Boni and Kelly have their bags packed to go to Ciego de Avila. They are working the final details on their repertoire that after the six-year absence is virtually unknown to their followers on the island. They have innumerable art projects and they are thinking to carrying them out where they were born.
The Pina Colada Festival, an event dedicated to fusion music takes place in Ciego de Avila, will be an opportunity to make us aware of the work of the duo. There they will sing the singles of everybody in love, the last of the three phonograms made in U.S. and as they told OnCuba exclusively that it soon will be available in Cuba, thanks to a license signed with the Egrem label.
Boni describes as essential the moment they are living. “We are in our country after a long tour of Europe and America, where we have been residing because our work and always, of course, representing Cuban music, from the very start,” he says.
Ebblis Valdivia (that is his real name) said that he and his brother Kelly made a stop “so that we could insert ourselves into the cultural spectrum of our land. We’ll make a great promotion: concerts, television, radio … We will make a great promotion to continue our contract, but through Latin America and always from Cuba.”
– How do you expect people will receive you after this absence?
Kelly: “We ran into ten year old children and they recognized us. We went to fulfil our contract for six years and they were three or four years old. Now they see us in the street and say, “Boni and Kelly”, and have their pictures taken with us. It’s very nice, because we were not expecting anybody to remember us.
“It’s so cute and pleasant to reconnect with the younger audience. It encourages us to keep going. The older ones have welcomed us with love and that also gratifies us, “he says.
Represented on the island by the Agency Musicuba, Kelly notes that precisely the latest release, Everybody in love, is what they are currently promoting and announces that he has “talked and discussed with EGREM to license it.”
“We recorded Everybody in love out of Cuba. We have three albums behind us and they were made in the United States and Spain. We are thinking about doing our fourth album, but that one we want to do it with EGREM.
In fact, we say that this album and the previous one, Dame tu mano, have already entered Cubadisco 2013 (most important music recording event of Cuba). So we will be there and have great expectations”
Always defending pop and fusion of the genre with Afro-Cuban and Latin rhythms, the work of these artists is cataloged as Cuban dance, but also borders romantic music.
How much of Charanga Habanera and of El Clan Boni and Kelly carry with them, respectively? That is a question that Ebblis Valdivia responds calmly and with passion: “Imagine, they were our schools. La Charanga Habanera was that for me and David Calzado was a teacher who gave me all the green light to go forward and lead our project. Same thing happened to my brother with the Clan. We had the dignity to face a career, which is really nice when is in family and we are doing it like that”.
Hits like El Boni y Ese soy yo grabbed a public always eager enjoy our popular dance music. Where are those hits? I inquire. Boni says they are in each performance.
“We have a very wide repertoire, but we always include a remix of both songs. It’s amazing how people remember them fondly, because those singles are from the early days. They always work and our fans enjoy them, “he says.
– Expectations with Pina Colada?
Kelly: “We have many. It’s our first time at this festival with our friend and brother Arnaldo Rodriguez. We will to all the people in Ciego de Avila province our last phonogram, which is practically new for them. ”
– What other immediate projects do you have?
Boni: “We want to do a tour of all the country’s universities. Although I think it started the other day with a concert at the Cujae. We are involved in making a great promotion throughout the island and, especially, many concerts in the provinces. Besides maintaining our international career, we will not stay away long from the Cuban public. We want them to know about us and that we are here. From Cuba to the world, that is our motto. ”
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