Rodrigo Cuevas is a singer and folk agitator from Asturias, in the north west region of Spain.
Rodrigo moves like a fish in water in traditional music and dance, but there is little traditional or archaic about Spanish singer Rodrigo Cuevas. His performances are rooted in politics and LGBT rights issues, with the latter rooted firmly at the centre of everything he does. Cuevas seeks to give a new meaning to folklore through social and political agitation.
Performance artist, singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and committed folkloric agitator, Rodrigo Cuevas calls for a reappraisal of the values transmitted by Spanish folklore, particularly that of his Asturian homeland.
Combining emblematic folk melodies with subtle electronica, clad in androgynous costumes, stockings and wooden stiletto shoes, he’s a rural cabaret diva creating deep-rooted art for a disconnected present, using humour, elegant eroticism and compelling storytelling. An academy trained musician he nonetheless claims to have learnt more about art from his neighbours in the small village where he lives (a location he keeps secret).
His message is that a culture based on image and frivolity is an empty vessel that needs to reconnect with ancestral ways of life and interacting that are slowly dying. It’s a serious message deftly communicated through a compellingly entertaining vision.
