Camila Guevara Milanés: Between Legacy and Her Own Voice

Camila Guevara Milanés is a Cuban singer-songwriter carrying two of the most iconic last names in Latin American history. She is the granddaughter of Ernesto Che Guevara and the legendary Cuban troubadour Pablo Milanés, opens the report from Liz Oliva Fernández, journalist with Belly of the Beast.

It’s hard for me to say the things I sing about, and I just prefer it that way, Camila admitted at the piano. Because when I sing about things, they seem lighter, much lighter than the way I really feel them. Coño.

But she is not riding on legacy, Oliva Fernández continued. She has been building her career on her own, and her debut album Dame Flores is the proof. It landed her a Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 2025. When I listened to the album for the first time, the journalist said, I felt sad, powerful, sexy, and sad again.

Hello, Camila said simply as the conversation began.

Her voice and lyrics guide you in a painful, beautiful journey that you want to go through as many times as you can, Oliva Fernández noted.

How does Dame Flores come about, the journalist asked.

I think it was shaped by many factors, Camila explained. On one hand, my manager had a lot to do with that decision. I had made an EP before, but in 2022 I went through some difficult times, losing my parents and my grandfather, and I took all that time to heal a little, to figure out what I was going to do with my life, and also to search, to look within myself for what I wanted to do, what I was meant to do at that moment.

How has Dame Flores been doing, Oliva Fernández asked.

I’ve had some really big opportunities since releasing the album, and also thanks to the singles, Camila responded. Like opening for Fito at the National Auditorium, or opening for Residente at the ALMA Occident Festival. That’s the result of all the work before. Many people write to me every day, or almost every day, she added. They say things like “you inspire me,” or “your album has helped me,” or “I’m going through this and I feel stronger when I listen to you.” Stuff like that.

How sweet, Oliva Fernández said.

And that’s the most powerful part, Camila reflected. I feel like what I’m doing, what I’m saying, actually has meaning, and the pain I went through transforms into something that ends up helping others.

You are Pablo Milanés’s granddaughter, one of Cuba’s most famous singer-songwriters, and I’d say not only Cuba, but Latin America and the world, the journalist said. And you are also Ernesto Che Guevara’s granddaughter, the Argentinian guerrilla fighter who was part of the Cuban Revolution that came to power in 1959. How much do you feel that being the granddaughter of who you are opens doors for you, or gives you a certain advantage in achieving success in the music industry?

Sometimes it closes doors, sometimes it opens them, Camila answered. Sometimes people don’t see that, but instead look a little further and maybe see the artist. I simply think that what matters in the end is dedicating myself to what I do, doing it the best I can, and that’s something that will always be there, something I have to deal with.

It’s something you can’t change, Oliva Fernández observed.

No, I can’t change it, exactly, Camila agreed. Instead, I build from that. I’m simply myself, and I do what I love. Sometimes I ask myself why I’m here, and I tell myself, I deserve it. Do I deserve it? Yes. Am I not up to it? Am I here because of my grandparents, or is it that I’m not a good enough singer or songwriter or whatever? And in the end, there comes a moment when I have clarity and I say, you know what? Of course not. I do have something to offer people, and people are connecting. And I’m enjoying myself while doing it. So, that’s what I came here to do.

How much of your grandfather’s music, of his style, have you embraced, or in some way incorporated into your own musical style, the journalist asked.

Honestly, a lot, Camila said. First of all, my grandfather is someone I’ve studied vocally because he’s a virtuoso. I really admire the way he sings and how he conveys so much power and character. It’s part of all of us, in a way. I carry that with pride because it’s part of my roots.

What’s your favorite song from the album, Oliva Fernández asked.

I’d say Crueldá, Camila replied. Crueldá and Alguna Nostalgia.

Do you remember what the creative process of Crueldá was like, the journalist asked.

It was simply a personal experience, related to a breakup with someone, Camila recalled. And obviously, in the song, I exaggerated absolutely everything.

Do you have the demo arrangement of what Crueldá once was, Oliva Fernández asked.

Actually, yes, Camila said. It ended up very close to how it turned out. Don’t laugh.

