Musical Interludes featuring Leslie Cartaya

Next date: Thursday, February 12, 2026 | 05:30 PM to 07:00 PM

Leslie Cartaya is a Cuban singer and songwriter. She was born in Havana, Cuba. Later, she decided to move to Miami, United States, where she has shared all her musical energy, in addition to her roots. From a young age, she gained popularity for her artistic gifts, representing her country abroad with her musical hits, “Baila”, “No pares”, “Improvisado” and “Se va”.

Specialized critics define her as an interpreter with a taste of Cuba. From a very young age, Leslie Cartaya showed interest in music, she always liked to sing. Later, she learned to play piano with the only teacher in her town at the time. From then on, she made it clear that it was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. At the same time, she studied at the National School of Arts of Cuba, where she graduated in the area of Choral Conducting.

Leslie Cartaya left her country at the age of nineteen, to travel to the United States, where she began to work with her cousin José Pepin Rivero, with whom she formed a duo that lasted several years, thus performing small-scale presentations. Subsequently, the director of the group Palo, Steve Roitstein, contacted her in 2003, to see if she was interested in working with them, which she accepted. In this group she stood out as the lead vocalist with a Cuban and African American style. In 2013, Leslie Cartaya decided to embark on her career as a soloist. She traveled to Panama for a week to visit several media outlets in order to promote her first album, entitled “No pares”.

Leslie Cartaya performs salsa, tropical and bolero. She is a talented Cuban performer who demonstrated to the world her great vocation for music, managing to share her Latin roots, through her voice. She has traveled through several countries showing her virtuosity, she has also been invited to television programs with an important audience, such as Sábado Gigante. This is how her musical history as a soloist begins. “No pares” was her first album composed of a total of nineteen songs, of which eighteen were written by her, except for one that she released in bolero. “The idea for the name of this album came about because you can’t stop in life, ever. You shouldn’t stop composing, you can’t stop singing, you can’t stop laughing,” the musical artist confessed. Subsequently, Leslie Cartaya was nominated at the Latin Grammys in the Best New Artist category for “No pares”. Throughout her musical career she has become known with her songs “Abrázame”, “Esa es mi tierra”, “Olvidarte”, “Baila”, “La candela”, “Bolero Blue” and “Lo mejor de mis locuras”. Her success has allowed her to visit several cities in the United States, offering her high-quality concerts, as well as countries such as Puerto Rico, Panama, Venezuela, Peru and Costa Rica.

After two years of a short hiatus, Leslie Cartaya released her second album called “Llévame contigo”, from 2015. Where other recognized performers such as Latin Frest and Descemer Bueno also participate. From that musical production, the singles, “Improvisando”, “Yo quiero tu amor” and the ballad “Por verte”, just to name a few of them, stand out. In 2018, Leslie Cartaya returned with songs such as “Baila” and “Llévame contigo”. Two years later, he presented the songs “Quédate conmigo”, “Cuando todo pase” and “Sonríe y calla”. Between 2021 and 2023, she continued with the musical hits “Te vas”, “Relax” and the version of the song “Yo viviré”, original by Cuban singer Celia Cruz. On digital platforms she is heard in countries such as Mexico, Spain, Colombia and the United States.

 

When

Location

Marco Island Center for the Arts, 1010 Winterberry Dr., Marco Island, FL, 34145, View Map