Havana

1) Havana is a female Soul artist from San Diego, California Cuba has been making world headlines recently with its historic experiences of newfound freedom and—true to her name and the current global climate—Southern California’s soulful singer-songwriter Havana has a lot in common with the flava-filled Caribbean island’s fresh liberation. “I used to wear this shirt that said ‘South America by way of Havana’ and everyone would ask if I was from Cuba. A few people started to call me Havana and the name just stuck,” says the matter-of-fact musician who, despite the sultry demeanor, keeps it straightforward and who has worked with producers like Nicolay, Symbolic One and Waajeed. Through her honest-as-Mary J. lyrical life experiences and laid-back musical melodies, Havana’s blended the hotness of these elements together on her knows-no-boundaries new album Entervention—an auditory sensation that’s sexy like a sweet-and-sour Mojito on summer’s day. “The Entervention project is me actually dealing with my past by venting my frustrations through my music. I am taking the opportunity to share more of my feelings, feelings that I haven't touched on until now.” Entervention follows up Havana’s 2005 debut album L.I.F.E., which caught the attention of big names like NBC, MTV, Scion and Adidas who each respectively reached out to the musician to link up on select licensing deals. Those large corporate names have been equally balanced by Havana’s success as an independent artist on the Detroit-bred, San Diego-based label Skoolcraft Music, where L.I.F.E. has sold an impressive 18,000 units (physical & digital) to date. Havana is an artist who defies predictable first-impressions and lazy stereotypes. Part street, all real talk, Havana’s progressive, electronic hyper-soul can spin at the club, at a house party, or on the stereo on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Beyond trying to categorize her music, Havana’s baby face and outer beauty don’t reveal the hard struggles this singer has endured that make her inner character so strong. A child who struggled through grown-up issues such as abandonment, domestic violence and drug abuse at the hands of an addict mother and a father who was in and out of jail, Havana sought and found through music the solace and shelter that her family didn’t provide. “My hardships were most times easily expressed by others’ music. Growing up without my parents and seeing a lot of violence and abuse had me taking different songs and making them my own by relating them to my personal situations. It’s affected my music now because I have an outlet to help me further express myself and possibly help others. I look at my hardships as a story, a journey that can now be shared through my music,” says Havana. Her new album Entervention, which features production by forward thinking producers like The Honor Roll (Trackademicks, 1.Oak), Brook D’Leau (J*Davey) and GB (A Race of Angels) celebrates the coming to grips of Havana’s tumultuous upbringing, using music to express her experiences and family issues, but never forgetting to have fun along the way. 2) Havana is a House artist featured on Renaissance Mix CD (Sasha and Digweed) with the song “Ethnic Prayer” 3) Havana was an alias used by Erwin Cannemeijer & Leo Roozen to release three Trance singles from 1999-2000 on the Bitter Lemon label, including the popular Totally Eclipsed