The legendary Cuban singer Omara Portuondo adds another success to her extensive musical career with the World Pioneer 2021 award, awarded by the prestigious British magazine Songlines.

Songlines has just proclaimed me the winner of the World Pioneer 2021 award, I understand that in my name the Buena Vista Social Club (BVSC) is also recognized on its 25th anniversary and the entire history and worth of Cuban music, confirmed the so-called Novia del Feeling (Girlfriend of Feeling) in her social networks.

The specialized publication noted that the spectacular success of the BVSC caused a boom in interest in the traditional styles of prerevolutionary Cuba, but far from nostalgia for a long-lost Golden Age, the island has never stopped and, with a distinctive Afro-Cuban touch, she created new contemporary forms such as timba, hip hop or reggaeton. While many of the other BVSC veterans have left us, Omara, now 91, is still going strong.

This year our thinking was guided by the cover of our October edition, which celebrated the quarter century of this remarkable phenomenon that marked an entire era, the official website of the award refers to.

The World Pioneer category is, perhaps, the pinnacle of the contest that reminded Portuondo in its magical and timeless version of the classic bolero Veinte años, as well as its memorable tours and concerts accompanied by musicians of the stature of Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, Compay Segundo and Orlando «Cachaito» López, already disappeared.

In 2018, Songlines ranked the Caribbean group ninth on its list of the 50 greatest musical moments of all time alongside other Latin American artists. Likewise, it reviewed the most important albums on the world scene in its special editions since 1999, when it became one of the most reliable references about music in the five continents for its covers, interviews and articles that privilege traditional and avant-garde sounds.

Since its foundation, the award has recognized the infinite value of music and, in this year, it had its virtual ceremony to firmly applaud creators from all over the world.

Translated by Yeney Perez Corona