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I'm Kelvis Ochoa and I generally write my own songs.
I make… between different genres, I mix little of what's known as "guaracha",
"sucu sucu", oriental conga, and well, I put all this together and create a blend, you know,
a rhythm, because they captivate me, and they've captivated me all my life.
I come from a family of musicians;
my grandfather had one of these organs that came from France,
and it was fantastic to get up in the morning and see my grandfather, Joaquín, putting the pieces of the organ together...
So, I grew up around that, and wanted to make music since I was little.
After seeing my grandfather, my father, everyone bundled onto that carriage all day,
well, it was clear I had to get out there, you know, and that's where I made my songs from.
I started to write poetry and mixed it a little with music,
and I think that's where I started to get a better idea, you know,
of what I was going to do for the rest of my life.
"…En una noche triste te alegraras la conga se te sube a la cabeza,
en una noche triste te alegraras la conga se te sube a la cabeza…."
There's a Cuban duo who have been very important in my career, called "Gema y Pavel",
who came to Cuba to form a group of young musicians and singers,
one of which - I'm lucky enough to say - is me, and this gave me the chance to record what was my first album,
my first experience in recording, which is called "Habana Oculta".
We all went on tour and we worked for a few years in Spain after that.
During that time I released a record with BMG, and I started to save money to start producing, to produce my own records.
And well, from then on, I got together with some good friends, got involved, and I recorded this record which is called "Curandera",
which is just about to come out, and then the other thing I've done is this one with Descemer which is called "Amor y Música",
a record which we made, we have the masters, we all worked on it.
"…Dolor no dirán quien soy,
te dará la enhorabuena,
brillante y tu no podrás hablar, tomaras la decisión,
que es la virtud del sentido,
me diste la ilusión de tener un instante, instante creado……"
I usually compose the music first and then add the lyrics afterwards.
The words have their own rhythm
and their own cadence, and I try not to throw this in over a melody.
I try to let the set, I mean, I let them do what they want, like a blend of herbs, both melody and lyrics…
I mean, I try to let them form part of the same thing, that's generally how I write.
I've also composed songs for others, such as those on the film "Habana Blues".
We were responsible for their direction, we were given a situation and that's what we worked on, you know.
I really enjoy composing as a profession, seriously.
I don't have any academic music training.
I can't read sheet music;
there's no, I mean, if you give me a sheet of music to read, all I see are little flowers and butterflies…
I can't read music at all, but I was lucky enough to be surrounded by
musicians, writers, painters, who made up my world, and that was my school.
"…Despierta que llego un nuevo día, mi curandera,
que no te ahoguen, ni sofoquen los problemas,
ay mi curandera, tu me enseñaste que son maravillosas,
ay mi curandera, te voy siguiendo por caminos y veredas... "
I don't know, I always try to be a very simple person.
I'm from the country, and I've never wanted to be anything different.
I've always wanted to be who I am, and that's why I have the friends I have and the people who love me.
Then you have the divine gift that your songs
- which are really your dreams, and your worries, your conflicts, you know -
that they have an effect on people.
I think the public have also made my songs part of their lives,
and they feel them as though they were their own…
when I perform a concert, in an open place, well the stage gets flooded with the sound of their voices,
and it's incredible, it's as though they were singing the song.
"...Pero te voy siguiendo, mira yo te toco una rumba buena, ay mi curandera, ay mi curandera….."
ay mi curandera, ..."
Music is my feelings, it's my way of being, that's how I am.
On stage, it's as though I were cooking beans here in my house, it's the same thing.
"…Mi amor, yo te quiero… "