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

Early life

Addys was born in 1973 in Moa, a city in the east of Holguín Province. 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 ...

Mexican rancheras Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

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 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 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, Gary Brooker,

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, Compay Segundo and Tito Nieves. 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 CAE may refer to: Organisations Aviation * CAE Aviation, a Luxembourgian aviation services company * CAE Inc. (formerly Canadian Aviation Electronics), a Canadian manufacturer of simulation technologies and training provider * Régional Compagnie A ...

, her label Media Luna 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. 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 ...

s, ukuleles and a Cuban tres, Addys sings of a rainy Saturday in summer, a

Sabado Roto Saturday is the day of the week between Friday and Sunday. No later than the 2nd century, the Romans named Saturday ("Saturn's Day") for the planet Saturn, which controlled the first hour of that day, according to Vettius Valens. The day's na ...

(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. 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