CANMORE – One thing many living in the Bow Valley connect with is the notion of being from somewhere else, yet, finding new life in a different part of the world.
For Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magdelys Savigne, the core members of OKAN, a Canadian Afro-Cuban roots, jazz and folk band, much of their music emphasizes their journey of immigration, courage and love.
At this year’s Canmore Folk Music Festival (Aug. 4-7), OKAN gets to share their story and the voice of the younger generation of Cuba to a new audience.
“Even though our lyrics are mostly in Spanish, we wanna connect with people, like, through our music and have them on this journey,” said Savigne. “We have this show and we have all of our music and our set goes through a journey. Our journey here and connect with people.”
The Juno Award winning band performs Sunday (Aug. 6) at 9:45 p.m. at Stan Rogers Stage in Centennial Park.
“The most important thing I bring to the stage is my beauty,” said Rodriguez with a laugh. “No, I think the most important thing we bring to the stage is our energy and the way that we share our music and our heritage that when people get to see us and experience a concert, it’s completely different than just an album.”
Most recognized for their 2020 album, Espiral, which won the Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year in 2021, OKAN means heart in Afro-Cuban dialect. With their music and art, what they do is in their very essence since forming in 2017.
Rodriguez (violin, vocals) and Savigne (percussion, vocals) were classically trained in Cuba.
Moving to Canada 10 years ago, the ensemble promotes their Afro-Cuban culture in their sound, lyrics and on-stage presence.
While showcasing a rich heritage, they hope to expose audiences to the other side of Cuban culture – separate from what’s usually viewed at sandy resorts and one of Cuba’s most popular music genres, salsa.
“It happened to us when we started that people thought we were going to play salsa,” said Savigne. “It’s not the only thing that comes from there, there are a lot more, and that’s our vision of it.”
An example of this can be heard in OKAN’s newest single, Iglú, which has a modern urban pop sound. For Rodriguez and Savigne, who are married, the intimate song is about when they were having a marital situation and wanting to “melt an igloo”.
“It is very rewarding to be able to share all these experiences together,” said Rodriguez. “We’re also travelling with our son and our son comes with us pretty much everywhere and he's going to be part of this tour for half of the tour at least. … We’re just really good at working together and that’s not a problem at all for us to work together and be a couple.”
OKAN plans to release their third album this fall.
