I sang on stage
My name is Laura González Guterres, A Cuban female singer who now lives in Beijing and, in addition to being the lead singer, I am also responsible for flute playing in the band.
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I was born in 1992 in the city of Camagüey, central Cuba. It was the home of my mother, who was from Havana, the capital of Cuba. The city of Camaguei has a Spanish colonial architecture in the Caribbean, which is special to me and is where I grew up.
I grew up in the city of Camagüey in central Cuba
The streets of Camaguei City are narrow, like a labyrinth. In ancient times, pirates were rampant in the Caribbean Sea, and such streets could be converted into fortifications in emergency hours to resist pirate invasions. There are many mixed-race people in Cuba, such as black and white mixed race, white and Indian mixed blood, and so on. My grandparents immigrated from Spain, so I'm partially white, and maybe that's why I look like European. But in fact, our family is also a mixed-race family, my brother and sister look completely different from me, their hair is pure black, like Asians, they are now working in the United States.
I was with my friends when I was a kid (the one in the middle was me)
My childhood was relatively simple. At that time, Cuba did not have an internet or a mobile phone, and spent most of its time with her family. Every Sunday I would go to my grandparents' house and the whole family would get together for dinner. Our family is more equal, and my parents treat me like friends, often chatting, telling jokes and making games together. My mother was a housewife, my father worked in a communications company, and our family was middle class in Cuba.
I was playing the flute
When I was seven years old, my parents divorced. My father went to Santa Clara, where my grandparents lived. After that, I used to travel back and forth to the city where my parents were, and although life changed a lot, I never felt that they didn't love me anymore. Most of the time I lived with my mother, but it was also easy to get to Santa Clara, so I was often able to see my father, grandpa and my brother.
Cuba also has a system similar to China's college entrance examination, and universities are divided into different levels. Before entering the university, you must take a comprehensive examination, and then choose the school and major according to the score, the higher the score, the better the major you can choose. When I graduated from high school, I wanted to go to the Higher Academy of Arts and Music in Cuba, and I had to take six subjects, including Spanish, history, music tests, and so on. History is a very important subject in Cuba. At that time, the score line was 95% of the total score, and the score line may have been slightly lowered over the years, but overall it is very difficult to go to this conservatory because it is the best conservatory in Cuba. In the end, I was lucky enough to be admitted. I majored in flute playing at the conservatory, and I also like to sing, so I won't let go of the opportunity to perform. After graduation, I first worked in a local orchestra and then went to another city as a music teacher.
I'm playing the flute
In 2017, a Cuban friend said he had a chance to perform music in China and asked if I wanted to come. I agreed without hesitation, because I was curious about this distant country. The first time I came to China, I had a very good impression, I thought the people here were very friendly, and after returning to Cuba, I applied for a scholarship to study in China.
Take a tour of the Great Wall
In 2019, I finally got the opportunity to study in China and returned to this fascinating country. Starting an undergraduate degree in Chinese Language and Literature at a university in Beijing, this year is in its third year.
I was with my teachers and classmates
I made music and gradually got to know a lot of friends in the music industry in China. Some friends perform in bars and sometimes invite me to play the flute. On the 4th of last month, I had a performance at the Blue Note Jazz Club in Beijing, and I was in charge of flute playing and singing, and everyone was very happy.
I play at the Blue Note Club in Beijing, and everyone is welcome to come and see you later
I used the guitar to play and sing Jay Chou's "Mojito", I like this song very much, the first time I listened to it was recommended to me by a Chinese friend. Cuban music is very different from Chinese music, and there are not many Chinese who know Cuban music, and even fewer people can tap into its charm. After the release of this song, many Chinese fans have learned more about Cuba.
"Mojito" is very Cuban, and the Cuba in Jay Chou's eyes is similar to the Cuba in my eyes. I don't think there's anything wrong with this song. The only difference may be that cuban music is mostly pure cheerfulness, but in my opinion, the melody of Jay Chou's "Mojito" seems to have a faint sadness in it.
Speaking of Chinese musicians, in addition to Jay Chou, I also know Wu Yifan. I wasn't impressed with his music, though, and knew he was because of his recent news. My Chinese friends are all talking about this, and I have seen a lot of foreign media reports on his case online.
Play with a band
I know that he has just been arrested by the police, which means that the police must have some factual evidence. Such incidents are very bad, especially for girls, I have the impression that Chinese culture is more traditional and introverted, and the fact that such a thing happens is a big surprise.
Travel with Chinese friends
In fact, there are many such things in the foreign entertainment industry, but I really did not expect it to happen in China. These girls are young, they have a good future, and it is not known whether they will be psychologically traumatized.
Be with your classmates
But Wu Yifan's incident did not affect my view of China and Chinese, I think now Chinese open-minded and inclusive, I came to China and received a lot of care, here is like home. But life here is fast-paced. In Cuba, everyone loves to chat with their neighbors, and people will be closer to each other.
My friends and I came to Shanghai to play
I think it's amazing that China has been able to achieve what it is today in such a short period of time, and I appreciate China's development model, especially in terms of the economy. Cuba is still relatively backward in all aspects, needs China's help, and we need to absorb new ideas. In the future, I hope that more Chinese people will go to Cuba to see and bring more ideas and vitality.
I'm at the City God Temple
For me, the most important thing at the moment is to study, especially to learn Chinese. I hope to go to graduate school in China, but I am not sure yet, I have a year to consider, I hope I can find my own direction in China.
Narrator: Laura González Gutiérrez
Interview: King Rowde