Ronkalunga brings Cuban son with a modern twist to Miami
Whenever it seems like all new music is starting to sound the same, an artist appears to shift that narrative. That artist is the Cuban native Ronkalunga, whose music synthesizes the most traditional, creative and innovative aspects of Cuban music to remind us that Cuba still has the ability to surprise.
Ronkalunga exploded on social media with his song “El Carnicero,” which has the perfect dose of double entendre and cheekiness. It’s a tribute to the elegance of composers and performers who, for centuries, have hinted at sex and desire without being overt. But it also has the street edge needed to get dancers moving.
Lately, he’s been everywhere: Ronkalunga meeting with Emilio Estefan, who is producing an album for him at Crescent Moon Studios; posing for photos with Leoni Torres, who teases a collaboration with Ronkalunga with the phrase: “Something very good is about to happen”, exclusively.
This 34-year-old engineer, who began singing as a child in his native Baracoa and now lives in California, is being heard everywhere, especially in Miami. On Friday he will perform at Son del Mundo, a show that brings together Cuban and African musicians at the Miami Beach Bandshell, and on May 16 he will perform at CubaNostalgia.
“I feel that finally my career is moving at the speed of my dreams. For years the slowness of the process frustrated me; I even came close to giving up when I was in Cuba,” Ronkalunga told el Nuevo Herald.
It was his friend and guitarist Danel Estrada who saved him with a line that changed his life: “Everyone likes your music, but they don’t know it yet because they haven’t heard you,” Ronkalunga said. His real name is Ronaldo Rodríguez Hernández.
Tres player José Elías, director of the band Cortadito and organizer of Son del Mundo, highlights the mastery with which Ronkalunga uses double entendre and also “the use of electronic elements in his productions, which gives the music a universal sound that is very creative and relatable.”
“Ronkalunga’s music brings a new 21st-century sound to the genre while remaining true to its roots,” Elías said, noting that May 8 is the Day of Cuban Son, which also coincides with the birthdays of two legendary soneros, Miguel Matamoros and Miguelito Cuní.
Ronkalunga gives a hint of what he will do at Son del Mundo, where Cuban music legends such as Roberto Torres and sonera Aymée Nuviola will perform.
“I will bring my music as an act of faith: an experience where rhythm and lyrics become a refuge of calm and joy,” he said. “My goal is for each audience member to feel that my music speaks directly to their personal story.”
How did you come up with the name Ronkalunga, and what does it refer to?
My real name is Ronaldo, and it’s already taken by two football giants. I knew launching my career as Ronaldo Rodríguez would be suicide on Google. Competing with the footballers was a lost battle. So I kept the Ron and started combining it with surnames from my family tree until I reached Calunga: Ron Calunga. I decided to join it and use the “k” to give it a unique visual identity.
The incredible thing was that, later on, I discovered the deep meaning of Kalunga in Central African culture: the threshold between worlds, the sea, eternity.
How did the idea for “El Carnicero” come about and what surprises has it brought you?
It’s a tribute to friendship and to the talent of great artists who, like composer Ramón David, do not seek fame. I heard it at a descarga by Ramoncito in 2012 in Santiago de Cuba and knew it was a guaranteed hit. So after years of insisting that he record it, I asked for his permission to do it myself.
It took me months of obsessive work to get the production to match what I felt about the piece. At first, the silence from the audience in Cuba hurt me; it was a deep frustration. But fate had a surprise for me in Miami. To see how a song born in a Santiago jam session became an anthem here, filling bars and stopping traffic at the airport, was extraordinary.
Double entendre has been constant in Cuban music, from La Trova Santiaguera and the Septeto Ignacio Piñeiro to El Guayabero, with whom you’re compared. What do you think you add with your art?
Being compared to Faustino Oramas “El Guayabero” is a huge honor, but my foundations are broader. I draw from the Matamoros, Ñico Saquito and Benny Moré. I grew up without television listening to that old radio that was my only window to the world, and that’s where my musical DNA was formed.
I owe my predecessors the elegance and cheekiness of double entendre, which in Cuba has always been an art of intelligence, not vulgarity. What do I add? Maybe just my voice and the freshness of my time to rescue a legacy that was getting lost among modern genres.
Tell us a bit about that album you’re recording with Emilio Estefan.
Working with Emilio Estefan is a blessing that arrived unexpectedly but at the right moment. The album consists of 10 tracks where the challenge has been to evolve without ceasing to be myself. We’re achieving a more international sound, something vital for my message to cross borders and reach ears that still don’t know son cubano. It’s an album with Cuba open to the world.
If you go:
What: Son del Mundo Concert
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave.
For tickets: https://miamibeachbandshell.com/event/son-del-mundo/ and
Also performing at CubaNostalgia, May 16 and 17, MIami Dade County Fair & Expo Center, 10901 SW 24th St, Miami. $28.79
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