Nil Lara

Nil Lara, the Cuban-American singer and songwriter, passed the bulk of his early years in Venezuela. There, attendance at Washington Academy equipped him with fluency in both English and Spanish. The cuatro, a compact guitar, also fueled his turn toward world music traditions. Once back in the United States, research at the University of Miami focused on Cuban-rooted forms such as son and guajira. The offspring of a gifted pianist who never turned professional, Lara began performing locally beside Haitian and Cuban players. Audiences responded to his melodic vocals and lyrics drawn from lived experience. My First Child marked his debut, after which a self-titled album appeared in 1996.