Sparrowhawk or pigeon? A reflection on Elio Veliz

For some time now, an artist who apparently came out of nowhere has been triumphing both in social networks and on television (and recently on stage). Elio Veliz is a young performer who has a peculiarity: he sings just like José José, to the point that many have already given him the title of "The Cuban José José", due to the similarity of his voice with that of the Prince of Song. In a national scene dominated almost entirely by urban music, suddenly seeing a boy performing songs that are more than 50 years old in the charts of 2024 is, to say the least, very curious.

Unfortunately, not everything is rosy. Due to the repercussion it has had, alarm bells have been ringing from some sectors of the art world. Several musicians and singer-songwriters have openly rejected the performer, calling him an "imitator" and claiming that his success is undeserved.

But is Elio Veliz a copycat? Well, yes, although not in the strict sense. Imitation as an art has a scenic origin linked to comedy, the mockery of what is known to the masses, satire, mockery, and this is not the case; there is not a performance or a disguise, it's just the voice. Elio Veliz sings identical to José José and the merit is great because it is not easy to do it. And that's it, he could be remembered that way and put a roof over his head, or transcend and be something else, but first the beans are softened and then the sofrito is added; innovation comes after the repetition, not before.

Photos taken from Elio Veliz's social media profiles.

Another question to ask is how original are we really; do we have to be original to be authentic? No. Original is not synonymous with good. If I write a series about intergalactic beavers who steal a particle accelerator from a lab to open a portal and stage a coup d'état against the CEO of a restaurant chain from another dimension in order to have a vegan orgy... wow, original it's going to be, but is it necessarily good? Short answer: if it's made with creative grant money, no.

To a large extent we are what we consume; sometimes it is better to recreate something excellently doing it justice, than to be a bad copy of someone who was luckier than you. Does the imitator fail? It depends on who is being imitated. Why all of a sudden this interest for a person to have an indistinct voice? Is a 22-year-old Cuban youngster singing José José's songs threatening? To those who feel this way, I invite them to put on a record of The Three Tenors, close their eyes and try to identify when Pavarotti sings, when Placido Domingo sings and when José Carreras sings.

Photos taken from Elio Veliz's social media profiles.

There are several factors that could explain the rejection of Elio Veliz. Let's go with the first one: xenophobia. Is it because the artist he is paying tribute to is Mexican and not Cuban?

Well, Mexico and Cuba during the first half of the 20th century were pioneers in music and art in many aspects; their rivalry and collaboration created part of the identity of both nations, each with its own imprint. Pérez Prado with his mambo, Rita Montaner, El Benny, the boleros of Consuelo Velázquez, the filin del Bola... but also the films of Cantinflas, the revolutions of both countries.

In December 2023, Unesco declared the bolero Intangible Heritage of Humanity, following a request signed by two countries: Mexico and Cuba. This also generated a debate full of chauvinism, chest-thumping and romantic tales of belonging to something as subjective as a musical genre, and often, behind the romanticism is nationalism. Although the first bolero was composed by the Santiago-born Pepe Sanchez, without the contribution of Mexico the bolero would never have reached the international resonance it has. We are indebted to Mexican culture.

By the way, a curious fact: Olga Guillot, a Cuban artist, was the one who baptized José José, who by then had left his trio Los Peg, and called himself José Sosa, with his stage name.

Another possible factor: the argument that "it's chea music"...

More than once I heard it said that José José's songs only talked about sticking jars, drunkenness, betrayal, tragic love, and also that they were sexist. It seems to me that most of the vitrola songs and boleros of yesteryear touched on those themes. Ah, but it is a ballad, and ballads are light music... right?

Photos taken from Elio Veliz's social media profiles.

When there is a band of covers playing the same arrangement of a song by The Beatles or Led Zeppelin is usually celebrated: "Ño, la echan la igualito". Because for some things they do and for others they don't, right? If you, my alternative friend, feel that Metallica's album of ballads is genius, but Laura Pausini's album is cool... To things that are cool, put a little love.

Elio is recording unreleased works, composed by Lennier Mesa, who has proven on more than one occasion to be very effective and to have a good eye for business. There will be those who criticize this, who see it as opportunism and exploitation of a trend, as if it were a gold mine. I have no doubt that this initiative will give more pleasant surprises than unpleasant ones. The vast majority of songs that we hear every day by great singers, have not been composed by them, nor is it necessary.

It might seem obvious, but it is not necessary to compose to be validated as an artist, on many levels, performers create as well. An artist is not built by imitating a prioriBut it's part of the process, and singers will always have a harder time than anyone else. A pianist who plays like Bill Evans, or a flamenco guitarist who plays like Paco de Lucia, is not criticized with the same intensity. But singers are required to be "unique". And that is why Elio Veliz has been the target of criticism by some, and this opens several doors, and one of them is the following statement: in Cuba there is segregation according to musical consumption.

In the imaginary there are ideas that have been left floating, coined from a supposed intellectual superiority. These ideas, over the years, have slightly mutated from "what is popular is bad" to "what is popular is not all bad, as long as it is intelligent". And honestly, I don't know what "intelligent" means, I hope not "with a university degree", because they give those away for free.

Is it necessary for an artist to be intelligent in order to transmit? Does what he transmits to you have to be the same as what he transmits to me? If you ask me, I would advise you to stay as far away as possible from aesthetic fascism, because no one likes the good taste police.

There is an external pressure in cultural consumption, a need to ratify your own subjectivities; I like to call it "the tribe bias", which would be when the guidelines of the social group where you are accepted are in contradiction with the values of others, ranging from clothing to musical taste. This is why conventions such as "if you are a geek you can't listen to cast", or "if you are a troubadour you can't listen to ballads" are born. Why? Well, because it's fun to speak ill of others and reaffirm that you are better, in essence.

Musical trends in the globalized world could be seen as a hegemonic market that manipulates taste, a Minotaur falling behind an Athenian; on the other hand, they could also be seen as the different threads you have in your power to go through the labyrinth. It is all in how one understands, listens, lives and connotes music. Infinity is the limit.

Elio Veliz has a great road ahead of him in music. As Spiderman's uncle said: "With great power comes great responsibility"; he has already put on the skin of another, and he has arrived, now it is time to carve a path with an imprint, so that he can go further. In the meantime, last weekend, the boy blew up the Teatro Lázaro Peña. And me, I'm going to put on a José José record, to see if I feel like cleaning the house.