Smithers singer-songwriter Alex Cuba will be awarded with an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Northern B.C. for his extensive contributions to the North’s arts scene.
The singer will be presented his UNBC degree on May 31 at the 2024 convocation ceremony in Prince George.
“What a beautiful thing for me,” he said.
“It’s very valuable for me to be recognized about my peers right here in my neck of the woods, I’m incredibly proud about it.”
Cuba has received numerous awards throughout his career, including two Juno Awards, four Latin Grammy Awards, two SOCAN Awards and a Grammy Award. He was also awarded an honorary degree from Queen’s University in 2022, though he said it means a little extra to be recognized in the North.
“It has a very deep meaning, because this is the area where people see me, where I have friends and it feels that it will have a direct effect on the music community here,” he said.
After being born Alexis Puentes in Artemisa, Cuba, the singer moved to Canada after meeting his wife, Sarah Goodacre. They first lived in Victoria, but then moved to Smithers, Goodacre’s hometown.
Cuba said the artistic landscape in Smithers has improved dramatically since he first moved to the town 21 years ago, with more Bulkley Valley artists able to flourish.
“I’ve been consciously contributing to the health of arts and culture up here … I think this makes it real to people from here,” he said.
“When I first moved to Smithers 21 years ago … there was always the question when I started meeting people here, ‘so you’re a musician, but what do you do for a living, what’s your real job?’ That is not only a problem of Northern B.C., it’s nationwide, especially in small communities.
“And I’m proud to say that now Smithers has a very healthy community music community, people are taking it on quite seriously and are trying to project themselves from here internationally because now we have the tools to do that.”
Proud of his Cuban roots and his adopted country, Cuba said his music is a “fusion between a mango seed and an apple seed — it makes a tree that grows in Cuba and Canada.”
The industrious Cuba described the politically-charged challenges he faced as a Cuban trying to break into the forbidden American market when he first embarked on his music career, with labels such as Sony and Universal passing him by.
“Being Cuban, many labels in the US wouldn’t touch me,” he said.
However, he was undeterred by these snubs, Cuba started his own independent Caracol Records, which he and Goodacre operate together.
“I waited for about a year and a half, and it just didn’t happen. And then when I realized what was going on … I said to myself ‘if the mountain doesn’t come to me, I’m going to go to the mountain,” he said.
Cuba will have little time to relish the award, as he will be releasing Voces De Mi Familia — a unique album honouring the musical talents of his family members — on May 31, the same day as the UNBC congregation. He is also about to begin a tour across the U.S., before heading to Spain for two months.
Finally, the musical workhorse will be releasing singles from another new album in the fall, before he takes a well-deserved break in November.
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