Haydée Milanés Reflects on Her Father's Disillusionment with the Cuban Revolution

Cuban singer Haydée Milanés has opened up in a recent interview about her father, the legendary troubadour Pablo Milanés, and his profound sense of disillusionment with the Cuban Revolution at the time of his death. "My dad believed in the project, in the social justice the Cuban revolution promised. He sang love songs because he trusted it would be something genuinely good for his people," she shared with journalist Carla Gloria Colomé from El País. However, she acknowledged that over time, her father realized it was all a deception.

"My father died with the pain of having sung with such love to something that was a sham from the beginning, something that used him and ultimately destroyed a country, a nation, and its people. That breaks your soul," the singer expressed. She has inherited not only her father's musical sensitivity but also his disenchantment with the Cuban regime.

Exile and Awakening

Since her move to Miami in 2022, Milanés has been vocal about the repression and censorship in Cuba, issues her father also endured. "What awakened me was living close to my father and witnessing his reality—his struggles, the way he tried to effect change within Cuba. He confronted power many times, attempted to invest his money in a foundation, only to have doors slammed in his face," she recounted.

Milanés openly discussed the censorship and harassment she experienced in Cuba for voicing her opinions. While not officially banned, her music was restricted in official media, denied airplay on the radio and television, and her concerts were canceled without explanation. "They don't tell you you're banned, but you find out through people working in those places who take risks to play your music," she noted.

Facing Repression

Her exclusion intensified after she refused to perform at government-organized political events. "I refused to sing for the Five Heroes or party militants. There came a point where I felt discomfort if I wanted to perform in a theater; they were predisposed against me and placed obstacles in my path," she said. Since 2009, she had been prevented from touring nationally and was denied logistical support under pretexts like lack of transportation or lodging, while other regime-friendly artists received those resources.

She also faced surveillance and warnings from State Security due to her social media posts. "High-ranking cultural officials visited my home because of my stances on social media, where I denounced repression against artists, activists, or journalists, or spoke on elemental issues I felt were my right and duty as a citizen to address," she revealed.

New Music and a Dream for Change

After years without recording, Milanés recently released "Duele," a collaboration with rapper El B, expressing her pain for Cuba and her desire for change. "We infused this song with strength, a desire, and a decree of freedom, of hope, that yes, we will succeed in liberating that country, in reclaiming it; that country belongs to us," she affirmed. The song combines love and heartbreak, a plea to God, Oshún, and the Patroness of Cuba for a way out of this nightmare.

"I had a strong need to address the issue of Cuba in my music. I was doing it in my social life, but I wanted to incorporate it into my songs and lyrics," she explained. Despite rebuilding her life in Miami, Milanés confessed that one of the deepest wounds of her exile is being away from her mother, Zoe Álvarez, who remains in Cuba and is ill.

Hope for a Free Cuba

"My relationship with her is very strong, very deep, and that's one of the things that pains me most about leaving, and one of the reasons why I didn't leave sooner," she said. Reflecting on the past, she acknowledges that exile has been a journey of learning and renewal, although she never wanted to leave Cuba. "I did everything possible to stay. I realized it wasn't feasible. I felt they would destroy me, ruin my mental and physical health," she confessed.

Regarding a potential return to the island, Milanés made it clear she won't perform in Cuba while the regime remains in power. "I won't perform in Cuba because it involves dealing with official institutions, and I no longer want to do that," she stated. However, she dreams of a free Cuba with democracy, prosperity, and justice. "I want Cuba to change, to be able to return and be part of rebuilding the Cuba we desire—a free Cuba, a democratic Cuba that can flourish, a Cuba of prosperity, joy, hope, justice, unity, where different parties exist; where those currently in power, who have shown themselves to be corrupt and have turned their backs on the people, are no longer in charge."

With this interview, Haydée Milanés not only honors her father's legacy but also reaffirms her political stance and commitment to change in Cuba.