Daymé Arocena (born January 1992) is an Afro-Cubanjazz singer from Havana,[1][2][3] who has been described as Cuba's "finest young female singer."[4] She won the 2015 Juno Award for the best jazz album, as a member of the jazz band Maqueque performing with Canadian musician Jane Bunnett.[5]
Arocena is on National Public Radio's (NPR) list of 50 favourite albums of 2015, with the album Nueva Era.[6] Describing Arocena's voice, NPR host Felix Contreras called her "a cross between Celia Cruz and Aretha Franklin," saying that Arocena's name "deserve[d] to be alongside those two legendary voices."[6]
Arocena began performing semi-professionally when she was eight years old; at the age of 14, she became the lead singer of the band Los Primos. She is considered a musical prodigy, and is a trained composer, arranger, choir director, and band leader, in addition to being a singer.[3]
Arocena is a strong believer in Santeria, an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba principles; to mark her faith, she frequently performs wearing a turban and dressed in white.[3]
