Alex Cuba | Essence of the Soul

He is without a doubt the only winner of a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album ever to make their home in the northwestern B.C. town of Smithers, population 5,316.

Alex Cuba originally hails from Artemisa, Cuba; but he's called Smithers, BC home for two decades now. He first visited CKUA 20 years ago, back when he was known as Alexis Puentes, one half of the Juno Award-nominated Puntes Brothers, along with his twin brother Adonis. In the years since then, he's been digging deep into his astounding array of musical abilities and interests, challenging himself creatively at every turn and crafting a solo discography that's touched the hearts of music lovers across Canada, the entire Latin diaspora and across the globe. Over his remarkable career arc, Alex's music has won him two Junos, four Latin Grammys, and in 2022, his album Mendó garnered him a Grammy Award, the most revered accolade in the whole music world.

In this episode, Alex returns to CKUA for a spirited in-studio visit to reflect on his rather mind-boggling musical journey, and to share fascinating stories and insights in his characteristically charismatic style. He tells us about how his whole life changed the moment he met the Canadian woman who would become his lifelong partner; what drives him to create his unique, highly personalized form of musical expression; why artificial intelligence will never be able to replicate the raw human beauty that's distilled in music; and what it's like to win a Grammy Award for an album that that he created almost entirely by himself -- writing, singing, producing, and playing all the instruments himself, at home in his small northwestern BC town.