In Memory of Marta Valdés

On October 3, 2024, Cuban singer-songwriter Marta Valdés passed away. We, forcola, have been covering her songs at every live performance, and on November 24, we played two of her songs as a tribute and to express our gratitude for her musical achievement. Here is the video of our performance.

Takako Umehara(vocal) first encountered Marta's music while working at a Latin music label and was instantly captivated by the incredible sense of sound in her music. Marta's delicate compositions touched her heart during a time of deep personal reflection, and since then, she has continued her music career with the desire to create beautiful music like Marta's.

Koichi Tsukamoto(piano) got to know Marta's music through activity of forcola, and still finds her melodies, harmonies, and song structures fresh and inspiring. The freedom and inspiration that her music provides continue to captivate him, and he enjoys listening to and analyzing the many versions of her songs covered by various musicians.

We will continue to perform Marta's music to help others get to know her work more deeply. We also hope to visit Cuba someday, the place where Marta lived and created her music.

Thank you for leaving us with so many beautiful pieces of music.