Andrés Cepeda grew up surrounded by his father’s records: boleros, son, Cuban music, and voices that filled the house with Caribbean rhythms that awakened his artistic vocation. It was there that his dream of one day singing alongside Celia Cruz was born , without imagining that this wish would come true years after her death.
“A recurring question in interviews is: ‘Which deceased artist would you have liked to record a song with?’ And my answer has always been: in the realm of the impossible, I would love to sing with Celia Cruz. When I was recording this album, I remembered that, when I was very young, in one of the first studios where I worked, I witnessed a recording that Mrs. Celia Cruz made, with “Las Pilanderas” being one of the songs recorded in that session,” Cepeda comments
.
Recently, Cepeda began the authorization process with Celia Cruz ‘s family and her record label, Universal Music , to access the original master recording. After obtaining permission, he was able to blend his voice with the Cuban artist’s original vocals, creating a previously unreleased duet that will be officially presented this Friday as a preview of the second volume of his Big Band project; a work that already earned him a Latin Grammy Award in its inaugural year.
‘Las Pilanderas’ is a celebration of our musical heritage and the joy that always characterized Celia and that identifies Colombia, the country she loved intensely. We are deeply grateful to Andrés Cepeda for his talent, respect, and affection in creating this beautiful tribute that unites two generations of Latin music with such heart and authenticity.”
This release, which represents an emotional bridge between generations and a celebration of the eternal power of music to unite voices, times and hearts, will be available from November 7 on all streaming platforms.
This year marks the centennial of the birth of Celia Cruz , the iconic “Queen of Salsa .” To commemorate this, she will be honored with a special event during Latin Grammy Week in Las Vegas. Next Tuesday, November 11, prominent artists will gather to pay tribute to her musical legacy. Andrés Cepeda is the only Colombian invited by the
Celia Cruz Foundation , where he will perform “Las Pilanderas” with Lena Burke.
And as if that weren’t enough, there’s another reason to celebrate for the Bogota-born singer-songwriter, who has three important nominations this year: the recent announcement by The Latin Recording Academy® confirming his performance at the Premiere of the most important event in Latin music, the 26th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards® , which will take place on Thursday, November 13, at the Mandalay Bay South Convention Center, and will be broadcast live across all of The Latin Academy’s platforms starting at 3 pm ET / 12 pm