New Releases
OMARA: Farewell World Tour Vida 2023 & Album Release

The legendary Omara Portuondo is soul touching as ever on her latest album VIDA. Wonderfully produced by the Grammy Nominated Singer Gaby Moreno, with songs carefully selected together with her son, Ariel Jimenez, VIDA features an impressive line up of some of Latin Americas most emblematic artists, singing alongside the Cuban Novia del feeling. VIDA is an album destined to become a classic!
VIDA is the latest album release by Omara Portuondo, the grand Cuban “Lady of Feeling”. At the age of 90, Omara found her self stuck in Havana due to the pandemic, and the busy lady, like everyone else, had to put the tours on hold. Known for her compassion and her sense of humanity, Omara naturally chose to express herself through music in those significant times of human history. Omara has so much love to give and with her tremendous energy, she invited life long friends and colleagues to participate in the long distance project, a way to keep each other close. Omara’s son, Ariel Jiménez Portuondo, who has been taking care of Omara’s career and her well-being for the past two decades, organised the recordings, well knowing his mothers need of action. Ariel found the perfect artistic producer, the recently Grammy nominated Guatemalan singer- song writer, Gaby Moreno, who has a similar soft and kind personality as Omara. This album is a tribute to Omara’s musical legacy.

The album starts with a beautiful duet, the Latin Grammy Nominated song Bolero a La Vida by Gaby Moreno. On “VIDA” Omara sings together with a stellar line up of legendary singers. Anyone who has loved Cuban and Latin music of the last 50 years will recognise the beauty of the timeless songs. “VIDA” reflects Omara’s thoughts and feelings during this heavy period, as well as being a general homage to life. Like so many others, she found herself mourning dear friends lost to the pandemic. The ballads “Silencio” and “Duele” reflect her ‘melancolía’. Besides Covid, the year 2020 brought to the surface another pandemic: the one of systemic racism and violence. Unfortunately the murder of George Floyd was just reflecting that what has been a reality for black people in the US since the times of slavery. “I was very sad and upset by the murder of George Floyd. I told myself, it is time to sing “Now” again!”, Omara explains, and by this song, she elegantly show her protest in support of BLM. The song was originally song by Lena Horne in 1963, and in the 70’es, Omara made it famous in Cuba.
YouTube Video – Omara Portuondo ft. Gaby Moreno
Deep inside Omara’s heart, there’s always joy and optimism, surplus and gratitude for what became her destiny as a singer, as an artist, as a woman, as a human. Gaby Moreno’s “Bolero a la Vida”, got them a Latin Grammy Nomination, “Honrar la Vida” sung beautifully together with Rubén Blades, “Sé Feliz” with Keb’ Mo’ and “Gracias a la vida” with Natalia Lafourcade, all reflect Omara’s eternal positive spirit. “Con 2 que se quieran”, sung together with Amaury Pérez and Alexander Abreu, is an explosion of a party to leave you with a smile, dancing down your road of life.
One World is honoured to once again present our beloved Cuban Queen who has touched our hearts a lifetime. The upcoming tour will begin magically in India, and continue to Europe, USA, Mexico Colombia and more… Let’s celebrate Omara World Wide!

Content source: One World
-
Albums10 years ago
Isabel Bayrakdarian – Ravel, Sayat-Nova & Kradjian: Troubadour and the Nightingale
-
Albums9 years ago
Banda Magda Presents: Yerakina
-
Interviews10 years ago
Conversation with Chris McKhool from Sultans of String
-
Albums10 years ago
A Fascination With “Bombay”: Richard Bennett; Bombay Dub Orchestra