Since she was a child, Angie Rey has been working hard pursuing her dream to be a country music star. This month, the 21-year-old Florida Cubanita released her first single and video.
Angie credits her determination to realize her dream to her Cuban parents, who risked everything to escape socialism so they could realize their dreams of freedom in America (via WFTS in Tampa Bay):
Rey’s dedication stems from her parents, who both immigrated to America from Cuba before she was born. Her dad almost didn’t make it.
“This is at the time when Castro said ‘if you want to leave, go ahead and leave,’ so my dad hopped on his raft with two other people,” said Rey. “Got picked up from the Coast Guard 46 hours into his ride over the water and went to Guantanamo Bay, went through the processing, and then came to the United States.”
Decades later Rey is using that same drive when it comes to music.
“What it’s taught me essentially is that in order to achieve your dreams and your goals, you gotta do whatever you gotta do,” said Rey.
We congratulate Angie and her parents and wish them the best of luck.
Here is the video of her first single, Chicka Boom:
I’m hardly an expert on country music, but she sounds more to the manner born than a certain female “living legend” does in Cuban music. Of course, I’m somebody who thinks an even bigger “legend,” one Julio Iglesias, is a gooey, painfully self-enamored mediocrity.
How refreshing! I was getting sick and tired of all of the trashy reggaetoneros that have as of late come from Cuba and now reside in Miami.
I agree. If a Cuban is going to adopt a foreign musical genre, American country music is a far better choice than some Puerto Rican crap.