Gente de Zona Premieres Dreamy 'Collab' With Celia Cruz: 'You See Celia Today, Celia 2024'

¡Azúcar! Celia Cruz's timeless voice sounds more modern than ever in a new “collaboration” with Gente de Zona, and no, it wasn't done with artificial intelligence. “Celia,” which the Cuban duo premiered Thursday (February 22) live at the 2024 Premio Lo Nuestro ceremony, uses original recordings from the Queen of Salsa to create an infectious medley of two of her songs: “Ella Tiene Fuego” and “La Negra Tiene Tumbao.”

“This woman seems from another planet/ The way she moves isn't natural/ Men can't stand her resistance/ And one after another they come and go,” begins Alexander Delgado, Gente de Zona's deepest voice, before give way to the legend of Cuban music. “She's been through the nightly trials and tribulations/ And now none of them wanna dance, dance,” Cruise sings with such a contemporary sound, it feels like she was in the studio with them.

“This has been something we've had in mind for a long time,” Delgado said Billboard Español before the premiere. “When we came to this country it was a dream we had, but unfortunately it's no longer alive,” added Randy Malcom, the other half of the six-time Latin Grammy-winning duo, explaining that after a decade in the US, their priority was to are making that dream come true for their upcoming album, DEMASIADOwhich they plan to release between March and April.

Released under Magnus Music, “Celia” was made by Angel “Pututi” Arce, Dale Pututi and Malcom and recorded at the latter's studio about seven months ago. The project, which includes a new additional verse on “Ella Tiene Fuego”, had the full support and approval of Cruz's estate executor, Omer Pardillo Cid, who helped them obtain the masters from Sony Music.

“When I heard the original voices, without any editing, I said, 'That's why she's the queen.' It was something perfect, it was incredible to feel how she sang, her breath,” Malcom recalls with excitement. “Once we started mixing our voices with hers, it was magical. It was something we dreamed about so much that we really enjoyed it.”

The release of “Celia” coincides with a number of milestones. Not only does it come months after the 20th anniversary of Cruz's death in 2003, but also a year before the 25th anniversary of Gente de Zona's debut and Cruz's 100th birthday.

“I believe that things happen, that God's timing is perfect. I think this was the moment for this song and we're very excited about it,” said Delgado. “What strikes me most about the song is that you see Celia today, you see Celia 2024 — and it really excites us, it's a beautiful thing.”

In a statement, Pardillo Cid said that “Celia would be very happy to know that, even two decades after her physical passing, her cheerful and contagious spirit, in addition to her musical excellence, continues to inspire young artists such as the Gente de Zona'.

On Thursday, at the Premio Lo Nuestro awards ceremony, the duo known for No1 Advertising sign hits such as “Bailando” with Enrique Iglesias and Descemer Bueno and “La gozadera” with Marc Anthony premiered “Celia” in a joyful musical number that included a colorful party, fireworks and dancers in retro clothing inspired by Havana — while images of the iconic Salsa Queen graced huge screens with her voice during the interventions.

“I want to be remembered as a very happy, kind of funny, happy person,” Cruise was seen smiling in a video at the start of the show. “A woman who enjoyed her life and what she did with it. A good friend, a good sister, a good wife. And all this with a lot ¡azúcar!she finished with her signature scream, which means “sugar” in English.

The same clip opens the music video for “Celia,” directed by Pedro Vásquez and set to debut on Friday. Similarly, it features the duo singing amongst dancers in a colorful setting – with lots of fire and vintage elements such as “almendrones”, as the classic old cars are known in Cuba, and Cruz projected on big screens.

In the meantime, you can stream “Celia” here: