New generation of Cuban musicians revitalize the island’s music scene
Private venues and wider internet access help a hybrid new wave of Cuban sounds rise, led by young artists like the Abreu brothers.
HAVANA — A new generation of Cuban musicians is revitalizing the island’s music scene as Cuba endures one of its most acute economic crises in decades. In downtown Havana, teenagers Fabio and Diego Abreu stepped onto a stage and translated a room’s hesitation into a hypnotic, traditional-jazz groove that filled the hall. The performance unfolded at the Fábrica de Arte Cubano, a sprawling cultural center housed in a former factory that now operates as an art gallery, music venue and nightclub as part of Havana’s evolving cultural life.
The Abreu brothers—Fabio, 19, and Diego, 17—have become emblematic of a broader shift. Their rise comes as a growing network of small, privately run venues has emerged to host local shows, and as internet access has become more widespread in Cuba over the last several years, giving young artists new means to promote themselves. Fabio Abreu said before a recent concert that they do what they like and are fortunate to make a living from music, signaling a generation that sees art as a viable path in challenging times.
The Abreus’ ascent is part of a larger trend in Cuba: the music scene is becoming highly hybrid, with younger artists blending traditional Afro-Cuban forms like son and timba with rock, pop, electronic music and hip hop. Michel Hernández, a writer and journalist who covers Cuban music, describes the period as a moment of renewal driven by the migration of many established Cuban artists abroad, which created a void that the new generation is stepping in to fill. The result is a sound that defies easy categorization and reflects a country where cultural expression often evolves under economic and political pressures.
Among the notable developments is the rise of the repartо genre, a Havana-born fusion that blends reggaeton with traditional Cuban rhythms and lyrics that can be explicit. Artists such as El Taiger and Bebeshito have helped push repartо into audiences in the United States while Cubans at home continue to explore cross-genre collaborations. Dasiel Mustelier, who performs as Wampi, a saxophonist by training and one of the more prominent repartо creators, has built large online followings—712,000 on Instagram and more than 300,000 on YouTube—and is preparing a European tour for November and December while collaborating with Cuban global stars like Cimafunk.
Young musicians are also looking to social media and affordable video production as essential infrastructures for growth. Melani Santiler, a 23-year-old pop singer and songwriter, has built a following through online videos and notes that the new generation is carrying the flag and shaping the future of Cuban music. Her Instagram presence—hundreds of thousands of followers—offers a case study in how a post-Internet approach can translate into opportunities for live work and visibility.
The shift toward independent channels has become a survival strategy in a country without a fully developed formal record industry. Many artists rely on self-produced music videos—often shot with minimal resources—and on word-of-mouth promotion across mobile networks and social apps. For younger Cuban musicians, the moment is not only about survival but about redefining what Cuban music can be on a global stage, while still rooted in the island’s traditional rhythms and social realities.
The convergence of local venues, online promotion, and cross-genre experimentation has led to a vibrant, if uneven, ecosystem. It has also attracted international attention, with Cuban artists appearing in European tours and collaborating with peers abroad, signaling growing recognition of a generation that is both rooted in Cuba’s musical heritage and eager to explore new sonic frontiers.
As the scene evolves, observers say the defining characteristic is its hybridity and resilience. Young performers see a window of opportunity in a period of flux, a moment when they can define their own careers and introduce broader audiences to Cuba’s evolving soundscape. Wampi summed up the mood among performers: young people should take full advantage of this moment, they say, because the chance to shape Cuban music’s future is tangible and expanding.