Carlos Varela

Carlos Victoriano Varela Cerezo, known as Carlos Varela, was born on April 11, 1963, in Havana, Cuba. He is a Cuban singer-songwriter and a prominent figure in the nueva trova movement, He began his career with studies in Theater at the Instituto Superior de Arte, which influenced his dramatic and poetic performances. Even though he made his official debut in 1989 with the LP Jalisco Park, Carlos Varela's breakthrough came in the early 1990s when he released his second album Monedas al Aire, featuring the song "Muro", later covered by Miguel Bosé. In 1995, Carlos Varela embarked on an extensive tour with Joaquín Sabina across Spain and released the album Como Los Peces, which won the Premio Ondas in the category of Artista Revelación. This period also saw him collaborate with Sabina on "Tan Joven y Tan Viejo", a hit single for Sabina's album Yo Mí Me Contigo. He continued to tour internationally, performing alongside notable artists such as Silvio Rodríguez, Pablo Milanés, and Mercedes Sosa. His 2000 album Nubes included the acclaimed songs "Muros y puertas" and "Una palabra", which gained further recognition when featured in films like Alejandro González Iñárritu's short film for BMW and Tony Scott's Man on Fire. In 2015, Varela released the EP Una Palabra, followed by the album El Grito Mudo (2019) and Nada Es Como Antes (2025).