For those unaware, Victoria Cardona is a Cuban American singer/songwriter, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist. Growing up in a traditional Cuban household, she was influenced by legends like Celia Cruz and Gloria Estefan. After studying jazz guitar in Florida and Minnesota, she developed her live looping, One-Woman-Band project.

Victoria’s international tours took her across Europe, while her active Southeast U.S. performances sharpened her sound. Her debut album, Que Pasó (out June 27th, 2025 via Leggero Records) is produced by Tim Goodman and featuring legendary musicians like Jimmy Haslip on bass, Jimmy Branley on drums, Justo Almario on horns and Bill Payne on piano and blends Cuban rhythms with jazz, rock, and world influences, reflecting her personal history and cultural heritage.

1. Que Pasó En La Habana (3:54)
2. Ghost (4:12)
3. George From Heaven (3:09)
4. Me Voy Pa La Playa (3:39)
5. Rhodes Royale (3:30)
6. Dos Gardenias (4:41)
7. Camarena Baila (4:22)
8. Tuesday Rain (3:30)
9. Slow Burn (4:09)
10. El Carretero (3:22)
11. Spanish Moon (5:26)

Blending Cuban rhythms with jazz, rock, and world influences, Victoria opens up her brand new album on the rhythmically sublime Que Pasó En La Habana (which explores the struggles faced by the Cuban people under communist rule) and the melodious Ghost and then we get the spirited hipsway of George From Heaven (from a quirky tale based on a true encounter), the emboldened Me Voy Pa La Playa before both the sultry storytelling within Rhodes Royale (which tells the story of Victoria’s experience as the only woman in a poker tournament in Greece) and the low slung balladry of the timeless bolero Dos Gardenias are brought forth.

Along next is the free flowing Camarena Baila (a deeply personal song about Victoria’s family’s escape from Cuba) and a dulcet Latin-pop storytelling that drives Tuesday Rain and they are in turn backed by the heartfelt Slow Burn (which describes a passionate yet doomed relationship), the new set rounding out on the upbeat and joyfully bubbly El Carretero (a cover of a classic Cuban Guajira by Guillermo Portabales), coming to an all too soon close on a Latin-infused cover of Little Feat’s classic Spanish Moon.

www.victoriacardona.com

Victoria Cardona @ Instagram