Haydée Milanes: I Make the Music I like

Haydée Milanes: I Make the Music I like
Fecha de publicación: 
30 March 2015
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A new video clip goes viral in Cuba, “Easy Song”. The original song was written decades ago by Marta Valdés, Haydée Milanes sings it and the video was produced by Fernando Pérez.

Very little times that much talent has come together in a single product. Just mentioning the name of the musicians is enough fact to assure we are witnessing an interesting and different work. Watching the video, or playing the song a couple of times on a player, fulfill the hypothesis.

“Easy song” is a brief love story that speaks of loss, nostalgia, disillusion, the wait… The singer is much more than the person who sings in the video, she is also the person who suffers and loves. Haydée unfolds before us as an actress. Her tears at the end of the video leave us, at least, thinking.

This is Fernando Pérez's first video clip that fell under a spell with Marta Valdés's music and Haydée’s performance of her songs. This won’t be the only video the young singer will release of her album "Words", dedicated to Marta's music supported by the record company Bis Music.

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In her plans, as she spoke to CubaSí, appear to keep on working in the promotion of the album, and the production of other videos.

The release of the video to the media was a golden opportunity to talk with Haydée who has established herself as a great interpreter of the contemporary song in Cuba.

Marta Valdés has spoken several times about the injustice committed with her music decades ago. However, with the album "Words" you lunched a few months ago you pay homage since you have placed her songs under the spotlight again.

I know Marta's music thanks to my father. He recorded the album "Feeling" in 1980, when I was born, he included some of Marta's songs in that album. That means I have listened to her songs since I was a child, I learned how to admire her and enjoy her music.  

For me it has been a great honor and a challenge to work with such great and respected music.

There have been times when her songs have not been sung, but she has also had moments of great splendor. I believe this is one of those recognition moments, and she should have much more, in Cuba and all over the world because this is a work with lots of musical, poetic worth, of sensibility and originality.

It’s really a pleasure to sing a work I like so much, I feel so comfortable with it and it has given me a lot as an artist.

Marta mentioned that Miriam Ramos, another great singer, who sang “Easy song” for the first time. What is the best and worst thing about making songs that already have a version?

  

I generally like to make songs that haven’t been versioned, but for this album I chose songs that had versions because they have already gotten to me. The hard part is to do something new with these songs, not repeating what is done, looking for new arrangements and ways.

At the same time that difficulty is the richest source because it allows us to study the song, get deep into it.

Except for several songwriters, author's song is not common nowadays and the audience feels no rapport either, many people seek the easy thing. However your music gets the attention among the others. Do you feel committed to defend the author's song?

I really make this music because I like. I have been really passionate about the things I’0ve done in my career, without thinking about the commercial outcome or other things.

I think that what happens today with music is in correspondence with moments of society in which people need another sort of things. There will always be public for these songs, true songs, authentic, not with an intellectuality shell neither the author's appearance, but with simple and direct language.

I have great interest in this music made without desire of becoming great hit or something like that.

What about you as a composer, how's it going?

In the album "Words", although they are not my songs, I did a lot of arrangements, and that is closely related with the composition because you pour ideas, shades, instrumentation that can transform the song without it losing the essence but giving it more senses and draw it towards me.

My songs now are waiting for the time of Marta's album to pass by. There are many songs I wrote that I want to record for my next disk.

I always like to share with musicians. There is a disk I began before that of Marta, in which I invited musicians from Brazil. I already have several songs way in advance that create bonds with authors from South America.

There are two songs recorded with Chico Buarque, another with Luis Melodía, and another with the duet Luis Felipe Gama and Ana Luisa. I co-wrote with them and did some recordings.

  

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