Olga Cerpa y Mestisay (Canary Islands)
Olga Cerpa, from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, grew up in a farming family and learned the traditional songs of the Canary Islands at home. As a young woman she became the lead singer of Mestisay, a group that explores the Atlantic side of Canarian music and its ties to Latin America. They have released some twenty recordings since Más al Sur (1988) and have collaborated with artists including Omara Portuondo, Albita, and Cabo Verdean singer Nancy Vieira. Their album Vereda Tropical (2018) won Cuba’s Cubadisco International Award and was nominated for a Latin Grammy.
Featured Song:
Written by Manuel González Ortega, “Canción para Habana” (Song for Havana) is a tribute to the Cuban capital from the Canary Islands, which have long ties to Cuba through emigration. The singer hears the sea she comes from running in Havana’s veins and finds in the city a blend of both worlds: “Because you are tropics and volcano / Salt spray and lava / Sand and salt, palm tree in the sun / Moonlit summit.” The song features Cabo Verdean guitarist Bau, born Rufino Almeida in Mindelo, who was musical director of Cesária Évora’s band in the late 1990s and performed with Mestisay in the 2022 stage show El Sueño de Cabo Verde.
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