I hadn’t yet written “Rain, rain, bring me flowers…,” Camila noted, but it was all there from the beginning. “It’s the last time…” And there are these little things that changed. Subtleties.

How many musical genres are part of Dame Flores, the journalist asked.

There is a lot of fusion, Camila said. Reggaeton is the first thing that comes to my mind.

Salsa, Oliva Fernández asked.

Of course, salsa, electropop, Camila confirmed. I think Vienen Curvas has a bit of dance, cha-cha-chá, rap, a touch of jazz influence. And the trova, I feel, is blended with more modern elements. Even the label, my manager, what they found so interesting about the project was that mix. It was also instinct, something that came from me, from motivating myself, inspiring myself, and I felt I had to show those two sides. For me it was very important to have that transition from the more singer-songwriter side, to this other more urban side, with little things that can be categorized, that are kind of in between. It seemed different to me. For example, in Sardina, there are moments where I’m simply indulging in the joke, playing a little with arrogance, she added.

Would you say that Cariño is the most personal piece, Oliva Fernández asked.

Cariño is super vulnerable, Camila said. I feel like it’s really raw.

Is Cariño a dedication to someone, the journalist asked.

In fact, it was about the same person as in Crueldá, Camila explained. The same as in Tengo Miedo. It started a little.

It started with love and ended in Crueldá, Oliva Fernández observed.

Exactly, absolutely spot on, Camila agreed. But I truly appreciate the fact that this person came into my life and showed me things I needed to work on in myself. Also, like boundaries, self-worth, and many other things.

And how do you pick the topics for your songs, the journalist asked.

I don’t really choose them either, Camila said. I think they just appear to me while I’m making the song. Sometimes I’m writing things and I say, this is about that. There are times when I don’t even know how to define what I’m talking about until I finish the song. For instance, Lluvia was a kind of premonition, if you want to call it that, because I’m talking about death. I’m talking about resurrection. Right after that, everything with my parents happened. So these are things that sometimes really shock me, things I don’t fully control, she explained.

So, you wrote Lluvia before what happened to your parents, Oliva Fernández asked.

Yes, Camila confirmed.

Wow, I thought it had been the other way around, the journalist said.

I kind of have a self-care routine that has to do a bit with seeking mental calm, Camila continued. I really like to meditate and connect with myself. Light incense, set up my room, create the atmosphere I want. A place where I feel comfortable, where I feel at ease with the scents. Visually, I need to like the objects. The sensory aspect is important to me. Sometimes I’m super demanding with those kinds of things in my project, like the visuals, the covers, the costumes, those kinds of details, she added.

Camila, what music is inspiring you these days? What do you listen to when you want inspiration, Oliva Fernández asked.

There’s a bit of everything here, Camila said. There’s a little bit of Almendra, which is an Argentine progressive rock band, kind of experimental. There’s Spinetta, who is one of the greats from over there. Here we have La Lupe, Elena Burke, Martha Valdés. They’re Cuban female icons that I really love, she continued. My buddy, my grandfather, another big influence, she said.

What does your mother mean to you, Camila, the journalist asked.

She was the first singer I had close to me, the first one whose music and songs I listened to a lot, Camila recalled. Sometimes she guided me in certain things, in techniques she had. But I feel it’s part of growing up. And my grandfather once pointed out to me, in the first demo I made, that I sounded a lot like my mom, that it didn’t sound so much like me, my way of singing, and that I had to search for my own voice a bit, she said.

Did your grandfather have the chance to listen to a more authentic Camila Guevara, more genuinely her, Oliva Fernández asked.

Yes, the truth is he listened to my first EP, he loved it, he congratulated me, Camila said. He praised the lyrics, the singing, and everything. And later, where I felt him most moved was when I was invited to sing another song by Santiago Feliú, where he told me, ‘A Milanés star is born,’ and I got really emotional, she recalled.

I see you also have tarot cards. Do you like the tarot? Do you apply them in your daily life, the journalist asked.

Yes, I love them, Camila said. This one is more spiritual. It’s from Osho, a master I really love. Should we do a tarot reading?

