专辑简介

Neiver Alberto Alvarez “Qbanito” was born in Havana, Cuba in 1979. Qbanito grew up in Guanabacoa, a neighborhood known as the home of the Cuban rumba. It was here that Qbanito’s passion and interest for music began. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s, U.S. music trends like Hip Hop and R & B made their way to Cuba. Young Qbanito became a fan of artists like Puff Daddy, Notorious BIG, Fat Joe, and TuPac. American music took Cuban youth by storm. As a young teen, Qbanito paired up with a neighborhood friend and wrote his first songs. The young boys mixed the beats of American Hip Hop with the Cuban rhythms they grew up listening to. The end result was Qbanito’s first compilations of “Cuban Rap.”

In 1996, Qbanito and his sister left Cuba to head to Montreal to reunite with his father. Montreal was a whole new world to the then 18 year old singer. Qbanito found himself in a “melting pot” of cultures and races. After a period of transition and hard work, Qbanito accepted his new home. For the first time, this young singer was surrounded by music and rhythms from the Mid East and France; as well as the Latin influences he left in Cuba. Qbanito decided that he wanted to add these new sounds to his music. He got his first big break when he created Cuban Convoy, a Cuban music group. The group participated in music festivals and concerts throughout Canada. Qbanito was committed to his music group; however, he never lost sight of his real dream…to be a solo artist.

In the beginning of 2005, Qbanito decided to begin his solo career. His plan was to leave Montreal and move to Miami. It was at this time that a producer in Montreal heard Qbanito’s demo tape. Thoroughly impressed with Qbanito’s musical talent and ability, he demanded that the singer stay in Montreal. A few weeks later, Qbanito signed with Universal Music France and Les Disques Tox as a solo artist, and released his debut solo album Partir.

Today, Qbanito is one of Grand Entertainment & Music’s signature artists. In October 2006, Qbanito released his Spanish album Adivina Quien Llegó in the United States. In recent news, Qbanito’s videos have been topping the charts on Canadian music TV, and his song “Homenaje a Celia Cruz” is featured on the soundtrack for the independent film Canvas. Qbanito and his producers realize that this is only the beginning for this rising Latin star. He is already hard at work on his next album, and he hopes to begin touring in the U.S. in the near future.