Addys Mercedes (, formerly known as Addys D'Mercedes) is a

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

pop and world music singer living in Germany and Spain. She made her UK debut in 2001 at the Guildford Festival and since then has undertaken two

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed b ...

Early life

Addys was born in 1973 in

Moa Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. The term has also come to be used for chicken in many Polynesian cultures and is found in the names of many chicken recipes, such as Kale moa and Moa Samoa. Moa or MOA may also refer ...

, a city in the east of

Holguín Province Holguín () is one of the provinces of Cuba, the third most populous after Havana and Santiago de Cuba. It lies in the southeast of the country. Its major cities include Holguín (the capital), Banes, Antilla, Mayarí, and Moa. The province ha ...

. At the age of 10, she had learnt a vast repertoire – from Cuban songs to

bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It has ...

s, Mexican rancheras to American pop-songs. At the age of 15, Addys started performing with her first professional band ''Timbre Latino''. Shortly thereafter, she was asked by the nationally successful band "Los Neiras" to join them. At the age of 18, Addys became part of a newly founded band with a daily gig in the tourist area

Guardalavaca Guardalavaca is a town in the Holguín Province of Cuba. It is a tourist location due to its white sandy beaches and warm waters. Guardalavaca beach is protected by a large coral reef and is visited by both local Cubans and tourists. Most Cuban w ...

. During the periodo especial, when food was difficult to obtain, this was the gig every musician was dreaming of. She had a room in the hotel and was fully catered. With the fee and tips she made, she was able to support her family. In 1993, Addys was invited to Germany and quickly learned German. She founded her first trio and began writing her own songs. She regularly visited her family in Cuba but also absorbed the new influences of her new home.

Musical career

In 1999, she moved to

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

and was signed by the label Media Luna. She began the production of her debut album which was mainly recorded in Havana with musician friends from her hometown.

Raúl Planas Enrique Raúl Planas Fernández (September 18, 1920 – February 28, 2001) was a popular Cuban singer and songwriter. He performed and recorded with many bands and musicians, including Carlos Barbería y su Orquesta Kubavana, Sonora Matancera, ...

was a special guest on the recording. Mundo Nuevo was released in 2001 by the label Media Luna (Warner) and became a huge success in European media. In 2003, Addys released her second album, ''Nomad'' (Media Luna / Sony), recorded in Germany and Barcelona and mixed her Cuban roots with electronic elements. She performed in many concerts and toured in 16 European countries, sharing stages with artists like

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

Bob Geldof Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof (; born 5 October 1951) is an Irish singer-songwriter, and political activist. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s as lead singer of the Rock music in Ireland, Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats, who achieved ...

Mike Rutherford Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford (born 2 October 1950) is an English guitarist, bassist and songwriter, co-founder of the rock band Genesis. Rutherford and keyboardist Tony Banks are the group's two continuous members. Initially servin ...

Gary Brooker Gary Brooker (29 May 1945 – 19 February 2022) was an English singer and pianist, and the founder and lead singer of the rock band Procol Harum. Early life Born in Hackney Hospital, East London, on 29 May 1945, Brooker grew up in Hackney ...

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

Juan Luis Guerra Juan Luis Guerra Seijas (born June 7, 1957) is a Dominican musician, singer, composer, and record producer. He has sold 30 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. Throughout his career, he has wo ...

Compay Segundo Máximo Francisco Repilado Muñoz Telles (18 November 1907 – 13 July 2003), known professionally as "Compay Segundo", was a Cuban trova guitarist, singer and composer. Biography Compay (meaning ''compadre'') Segundo, so called because he w ...

and

Tito Nieves Humberto "Tito" Nieves (born June 4, 1959; also known "El Pavarotti de la Salsa") is a Puerto Rican musician who became one of the leading salsa singers of the 1980s and the early 1990s. Born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, and raised in the Unite ...

. Singles and video clips were made for her songs ''Mundo Nuevo'', ''Gitana Loca'' and ''Esa Voz''. In addition to the albums produced by Cae Davis, her label

Media Luna The Media Luna () or Media Luna Ampliada () refers to a group of four departments – Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando, and Tarija – in Bolivia which are home to a greater proportion of opponents to the national government led by Evo Morales ...

released several remixes from DJs Andry Nalin (''Afro D'Mercedes''), Ramon Zenker (''Cha Ka Cha''), Tony Brown (''Mundo Nuevo''), Guido Craveiro (''Cry It Out'') and 4tune Twins (''Oye Colombia'') From 2005 to 2011, Addys lived in Germany and the Canarian island of

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

. In Spain she frequently appeared on TV and performed on national TV-stations like Antena3, Tele5, MTV and other local stations. Since 2011, Addys has been living in

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and D ...

, Germany. That May, her new single ''Sabado Roto'' was released. Produced by Cae Davis and Pomez di Lorenzo (Sasha, Dick Brave), Sabado Roto is the first single out of the third album ''Addys'' released in 2012. Different from her last Album ''Nomad'', electronic elements completely disappeared. Accompanied by

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

s and a Cuban tres, Addys sings of a rainy Saturday in summer, a Sabado Roto (broken Saturday). In addition to shows with her band, Addys started a Trio with Pomez di Lorenzo (guitar) and Cae Davis (bass) under the name En Casa de Addys. In it, Addys provides vocals and also plays guitar, cajon and Cuban percussion instruments such as maracas, guiro and

claves Claves (; ) are a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of short, wooden sticks about 20–25 centimeters (8–10 inches) long and about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in diameter. Although traditionally made of wood (typically rosewood, ebony o ...

. During her 2-month spring tour in 2012 she was accompanied by her daughter Lia on violin, who was a junior student at

Folkwang University The Folkwang University of the Arts is a university for music, theater, dance, design, and academic studies, located in four German cities of North Rhine-Westphalia. Since 1927, its traditional main location has been in the former Werden Abbey in ...

Discography

Albums

*''Mundo Nuevo'' (2001 Media Luna) *''Nomad'' (2003 Media Luna) *''Addys'' (2012 Media Luna)

Singles

*''Mundo Nuevo (2001 Media Luna)'' *''Gitana Loca (2005 Media Luna)'' *''Esa Voz (2005 Media Luna)'' *''Sabado Roto (2011 Media Luna)'' *''Hollywood (2012 Media Luna)'' *''Gigolo (2012 Media Luna)'' *''Rompe el Caracol (2014 Media Luna)''

References

External links

Addys Mercedes Website

Addys Mercedes' Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercedes, Addys 1973 births Living people People from Moa, Cuba Cuban emigrants to the United States 20th-century Cuban women singers Cuban women rappers 21st-century Cuban women singers