Inti Santana Guerra is a Cuban troubadour, born on January 31, 1974, in Havana. He graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Havana (UH) (University Avenue and Vedado neighborhood, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana). He is a self-taught musician, although he began elementary guitar studies at the Gerardo Delgado Guanche School in the municipality of Guanabacoa in 2000.

In April 1999 he appeared before the public for the first time at a university club at the Faculty of Social Communication and Journalism (G Street between 23 and 21, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana). From then on he would perform on many occasions at clubs, discos and concerts at the different faculties of the University of Havana (University Avenue and G. Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana).

In May of that same year, he began performing alongside singer-songwriter Andrés Cárdenas at the FEU (University Student Federation) House, holding a peña that ran fortnightly and then monthly until November 2000.

He has cultivated a troubadour song, with a poetic approach to the lyrics and a musical work that fuses this genre with elements of Afro-Cuban music as well as Son, Bolero, Pop-Rock, Arabic music, Brazilian music and others, which is why he has called his work Trovafusión.

Inti Santana has participated in several national events, including: meetings of the Tropa Cósmica (an international group of Trova aficionados), taking part in the opening concert at the Casa de las Américas (3rd and G Streets, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana); the Political Song Festival in Guantánamo (2000); the 6th and 7th editions of the “Longina” Trova Festival (2002 and 2003) in the province of Santa Clara; the AHS “Romerías de mayo” Festival in Holguín (2002); and the Summer Course on “Cuban Trova from its Beginnings to the Present Day” (2002). He has also participated in international events, particularly in Spain.

Among the collective concerts that have featured him are: Recital in the context of the Havana Puppet Festival (2000); Recital “Puntal Alto”, a space run with the goal of promoting the young Cuban Trova, at the Pablo de la Torriente Brau Center (63 Muralla Street between Oficios and Inquisidor, Old Havana, Havana) (2000); Puntal Alto Concert for the 1st Anniversary of this space held in the courtyard of the Pablo Center (63 Muralla Street between Oficios and Inquisidor, Old Havana, Havana), on April 10, 2001; Trovar for Lennon Concert, December 2001, at the theater of the National Museum of Fine Arts (Trocadero Street between Zulueta and Monserrate, Old Havana, Havana); Concert at La Madriguera, headquarters of the AHS in the capital (2001); “En Sepia” concert, December 2002, at the International Institute of Journalism amphitheater (G Street between 21st and 19th Streets, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana); “También” concert, with Samuel Águila, on February 22, 2003, at the National Museum of Fine Arts theater (Trocadero Street between Zulueta and Monserrate Streets, Old Havana, Havana).

Inti has shared the stage with important troubadours such as Vicente Feliú, Augusto Blanca, Alberto Tosca, Frank Delgado, Gerardo Alfonso, Polito Ibáñez, Yamira Díaz, Karel García and Carlos Lage, Ariel Barreiro, Erick Sánchez, Fernando Bécquer, Rolando Berrío (trio Enserie), Samuel Águila, William Vivanco, the Postrova duo, Ihosvani Bernal, Ariel Díaz, Charly Salgado, Silvio Alejandro, “Kinde”, Raúl Marchena, Leonardo García, Diego Gutiérrez, Heidi Igualada, Junior Navarrete, Alain Garrido, the Karma duo, Diego Cano, Víctor Quiñónez, among other musicians from all over Cuba.

He has given numerous concerts such as: “Why Not?” at the Hubert de Blanck Theater (Calzada No. 654, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución Municipality, Havana), on May 12, 2001; Concert at the theater-hall of the International Press Center (Calle 23 No. 152, corner of O, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución Municipality, Havana), October 5, 2001; Recital at the ICAIC Cultural Center in April 2002; “Chiaroscuro” at the theater of the National Museum of Fine Arts (Calle Trocadero between Zulueta and Monserrate, Old Havana, Havana), on April 21, 2002; Recital at the Cuban Book Institute (O’Relly, corner of Tacón, Old Havana, Havana) on November 11, 2002; “The Risk of the Game” A Guitarra Limpia, at the Pablo de la Torriente Center (Calle de la Muralla No. 63 between Oficios and Inquisidor. Old Havana. Havana) on March 22, 2003.

Among the albums featuring his songs are: “Puntal Alto, 1 año,” recorded live at the concert of the same name in 2001; “Todo empieza cuando…” (Everything Starts When…), with 11 songs and recorded at the studios of Radio Metropolitana (Calle N No. 310, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana) and Frank Delgado, also in 2001; and “Agujeros en la ruta 20” (Holes in Route 20), recorded at Erick Sánchez’s studio in 2002.

Inti Santana was chosen as a National Project of the AHS at the 7th edition of the “Longina” Festival in January 2003. Together with the producer Marihue Fong, he has been concerned with opening spaces for the diffusion of Trova under the criteria of Trova-Café, such as the experience in 2005 with the space called, Sol sustentable, which they organized every week at the Barbarán Club (Zoológico Avenue, Nuevo Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana), and the project La Tanda, which for years has been developed every Thursday at the Fresa y Chocolate Cultural Center (23rd and 10th Street, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana).

In 2009, troubadour Inti Santana gave a concert, accompanied by pianist Alejandro Vargas and Oriental Cuartet, at the Teatro Sala del Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (Trocadero Street between Zulueta and Monserrate Streets, Old Havana, Havana). This show was part of the result of a joint musical project, where Trova and Jazz merged to explore a new sound for Inti’s songs. It was the second edition of a previous concert that took place in May of that year in Gaudí Park, in the Coolí neighborhood (Corner of 42-A and 38 Streets, Kohly neighborhood, Playa, Havana). Both performances were supported by the Cuban Institute of Music (452 ​​15th Street between F Streets, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana) and the Hermanos Saíz Association (National Address: Pabellón Cuba, 23rd Street between N and M Streets, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana).

Singer-songwriter Inti Santana has consolidated his own unique style throughout his artistic career. His music is characterized by its proximity to Arabic music, with the frequent use of very distinctive chords and the sort of anti-cadence he employs at the beginning or end of the sung phrase; his signature feeling; and the undeniable constant fusions between the Trova heritage of all time and other musical genres, always from a contemporary sound perspective.