anecdote with hilarity. The artist demonstrated, once again, that depth and consistency do not have to go hand in hand with tedium. It was a fluid concert, after which the spectators were left hanging and clamoring for more. Sometimes I have heard that Rochy has no angel. It's true: she doesn't have an angel; she has a demon. The demon of greater art. Strictly musically, she was impeccable. Without abandoning for a second the austerity that distinguishes her, she did well not to avoid the high notes, which acquired a most beautiful color and allowed her best voice to shine through. There is no need to fear risks: one must let the voice out. Rochy seems to understand this, and the result was unbeatable. Then, with tremendous delicacy, she showed off her privileged ear when she rejected the first chords from one of the guitars that momentarily lost its harmony. Without hurting anyone, offering apologies herself, the artist had the song restarted, in the name of the respect the audience deserves. It was a gesture typical of the habitual ethics of the singer. This was the opinion of the brilliant Rufo Caballero when evaluating Rochy's work at the memorable concert at the Teatro del Museo de Bellas Artes. The late critic Rufo Caballero would conclude by saying:

She shone particularly in Dudas, Perdóname, and Nube blanca, the latter with its author, maestro Augusto Blanca. The guests were top-notch: besides Augusto, Pepe Ordaz, Diego Gutiérrez (excellent the duet on the hit Sabor salado), Carlos Varela (who was brilliant, as he unraveled one of his precious songs alongside Rochy), Aldo López Gavilán, among others. López Gavilán again demonstrated his class by respecting the basic harmonies of Juan Formell and Carlos Varela in the compositions of Tal vez and Dudas, always filtered through the notes of the exceptional arrangements by Elmer Ferrer, but nevertheless he continued creating all the time in digital phrasing, accelerated the tempo, played with the rhythm, and always returned to the tone set by the original composers. The virtuosity of Aldo López Gavilán, today one of the best Cuban musicians, simply has no name. Although neither should one overlook the keyboard of the pianist invoked all the time as "El Piti," who was not far behind, and when Rochy sang Agua, by Vanito, at the audience's request, he also gave himself the freedom of the tides and enjoyed slightly adulterating the dialogue between melody and harmony, without going out of tune, without deviating the theme from its essential course. Before such virtuosity, people were truly amazed. It was a memorable concert, at a full house, with people—especially young people—seated on the stairs, on the sides, etc. Rochy demonstrated that one can please without resorting to easy resources or questionable mannerisms. It was an extraordinary concert, which we should thank for the editorial judgment of Colibrí and the professional demands of the Museo de Bellas Artes theater.

Discography
Rochy has a first album made on commission from an independent record label called Panamerican Production. It was an album of songs made about Che, and it was work she greatly enjoyed doing. From her usual repertoire she has two albums: the first, "Rochy" with the Bismusic label, and the second, "Dudas" with the Colibrí label.

Between Rochy's first and second albums there is a small difference: maintaining the seriousness and adherence to intelligent song, always contributing ideas and intense emotions, the new one is musically much more seductive. A wink to the market? If so, that would be fine. Not at all. The market is not a necessary evil; it can be a very useful good, as long as it is invoked from culture, good taste, and authentic affection.

Rochy is the mother of the young and prestigious pianist Rodrigo García Ameneiro