Ronkalunga: "When the opportunity comes, don't let me get dizzy"

One day Ronaldo Rodriguez (Ronkalunga) bet everything on music and ruled out any possibility of life as an engineer. The mulatto with swing half geek, he moved to Havana to try his luck and exploit his talent. Today, in the capital, with a band in which most of the musicians are from the east of the island, the Guantanamo man bursts onto the scene with warmth, rhythm and Cubanness. Remember others and none, with command of the stage and the tools of the musical medium. Is not a showmanalthough it is close.

It has rained a lot since the time I enjoyed a version of his Alligator doesn't eat alligator, in the basement of El Tropicalito in El Vedado. However, I remember him, with only his voice as an alibi. It was enough. The success of his artistic proposal lies in a sensible mix, which firmly prowls a variety of genres while playing with double meanings and irony in his lyrics. 

Ronkalunga's musical line is based on Cuban styles —especially from the eastern zone— and other Caribbean sounds, in a fusion of folklore with innovative rhythms. Criticism abounds in his precise and astute lyrics. Also, although they are not the norm, we can find songs that make visible the vocal power and wide range of Ronaldo, who, without being a school musician, demonstrates, through the composition and arrangement of the songs he defends, that he has a virtuous ear. 

His first record, rare steps (Bis Music, 2020), exhibits elements that distinguish it from a musician's initial album: a very successful structure and the establishment of a band that works like a Swiss watch; unmistakable part of this project. There are, on this album, two very round songs: Come and  I don't care; both show the most perceptible faces of the group: a fresher one, where Ronaldo's vocal resources are distinguished, and another more satirical and scathing, with a language more akin to youth and its slang. 

In February of this year, his second phonogram was released under the title Downpour that - unlike the first, a priori independently produced—it was licensed by the Bis Music label. 

You have changed the format of your personal project several times. I remember you first as a soloist bordering on the troubadour, and now you've formed a band. Do you feel more comfortable this way? Why the name Ronkalunga? 

Indeed, from my beginnings to date the format has changed. i started singing a capella, then with instrumental tracks (often karaoke, with terrible quality); others accompanied me (badly) with the guitar. Everything depended on the setting: at university jam sessions —guitar in hand— or at the bars where life sought me out. There he sang the same The sad of Jose Jose, who the bite by Ricky Martin, depending on what people asked for. I was also a vocalist in a reggae band. But I felt limited; I've always liked fusion, doing a bit of everything and I left that group just at the time I also left university. It was hard but necessary to leave so many things behind. Currently I have my own band: Ronkalunga, and I feel fulfilled with this format, because it is what I dreamed of. If at some point I defended my songs mediocrely accompanying myself with my guitar, it was because I had no other option.

I have no particular love affair with the name. [The band] almost called The Likidao. That's what my friends call me because of a song of the same name. Although many of my lyrics have their humorous and burning touch, I also do things that have nothing to do with that; then, The Likidao I was a little closer to that type of music, but in the end it didn't stay as the name of the band. The most important thing is that when someone searches for “Ronkalunga” in Google, we are the first thing that appears. 

You are an engineer, you studied at the Universidad de Oriente, and you decided to drop everything to dedicate yourself to music. In addition to the risks of the decision, how did you feel when you took the step?

As you say, I studied Industrial Engineering. And yes, it was difficult to make the decision to leave my degree to dedicate myself entirely to music. When you come from deep down, it's crazy to do several things at the same time and expect good results, because you're always going to collide with lack. I opted for music and was consistent. But taking the step was one of the most tense moments of my life. Everyone believed that it was crazy, that art is unpredictable, that it was going to leave one path behind, that it would not be easy. When so many people tell you that you're wrong, you come to believe at times that you're crazy, but... here we are. It's not that I'm stubborn, it's that my determination is strong.

Ronaldo Rodriguez (Ronkalunga). Photo: Courtesy of the artist.

How difficult can it be for someone who is not a "school musician" to climb notably in the Cuban music scene?

The greatest difficulty was the issue of companies, and whether you are a "professional" or "amateur" artist; that was my worst nightmare for many years, it limited me everywhere. Even with an album released with a Cuban label like Bis Music, discovering international stages, with prizes and a thousand pods… na' de na'. I didn't stop making songs, or recording, or playing, but I had to make triple the effort. The support of the Hermanos Saíz Association (AHS) was fundamental, because many times it was my only protection. It was precisely through this youth organization that I inserted myself professionally in the music industry on the Island. Other than that, I had no obstacles; I always have an idea in my head of how I want the arrangements of my songs, but I give the musicians who accompany me total freedom to create. I always ask for several proposals, and I choose the one that most resembles me.

your two albums, rare steps and Downpour, are licensed by a record label in Cuba. Is it better for the artist to be sheltered by a record company? In your opinion, are independent productions less attractive or promoted for the public?

My two albums came out under the Bis Music label, and I am very grateful for the push and confidence. rare steps It was initially an independent production and later licensed with the label that released it; while Downpour It is a Bis Music production with José Manuel García as producer. Having a record company that supports your project is important, but it is not that it is better or that independent productions are less attractive or poorly promoted. Nor does having a label or being independent define the quality of music. There are very good things in both instances, art is very subjective. I think that today everything depends on the platform that launches you as an artist and the reach you have on social networks. It doesn't matter if you're talented or mediocre, if you go viral on the networks, that's it; if Netflix or any entertainment giant makes a documentary for you or uses your soundtrack music in a series, video game —whatever—, that's it; If a very famous artist does a collaboration with you, that's it...

Your lyrics border on picaresque, double meaning, criticism and intelligent humor. Have you ever had problems with censorship?

My experience with censorship is that no one likes when you go to their house to bring up their shit (this applies worldwide). While when you're famous or popular you can talk about whatever you want, when you're a stranger you can't say anything; It happens in all spheres, not only in art. It is as if freedom of expression depends on how important you are, that gives you a voice to be heard. If nobody knows you, it doesn't matter what you say, nobody cares, that's how it works in this world of influencers. To this day, I am neither famous nor completely unknown. As Vico C says: I'm not stuck, people like me. There is no hate in my songs, even when I make a criticism, I do it with respect. I think I say nothing that is not true; So many of my songs have come out and come out on Cuban radio and television, and I appreciate it.

Aesthetics always says a lot about an artist, and even more so if he is the lead singer of a band. It's shocking to see you many times with a rock and roll look, then hear you singing genres far removed from rock, and doing it very well. What genres do you prefer? Which ones are more similar to you? 

Well, I walk as I walk, my way of dressing is not always in tune with the genres that I defend. I like diversity and fusion, because I get bored easily. The old traditional trova and Caribbean music go a lot with me, boleros too, but I sneak into many genres because I enjoy each one of them (always with respect to defend them up to the task). I'm a singer, I did my homework and I'm going to sing anything if it doesn't exceed my abilities.

What projects does Ronkalunga have?

A new album (independent for now, we'll see later), video clips, a DVD that is being cooked. There will be many concerts in different provinces, in Havana, outside the Island, keep on playing hard and focused for when the opportunity comes, that I don't get dizzy...