Cleisy Moya Montes, known by my artist name Elamo, I was born in Havana (Cuba) on 12/14/1979, in the Cayo Hueso neighborhood.
I grew up there until I was 21; I was nourished by this city, its culture, its inhabitants, its religion and its values.
This city made me who I am today.
It wasn’t an easy life but I can’t say it was difficult either.
I studied automobile mechanics during the day and at night I took advantage of my time to concentrate on my passions, my centers of interest: I learned English, theater, dance and took my first steps on stage.
My childhood and my life as a young adult are periods that I greatly appreciated, it was at that moment that I understood,
identified the difference between good and evil.
I have built myself through my encounters, my experiences, to the rhythm and rhythms of my “city”. She fed me The music…If I was immersed in Cuban music throughout my childhood, it was also in my neighborhood that I encountered rap for the first time, particularly the American legends Tupac and Notorius BIG. You could say that it was at this time that it clicked for me.
I was influenced by rap but I always wanted to sing in Spanish. We organized “home parties” with my friends and we saw the emergence of the first rappers in Cuba;
groups like Amenaza, the Orishas, S.B.S, Primera Base, High and Low, Junior Clan… The arrival of rap associated with traditional Cuban music naturally led young people like me to reggaeton.
I can say that Cuban reggaeton was born in my neighborhood, among my neighbors. This is the S.B.S group, composed
by Alejandro, Avel and Rarnal. Having them right next to my house, being around them, allowed me to observe their rehearsals and
to learn. In addition to seeing them evolve, there were always budding artists nearby who had fun improvising, to confront their styles and their pens. Although I remain very attached to my neighborhood, it was by leaving it that I was able to evolve. Meeting a friend allowed me to learn
how to create a piece, the basics of writing, respect for rhythm, melody but also how to project yourself onto scene.
We created our first group, Locos Por Naturaleza. At that moment I really began to trace my artistic path, to create my own music, notably by meeting other artists. Unfortunately there were never any concrete projects and the lack of unity led to the group breaking up.
Despite this separation I remained focused on my goal: making music. This passion has always been stronger than the rest.
After several experimental passages I had a new beneficial experience. If I became professional during my solo journey, the meeting with Los Confidenciales, a reggaeton group renowned in Cuba, was an accelerator. Its members, Mister Rey and La Youton De Matanza, gave me a lot about artistic creation and experience on stage. France…
He discovered France during vacation
when he visited my mother. That’s when my life changed. I fell in love with a French during this stay and I never left again. I stayed for her even though I had no papers.
My musical history in France began when I met Boumaye Gak, the director of the Daleya Music label, which I consider today like a brother. From this meeting was born the Los Napoleones project and the afroton style. ‘ For five years, we have been creating Latin events in the Nantes region, singing in bars, musical evenings, events whilemoving forward on the “Elamo” project.Last year we unveiled my first single “Culea”, which allowed me to be introduced to certain media and to have my first broadcasts on French waves.Since then we have continued to work in the studio but also on my artistic development and on everything surrounding music.
https://music.apple.com/fr/artist/elamo/1331337936
