CubaPLUS Magazine

Hailing from a family of great Cuban musicians, the Alfonso family, the well-known singer and composer Eme considers that her destiny is music because, almost since she opened her eyes, her life has been lived in the world of musical notes.

"I started studying music when I was seven years old. Before that age, living with my parents' professional life led me to show an interest in art. It was a way to spend more time with them, being part of their projects, and because there was no other way, between so many rehearsals, concerts and tours. I grew up surrounded by music, that was life back then," explained the artist in an interview with this magazine.

"I'm not really aware of having had a vocation or not. I imagine that my own indirect musical education had an effect on me to follow that path, but I didn't make any decisions regarding my musical career, it was destiny," she said.

This talented singer-songwriter began her studies at the Alejandro García Caturla conservatory in the capital - piano and choral singing -, then continued studying choral conducting at the Escuela Nacional de Arte and later joined her parents' band. In 2009, she recorded her first solo album, Señales, after which she began her individual career.

Despite her youth, Eme has already had a long career with three albums under her belt, winners of the Cubadisco award in the fusion category. Her videos have also been recognized as the best of the year, her song Quiero was awarded for composition at the Ibermusicas International Festival, and she later recorded it with well-known trova singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez.

On top of that, last year she shared the Latin Grammy in the category of Best Folk Album for Ancestros Sinfónico, about the work of Síntesis, an emblematic group founded by her parents, orchestrated on this occasion by her brother X Alfonso.

When answering a question about the type of music she prefers for her repertoire she said: "I can't say that I use a specific formula for my arrangements or composing. Jazz is part of me, like many other genres. I listen to all kinds of music, including classical.
"The music I make is beautifully linked to my culture and there is Afro-Cuban, of course; rumba, danzón, trova, boleros... I like to create and have enough ingredients to enrich the creation," she emphasized.

"Composing, producing and directing is something that I have seen at home and that gives me a lot of pleasure. Síntesis nurtured me a lot, helped me understand music in a wonderful way, taught me to love my culture and to get on stage with ease. But I have always been very independent, even personally," she said.

For this young singer, her family has been a fundamental factor in her personal and professional life and she considers their influence to be quite marked. "My mother is the boss, she has great artistic sensitivity and objectivity and is the one who makes everything possible. My father, who has been the artistic director of Síntesis all his life, is a very active and creative composer. My brother is a very determined and hardworking person, he is extremely artistic and creative. It would have been strange with that background and with the level of determination they have, if I didn't do the same with my career and make my own decisions," she added.

She added: "My parents' music has always been present in all my projects, even personal ones. Honestly, an afternoon with them, listening to anything, laughing and sharing has nurtured me more than anything. The trust they have always placed in me, as parents and also that of my brother, has been decisive".

Eme is a furious admirer of her brother and in that sense she pointed out: "X is very X, he is a great artist with all its consequences, he never stops creating, not even if he is asleep. To have such a person as a reference is incredible. He has influenced me a lot in my life, not only in my career. Even though we have some years between us, we have always been close. I've been part of almost all his projects or at least I've been quite close to them, but really, because I like him. And above all, I love him very much as a human being. He is a beautiful person and I love to see him smile".

When talking about her own projects she highlighted, first of all, that she and her family are very focused on Ancestros Sinfónico, which requires time and dedication. "I hope that in the coming year we will continue doing shows and taking it forward. I’m due to release a new album as well... I'm working on it. Sometimes too much is demanded of us and creation is not done by machines," she considered.

"Music," Eme concluded, "is the way I have chosen to live my life, but it is a means not the end. Just like music there are many other things that make me happy, like people, moments, places. Thanks to all this, I have come a long way and for that I will be eternally grateful."