U.S. Country Music Singer to Perform in Havana

American country music star Tim McGraw will host a four-day music festival in Cuba next year featuring local acts and complimentary gifts from Cuban companies, such as Havana Club, Billboard reported on Wednesday.

McGraw’s “One of Those Havana Nights” venture will cost tourists between $2,999 and $5,799 to experience, depending on how many a-la-carte luxury experiences they sign up for.

McGraw announced that he will perform along Cuban acts, including the salsa outfit Los Van Van and the nueva trova (Cuban modern folk) singer Carlos Varela.

Country music does not enjoy any significant popularity in Cuba, a nation that has more recently embraced hip-hop and reggaeton in addition to traditional genres like sonand guaguancó.

Conversely, McGraw’s music has typically carried no overt Cuban or Latin themes, though he recently debuted a Spanish-language version of his soft rock single “Humble and Kind.”

“Though I’ve never worked with any Cuban musicians, I’ve long been influenced by music with Latino beats and soul,” McGraw claims in remarks published on the website for the event. “I feel honored that I get to share my music with the Cuban people.”

Billboard notes that the event offers “an opportunity for McGraw fans to travel to Cuba along with their idol,” and “make foreigners’ typical Havana dreams come true.”

The site explains that the company organizing the event, Music & Arts Live, has used a loophole in the U.S. embargo in Cuba that allows for “cultural exchange” travel, making a visit for McGraw’s event “100 percent legitimate.”

It boasts that the hefty price tag on the voyage is all inclusive and travelers will receive complimentary cigars and a bottle of Havana Club.

Source: Breitbart News