LISTEN: This Song Celebrates Afro-Caribbean Cultures & Traditions

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Andrés Levín is back with new music. On Apr. 5, the Venezuelan-American hitmaker released “We’re Caribe,” which features diverse Afro-Caribbean talent like Beenie Man, Goyo, Kyoka, Abrante, Franco, Osain del Monte, Ron Blake, and Les Nubians. “We’re Caribe” is part of Levín’s upcoming collaborative album Regreso A Gondwana.

“We recorded ‘We’re Caribe’ in Kingston, Bogotá, San Juan, New York and Habana,” Levín wrote on his Instagram before the song’s release. “Check out some BTS of the upcoming videoclip and Jamaica sessions with the talented Kyoka and master organist Robbie Lyn.” 

“We’re Caribe” is a tribute to Afro-Caribbean cultures, featuring a unique roster of diverse Afro-Caribbean musicians who brought their cultures to the forefront. The song showcases different languages and incorporates traditional Afro-Cuban funk instruments like the keys, percussion, and guitar strings in one exciting track. Each artist takes a moment to sing about how beautiful their region is.

The visuals complement the song’s rich blend of Carribean sounds. It shows shots of the artists’ hometown beaches, the musicians jamming together, and enjoying traditional dances from their vibrant cultures. It’s an overall love letter to el Caribe.

In a different post, Levín showed how the beat came together. He workshopped live instruments and vocals that were recorded from all over the map with producer BeutNoise. For example, the percussions was recorded in Havana, and the live bass and organ in Jamaica.

“The idea of the song is to bring artists from Jamaica, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Cameroon,” he said in the Instagram post before showing the artists’ vocals. Each artist represented their region: Osain del Monte from Cuba, Kyoka from Jamaica, Goyo from Colombia, Beanie Man from Jamaica, Franco from Puerto Rico, Abrante from Puerto Rico, and Les Nubians from Cameroon. 

Check out the new music video for “We’re Caribe” below.