Explain to me how does this work, Oliva Fernández asked.

Simple, Camila said. These cards carry a bit of my energy. So you have to shuffle them a bit. Yes, imagine that your energy enters there, however you want to picture it, she continued, guiding the journalist through the reading. With your right hand, fan them out. With your left hand, choose a card.

This figure is standing, alone, silent, and yet alert, Camila read aloud. Her inner being is full of flowers. It carries the qualities of spring and regenerates wherever it goes. This inner blossoming and the sense of wholeness it feels allow for the possibility of unlimited movement. I know this was a card I drew for myself, she said, turning to the journalist, but I wanted to ask you if Camila Guevara feels like she’s in a moment of fullness right now.

Totally, totally, the journalist responded.

Why, Camila asked.

I feel like I’m also in a process between who I am and who I want to be, of truly getting to know that, of really getting to know myself, Oliva Fernández said.

What is it like to be a woman artist in Cuba, the journalist later asked Camila.

On the positive side, we have all this heritage of great music that’s in our blood, that we carry everywhere, that’s part of our roots, Camila said. Wherever we go, I feel there’s a celebration of Cuban musicians for their talent, their versatility, their virtuosity, and their flavor. And I feel that’s something very positive. On the other hand, it’s complicated because there isn’t an industry in Cuba that really supports the needs of artists, she continued. As a leader of a band, it’s complicated too because there’s a lot of machismo among us, among musicians, she added. And it’s all a matter of perspective, but I also feel there’s a need for more sensitivity.

Empathy, maybe, Oliva Fernández suggested.

More empathy, more openness to women’s opinions, Camila agreed. I love my musician friends, but I do feel there are many things we need to work on. Reparto is something very strong, very powerful in Cuba, and it’s a native genre, but I feel that sometimes we’re losing a bit. I don’t want to sound like one of those super, how do you say, retrograde people, she said.

No, not at all. We listen and we don’t judge, the journalist reassured her.

I’m telling you because sometimes those comments bother me, Camila continued. I’m in favor of all genres. I love the rhythms, the different sounds, but I feel that we need to rescue a bit of that heritage that also comes from Cuba, not just the rhythm and the dancing. There’s music that’s more about understanding, about listening, about moving you in different ways, and I feel like sometimes that gets judged, she said.

It fades away, Oliva Fernández remarked.

People sometimes aren’t really up for that, Camila said. There’s always an audience for everything, and I think we can keep opening different doors. I feel like that’s where we need to keep growing.

You have a lot of tattoos, but I want to know the story behind that one, the journalist said.

Yes, this was my first tattoo, in fact, Camila explained. The signature is done wrong. If you look it up on Google, it’s wrong. But anyway.

But you looked up your grandfather’s signature on Google, Oliva Fernández asked.

Yes, I feel like I partly did it so my dad wouldn’t get upset that I got a tattoo, Camila said. He told me it was wrong, but well, it’s fine.

Is there any song on the album that you think has a deep meaning, but people aren’t really noticing or are overlooking, the journalist asked.

Maybe Alguna Nostalgia or Vida, Camila answered.

Vida is my favorite, Oliva Fernández said. I have a lot of favorite songs off the album, but Vida is one of those songs that impacted me the most. It’s crazy because it lasts less than a minute.

Really, Camila asked.

Yes, the journalist confirmed.

Yes, it’s a little over a minute, Camila said. I wrote that song right after my grandfather’s death. I think the same day, a few minutes after, because at a certain point I kept saying, why is this happening to me? What is life, or the universe, trying to tell me?

You lost your mom, your dad, and your grandfather in less than a year, the journalist noted.

Yes, Camila confirmed. I lost my mom in January, my dad in August, and my grandfather in November. That’s why there are dates in Alguna Nostalgia, she explained. Those are songs that come from deep inside of me, from moments that were so difficult.

What moment of Vida do you like the most, Oliva Fernández asked.

I like ‘go ahead and prepare my funeral,’ Camila said. I feel like it’s very brave.

The closing lyric. And why, the journalist asked.

Because it means let whatever happens, happen, Camila concluded. I only came to live, and to walk.