Yusa, Cuban singer. In the late 1980s, she enrolled in the Alejandro García Caturla Elementary Music School (1110 120th Street between 9th and 13th Streets, Cubanacán, Playa, Havana) and later in the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory (1 Rastro Street, Old Havana, Havana), specializing in classical guitar. She failed her first year of secondary school, so she put her guitar aside. She later graduated with a degree in tres music, becoming the first Cuban woman to earn that degree.

Her debut album, titled Yusa, was released under the Tumi Music label in 2001 and achieved notable success in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Japan, and the United States.

In 2004, she was nominated for the BBC Awards in London. That same year, she toured eleven English cities with Lila Downs and Susana Baca as part of the “Latin American Voices” (Latin Women) Tour.

She presented her second album, Breathe, under the same record label as her first, in May 2005 at the National Theater of Cuba (Paseo and 39th Street, Vedado, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana). On that occasion, she was accompanied by thirty-six guests. Among the tracks featured on this album is “De Colores,” featuring the South American singer Lenine. Breathe was produced by Descemer Bueno and featured Haydeé Milanés. That same year, the DVD “Yusa Live at Ronnie Scout’s” was released.

In 2005, as a guest of BLUE NOTE in Japan, she offered a series of shows with her band at the jazz venue located in Tokyo.

She was invited by Lenine, one of Brazil’s most prestigious musicians and composers, to join the Planetary Trio, with the goal of recording the live CD and DVD Lenine in Cité in Paris. He also invited her to play with him at the closing ceremony of the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro at the Maracanã Stadium.

In 2009, he performed in various cities in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. In 2010, he toured Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil, and visited several cities in Argentina. He presented the “Descarga con amigos” series at the Buenos Aires club Café Vinilo, where he shared the stage with Liliana Herrero, Tonolec, Raly Barrionuevo, and Hugo Fattoruso.

In October, after presenting his latest album, he traveled to Europe to tour with Interactivo Band and his show “Yusa Solo Set,” which spanned Scandinavia, France, and Switzerland. In November, he performed two shows for Havana Club in Chile before more than 1,000 people. He closed the year in Buenos Aires, where he performed four concerts at the CAFF with his band.

This year, 2011, he toured Scandinavia during the month of February. The following three months included traveling to various cities in Argentina, and he performed in Buenos Aires for the second “Descarga con amigos” series at the Café Vinilo jazz club. At the end of June, he performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada for the first time.

His discography includes the release of Haiku (Poem), his third album, in 2008, and Vivo (2010), his most recent.

Her repertoire as a performer and her compositions as an author feature a cocktail of diverse musical genres, including rock, jazz, pop, Brazilian rhythms, and Cuban music such as rumba, trova, and son.

Yusa has worked in several groups such as Soneras Son, Quasi Jazz, Mezcla, and Interactivo. She plays several musical instruments, including piano, bass, guitar, and cajón. She also sings backing vocals and performs her own songs.

She also works as a producer, making her debut in that capacity with the CD A diario (2007), a solo work by Telmary. She has also produced an album by the Mexican-Canadian-Brazilian group, People Project, on which she was invited to play and co-produce.

He has toured internationally in various countries: England, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Brazil, Japan, among others.

Commercial categories have included her in the World Music category, and she has been compared to Peruvian Susana Baca, Mexican Lila Downs, and Brazilian María Rita. Yusa belongs to the so-called Latin American “Generation of 2000” and is considered one of the Latin musical phenomena of the New Millennium.

Discography: Yusa (2001); Breathe (2005); Haiku (2008); Vivo (2010).