Singer/songwriter Erika Kulnys is sharing her latest cross-cultural collaboration with a double-A side release of her singles “Alcanzando la Rosa” and “Fantasma” from her forthcoming album, Stand Together.
Both tracks were recorded with all-star Cuban bands in Habana at the premier EGREM studios, as well as Ojalá, Cuban music legend Silvio Rodriguez’ personal recording studio. Consistent with Kulnys’ larger discography and life’s work, both songs speak to larger themes of love, social justice, and human’s inescapable interconnection to the earth and one another.
Kulnys describes “Fantasma” as “a call to action to listen to the voice in our hearts that tells us to rise up against fascism, patriarchy and destruction of Mother Earth for corporate gain.” The sensual track was co-written with Cuban artist Jeniffer Dalía Morales Rodriguez, inspired by an original idea from Dariel Milan.
Alternatively, “Alcanzando la Rosa” is a love song Kulnys originally wrote in Belfast with Gareth Dunlop which her Cuban drummer El Pulpo and friend Josue Taboada later translated to Spanish. Though she describes the original English “Reaching for the Rose” as a song “about a broken heart,” she now contends that it “has evolved into an anthem about longing for love and seeking it despite the thorns that cross its path.”
Originally from Nova Scotia and now Berlin-based, Erika Kulnys is no stranger to music as a vehicle for international diplomacy. A recipient of the prestigious Watson fellowship, she has played alongside revolutionary bands in Venezuela, performed samba-influenced hip hop alongside Brazilian youth, taught music to disabled children in India, and researched folk music’s influence on the peace movement in Northern Ireland.
Kulnys recently participated in the Folk Alliance International Private Showcases following her mainstage performances at the 2019 Copenhagen Geyser Festival, the 2017 Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival, and the 2016 Copenhagen Pride Mainstage. Her music has been played internationally on the CBC, NPR, Sirius XM, and BBC.
