A native of Matanzas, Vania Borges comes from a family of musicians. Her father was an oboist, her mother a singer and one of her cousins was a member of the vocal quartet Gema 4.

Later, already in Havana, she joined the vocal group D’Capo, thus participating in their first international tours in countries such as Mexico, France and Japan.

Vania as a figure in Bamboleo

For some time, Vania was part of the group Pachito Alonso y sus Kini Kini, where she met Lazarito Valdés, then pianist of the group.

Shortly afterwards, José Luis Cortés invited her to form Las Mulatas de Fuego, where she shared the stage with Haila María Mompié and again with Lazarito. From this concept and with the same members is born Bamboleo, under the direction of Valdés.

Vania and Haila patented the look of the mulatas rapadas within the Cuban music causing an international impact mainly in the stages of Europe and the United States. With Bamboleo this female performer sings songs like La soledad, Tú y yo la misma cosa, ¿Te gusto o te gusta? and Ya no hace falta, one of the great hits of the end of the century in Cuban dance and popular music.

Vania’s path as a soloist

Her first solo CD bears her own name as a title and in it the singer gives away Cubanised versions of one of her favourite singer-songwriters, namely the Spaniard Alejandro Sanz. In this endearing album Vania mixes the rhythms of Latin jazz and bolero with the lyrics of the Iberian achieving masterful arrangements of unforgettable songs such as “Lo Ves”, “Amiga mía”, “La fuerza del corazón”, “Corazón partiío” and “Cuando nadie me ve”, among others.

Vania Borges is considered by critics and the Cuban public as one of the 5 divas of modern Cuban music, an epithet she also shares with her former bandmate, Haila. A curious detail lies in the fact that she is the only one of these female performers who has undergone academic training in the field of music, which stands out in her versatility when it comes to facing any challenge in terms of musical changes and variations in rhythm and style.

Vania Borges: in the footsteps of Elena Burke

Many have pointed out that Vanya’s voice and charisma make her the best follower of Elena Burke, Lady Feelings. With the modesty that characterises her, Vania Borges accepts this comparative challenge knowing that she goes on stage to give the best of herself in every performance.

In addition to her work with important Cuban popular music and dance groups, she has sung alongside some of the most important figures on the national and international scene. Among these are: Shakira, Tata Güines, Rolando Luna, Eliades Ochoa and Alexander Abreu. Of her many recognitions we will mention the Grand Prize at the Song Festival in California and the Mother Charity Award in France.

If you have liked it, you can learn more about Cuban music and its interpreters by subscribing to our page. In addition, we thank you for being part of the dissemination and promotion of these issues by sharing them through social networks.