I’m Black, I’m Cuban, I’m a singer – that’s it,” says Xiomara Laugart when asked to compare herself to Celia Cruz. “But she’s an icon, and I’m doing my best to fill those shoes,” she adds with a wide, ...

NEW YORK -- Playing the Queen of Salsa on stage is a dream come true for Xiomara Laugart, the star of the musical “Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz.” But the singer doesn’t want to mislead the ...

You might not have heard the name Xiomara Laugart, but you probably should have. And when you do, you’re in for a hell of a treat. Xiomara Laugart, colloquially known as “La Negra,” boasts one ...

Despite over fifty years of political turmoil leading to a ludicrous embargo, the music of Cuba has thrived and is as vibrant as ever. Though many premier Cuban artists have gone into cultural exile ...

Xiomara Laugart doesn’t scare easily. The Cuban-born singer, after all, defected to the U.S. almost a decade ago without a penny in her pocket or a command of the English language, yet managed to ...

Xiomara Laugart pays tribute to Celia Cruz with a lively "Guantanamera" during the 2019 NPR Music Turning the Tables opening concert at Lincoln... Xiomara Laugart, joined by Lea-Lorién Alomar and ...

At Andres Levin’s studios in SoHo, his wife, Cucu Diamantes, and his best galpal Xiomara Laugart are entertaining a couple of friends. The group, along with singer Eduardo “El Chino” Rodriguez, giggle ...

All across Cuba, there are clubs called Casas de la Trova, where musicians perform a ballad style of singing called trova, nueva trova and other forms of music. These intimate spots, where the ...

It takes two women to bring one legendary Queen of Salsa to life Xiomara Laugart is not afraid of being compared to Cuban diva Celia Cruz. In fact, the star of the acclaimed off-Broadway musical ...

Xiomara Laugart, joined by Lea-Lorién Alomar and Gerardo Contino and the house band, pays tribute to Celia Cruz with a lively "Guantanamera" during the 2019 NPR Music Turning the Tables opening ...