Diego Gutiérrez (singer-songwriter)

Diego Gutierrez ( Ciego de Avila, September 25, 1974 ) is a Cuban singer-songwriter. His work mixes elements of Nueva Trova, Latin pop, the different genres and rhythms of his country, as well as folk, World Music and rock. For his album Palante el Mambo! (2018) was nominated at the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards 2018 in the Tropical Fusion Album category.
Early life
Diego Gutierrez was born in Ciego de Avila, where he spent his childhood. There he learned in a self-taught way to play the guitar and sing the classics of the Traditional Trova and Nueva Trova. From a very young age he received the influences of the old country and popular music vinyls that were heard in his home.
Career
He began to write his first compositions at the Central University of Las Villas, where he found a cultural movement that would inspire him and drive him to pursue his musical career while studying English Language and Literature at said University. He first made himself known at amateur festivals, in which he had several Gold Diplomas, and then in recitals and tours throughout the Island.
In 1997 he founded, along with other troubadours, the La Trovuntivitis songwriter's club in El Mejunje (in English), an emblematic place in Santa Clara, from which a new generation of singer-songwriters and their annual "Longina" Festival would emerge.
He has been invited to share the stage in concerts by singer-songwriters such as David Torrens, Frank Delgado, Santiago Feliu and Carlos Varela, among others. Notable instrumentalists have participated in his records, each contributing their different genres and knowledge to the work of this singer and composer.
2000s
In 2006 he recorded his first album, De cero (Sello Unicornio, Abdala Producciones) which received three nominations and two Cubadisco Awards.
He has participated as a guest artist in the World Festival of Youth and Students in Algiers 2001 and in Caracas 2005. He was present in 2009 at the international festival of singer-songwriters Barnasants in Barcelona where he offered his art on various stages in that city and later performed a series of concerts in Valencia, Seville and Madrid .
2010s
In 2015 he was awarded the Cuerda Viva television program Award, which promotes alternative music, in the Trova category.
His second studio album Palante el Mambo! received a Cubadisco Award and a Latin Grammy Awards nomination in 2018.
In 2019 he officially released his third studio installment entitled Piloto automatico, which has the collaboration of David Torrens on one of his songs, along with other guests.
2020s
As a result of his musicalization of poems by eleven writers from Villa Clara, he was one of the winners in the "Del verso a la cancion" contest, organized by the Pablo de la Torriente Brau Cultural Center, which would become his fourth album in 2021. of study with the title Viaje al Centro de la Tierra (EGREM). To promote this work, he was invited to present it at the Montevideo Book Fair, Uruguay 2019 and at the Buenos Aires International Book Fair 2022.
His songs appear in different anthologies and are performed and recorded by various performers.
Along with his style and performance, he emphasizes his texts and his personal vision of his country's poetic and musical tradition.
Overseas
He has taken his work to the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Switzerland, Mexico, Venezuela, Uruguay, Cyprus, and Bolivia on concert tours, festivals, and various stages.
Membership
He is currently a Voting Member of the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Discography
Studio albums
2006: De cero
2018: Palante el Mambo!
2019: Piloto automatico
2021: Viaje al Centro de la Tierra
Live album
2008: Demasiado Diego . Recorded live at the Pablo de la Torriente Brau Center, Havana.
Collective records and anthologies
2001: Trovanonima.cu .
2003: Acabo de sonar . Poems by Jose Marti set to music by young Cuban troubadours.
2005: A guitarra limpia. Antologia 4 (Collective work)
2006: Te doy una cancion. Vol.1 . Tribute concert to Silvio Rodriguez
2007: Decimas del gato Simon. poems set to music by Josefina de Diego.
2009: Del verso a la cancion. Various Artists.
2018: La Trovuntivitis .
2022: Nueva Trova y mas. 50 anos. Vol.9
Awards and nominations
The Latin Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in the United States.
The Cubadisco International Fair is the largest recording event on the island and its awards are given annually.
The Lucas Awards is the most important national audiovisual festival, where the most outstanding video clips produced by filmmakers in the country in different categories are recognized annually.