Cuban singer, producer, promoter Suylen Milanés passes away

Singer and music producer Suylen Milanes, daughter of renowned Cuban singer-songwriter Pablo Milanes, passed away this Sunday from a stroke, state-owned record company EGREM broke the news.
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    January 30, 2022
    CST14:12 (GMT) -0500

    Published by: Martin Hacthoun

Suylen, one of the three daughters of the marriage of Pablo Milanes and Yolanda Bennet, had carried out an extensive career in music in her 50s and had made a name for herself in the Cuban cultural world.

“It is with deep regret that we learned today of the death of Suylen Milanes, an outstanding performer and music producer. We say goodbye to this passionate, enterprising and talented woman. Much light to her soul,” EGREM wrote on Twitter.

The artist had been hospitalized since last Thursday in an intensive care ward of the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Havana, and since her admission she was diagnosed with severe brain damage and an “irreversible” prognosis, family sources had said.

The news circulated immediately in independent digital media and social media, where the wishes for her health improvement multiplied.

Suylen Milanes was considered a tireless and prodigal creator, who bet on national alternative music, especially electronic music and Afro-Cuban songs.

She was the president and organizer of the Cuban electronic music festival “Eyeife”, which every year-end flooded its headquarters in Havana’s Almendares Park. Its last versions was held online because of the covid-19 pandemic.

In 2009, Suylen took over the direction of the Propositions Office, attached to the cultural institution PM Records founded in 1998 by her father, an initiative from which musical, record and audiovisual productions, the design and implementation of advertising campaigns, development of corporate identities and organization of events in general, among other services, are carried out.

At the same time, the dynamic artist was the lead voice of the musical group Yarini’s sessions, with Daima Falcón (choir), Hansel Arrocha (guitar), Yandiel Cruz (bass), Diana Ruz and Pedro Gutiérrez (drums).

She also collaborated with the group Tesis de Menta, among others. She was also the creator of the Somos project, which brought together seven women entrepreneurs in various fields of the musical universe: businesswomen, producers, vocalists, composers, sound engineers, dancers and directors.

Milanés explained in an interview that with that project she intended to “shed light” on the role of women through staging, training and raising awareness among young women, “encouraging them to pursue their dreams”, creating a space where women and also men could promote alternative music on equal terms.

In its 2020 version, the Eyeife festival, focused on the theme of women in music, with a large presence of female DJs, and then its president explained that she wanted to add it to the Somos project.