Daymé Arocena gave music and hugs at the Madrid presentation of her new album 'Alkemi'

June 28, 2024

This Sunday the Villanos venue hosted the presentation of the album Alkemi in Madrid by Cuban singer Daymé Arocena. Her voice, combined with the new rhythms of the album, vibrated before the Cubans who packed the space, where artists from the Island are presented quite frequently.

In front of the stage, dancing and singing along to all the songs, her followers accompanied the artist throughout the night, something that surprised the singer. In statements to DIARIO DE CUBA, Daymé Arocena acknowledged that the Madrid concert "was probably one of the most beautiful" she has done so far with Alkemi. "One of the things that surprised me the most was that people sang along to a lot of songs, you could tell that many people had already consumed the music, it wasn't just because of the rumba, or the things people already know about me; many also came because of Alkemi," she added.

For Arocena, this project has been "so transgressive" that she sometimes thought her audience would see it "as something very crazy" and that they wouldn't understand her. "Many times people resist change and the truth is that my mind was blown seeing everyone's reaction here in Madrid. You think they're not connected with what you do, and yesterday was spectacular, I'm still processing how happy I am," she concluded.

Daymé Arocena's international tour with this new album began last February. It is the Cuban singer's fifth studio album, which came to light with production by Eduardo Cabra and in which the singer dares to take on a more personal sound, fusing neo-soul vocals with Afro-Caribbean and modern pop rhythms.

In a recent interview with this newspaper, Arocena explained that she owed herself this change in her career, and confessed: "I always liked pop music, but I thought it didn't fit because of my appearance. My affinity for singing in English doesn't come from jazz, but from having listened since childhood to singers like Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin, giant Black women of Anglo music, but I told myself: 'you're not Anglo, and you'll never be a Black woman from the USA'. When I looked toward the Latin side, I didn't see anyone who looked like me in pop. Not having role models impacts how you conduct yourself in life".

At the Villanos venue, Daymé took the stage accompanied by, among others, Yoyi Lagarza, Ayme Canto, and Magela Herrera. There were also special guests such as Canarian singer St Pedro, Cuban Joao del Monte, or Spanish composer, producer and guitarist Javier Limón.

Along with the new songs, Arocena also performed several hits from previous albums such as Cubafonía and Sonocardiograma that got many of those in the hall dancing in the aisles. She dedicated a song to "all the exiles" and to "all the people who are far from their land," a moment she didn't miss the opportunity to shout "Viva Cuba libre," amid the audience's applause.

The concert time flew by, and just when everyone at the Villanos was most enthusiastic, surrendered to the artist's energy, it was time to say goodbye. Arocena agreed to the "another, another" that her audience shouted for and told the audience that she would stay for a while after the show ended, signing albums for her followers and also to "give a hug" to anyone who wanted one.

A nice gesture that was returned by many, making a long line to take home not only the memory of a wonderful concert, but also an autograph, a selfie, and a hug.