Yusa

Born and raised in the Buena Vista area, now known as Playa, Yusa split her time between her love of music and her love of the sea. Influenced by her father, who was a sailor, Yusa started playing guitar at a young age, moving on to piano and bass lessons. While attending the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory with contemporaries such as Roberto Carcasses, Yusa would often be found performing in school corridors. From there she joined an improvisational jazz quintet called Quasi-Jazz. The group often performed at the famous Cuban jazz club El Zorro y el Cuervo.

Citing American musicians such as Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder, as well as British singers like Peter Gabriel and Sting, Yusa performed in bars and nightclubs in Havana throughout much of the '90s. In 2001, Yusa began working on her debut album. Recording at a large house on Vedado Once as well as at the Amadeo Roldan Theatre, Yusa released her self-titled debut album in 2002 on Tumi Records. Her music has been described as a melding of jazz, rock and modern Brazilian music. ~