6. How would you describe each others music?

Michel: When we began this project we decided to do all types of music. Well, the music that suites us well. Tirso has his voice… like a sonero, has his timba voice—has his qualities like I also have a voice suitable for ballads, suitable for boleros, suitable for salsa, so.. what we do, a bit of timba, like they tell us in Cuba… what we have in the group is a bit of timba, of bolero, of ballad, of salsa, we have a bit of this… [Tirso: It’s a mixture.] It’s a mixture… of everything, is what we are t;/script> doing.

7. What are your strengths as bandleaders?

Michel: I think that, for me, it’s not for nothing but… I think that everything that we’re doing is good (hahaha). Not trying to be arrogant… for me, everything we’re doing is good…

Tirso: It has feeling, it has a lot of feeling, at least it has a lot of heart. And we’re doing what we want, what we should have been doing for a while. Or like, doing whatever the hell we want…

8. How do you want to be remembered as having contributed to the history of Cuban music?

Tirso: Well, in my case I would like..like.. to me, to Michel also, y’know, that they will remember us like two singers but not.. like musicians, like the ones that we are… two people that give happiness, like if some guy, I don’t know, some guy has a problem that another guy doesn’t have, that they remember us like two people that transmit, that have transmitted happiness since they started this world of Cuban music. Transmitters of happiness… like, of happiness, of parties, of ambiance, of…

Michel: No and also, this is nothing, this only started just now! Like, we’re already a legend; we’re a history, like, like Tirso said before, we came from the group Charanga Habanera, that functioned a lot based on our work, like they liked us a lot because I feel very happy for going through that… and there we made the mark with our names… well, our name started there… people got to know us, that was a big drive, a bit help. I think that from now on, what we want want, of what we have dreamed, is our beginning of our lives in music. 

9. What do you think of the Charanga Habanera of today?

Tirso: It’s a group, like I said, it’s the same… I’ll repeat it again… it’s the same feeling. The opinion that we have of Charanga Habanera is the same that we have of all of the Cuban musicians, and of all that perpetuate Cuban timba. That they continue ahead like Los Van Van, like Adalberto y su son, that they’re like patterns to follow for us

Michel: NG La Banda…

Tirso: NG La Banda, yes. No, El Tosco, he’s our godfather, he’s the father of Cuban timba for me… And so that they keep going ahead and we always are going to try to protect Cuban music and to try to transmit happiness, the most possible. 

10. Michel, people describe your music as repartero. What do you think of that?

Michel: Yes, my music is, well the word isn't... this isn't exactly the word, my music is hot, my music is of Cuba, my music is timba music, it is a timba [Linda: But how is it different from the music of Manolito y su Trabuco?)

Michel: Because of course it has to be dfferent. They think that to achieve something in life you have to make your style, your thing.. [Linda: What is your trademark?]

Tirso: It’s an issue also of the language that we use. We use a language more street style. It looks to me like our music uses a language more street, the language that the Cuban speaks. The language in which the person speaking from the street is manifested, that wakes up at six in the morning…

Michel: What’s up asere? How are you? What are we doing?

Tirso: To catch the bus, to these people it’s practically to whom we sing. Also, we can sing to all that have a more cultural level. We are, well, Michel is an excellent singer and can sing whatever ballad, whatever bolero. I’m going to do also my songs, my nice things, but what we try to defend to the music is the people in the street. The people from the hood. The people that have to sweat, like, in order to be able to come to Casa de la Musica and dress up.

Michel: And in Cuba, in reality, what I have most realized is that Cuba is from timberos. What the people like is timba music. The real music of Cuba. Timba, the hot stuff is what they really like.