Ahead of her upcoming album Cubafonía, slated to drop in March, Daymé Arocena has emerged with her latest single “Mambo Na’Mà.”
Inspired by the second line sounds of New Orleans, the soulful singer blends mambo and jazz as she scats over a captivating Afro-Cuban percussion beat.
The fusion doesn’t suggest that the Havana-bred vocalist has plans to abandon the musical traditions of her native country, but it is impossible to dismiss her ever-growing palette of influences. “What I wish for the most is more openness, information and freedom of expression, especially in music,” Arocena told Remezcla last year.
With hopes to connect Cuba to life outside of its borders, she later expressed, “We need to be in the world and be part of the world, and we need for the world to pay attention to what’s happening in Cuba.”
See how she takes on the challenge below: