End clap for Omara Portuondo, after more than sixty years on stage. The 93-year-old Cuban singer, diva of the group Buena Vista Social Club, will end her artistic career, her son and agent announced Thursday, October 3, 2024.
“We believe it is appropriate to announce Omara’s definitive retirement from the stage next Sunday, during a performance in Budapest”said Ariel Jiménez, the singer’s only son, in a message published on the artist’s Facebook page.
According to her son and agent, during a concert on Wednesday October 2 in Barcelona, the singer showed “signs of fatigue and disorientation” and had to withdraw from the stage where she sang with a Cuban group.
Omara Portuondo “is doing well, with the care and supervision of his personal doctor” who accompanies him on all his tours, added Ariel Jiménez. He clarified that she would not sing at her farewell concert in Budapest, where she will be the subject of a tribute.
Comfortable with all musical genres
Born October 29, 1930 in Havana, Omara Portuondo, known for her warm voice, has tackled several Cuban musical styles during her long career, notably the bolero and the “the field” or « feeling »a style with romantic themes influenced by North American jazz.
His participation in the Buena Vista Social Club, a musical project which brought together several forgotten glories of the golden age of Cuban music at the end of the 1990s, made him known on stages around the world.
Buoyed by this triumph, she released the album “Buena Vista Social Club presents Omara Portuondo”. The singer also won two Latin Grammy’s for her albums “Gracias” (2009) and “Vida” (2023), as well as that of “Musical Excellence” (2019).
