SANTA CLARA, Cuba. – A catchy refrain that repeats “Rosa, how beautiful you are” has gone viral as a background song reels on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook since it was released Alibia song by Sevdaliza, Pabllo Vittar and Yseult.
Iranian-Dutch singer-songwriter and producer Sevda Alizadeh, better known by her stage name Sevdaliza, used for the chorus of this hit a phrase that belongs to the Cuban songbook and has not been exempt from controversy over time due to its origin and authorship.
“Rosa, qué linda eres” is part of the repertoire of the Sexteto Habanero (later Septeto Habanero), whose origins date back to the Cuarteto Oriental. A pioneer of son groups in Cuba, this group created a boom in sound in the dance halls of the time frequented by the capital’s high society.
At its founding stage, it was made up of Guillermo Castillo, on guitar; Gerardo Martínez, lead vocals; Felipe Neri Cabrera, maracas; Antonio Bacallao, on botija; and Carlos Godínez, on tres. Later, other musicians would join, reinforcing the traditional format with other instruments such as the double bass and trumpet.
After their first recordings, the sonera group achieved notable international popularity and made several tours in the United States, where they also recorded their most popular singles. Some of the classics that are still in their repertoire are: Three pretty Cuban girls, Suavecito, Tribilín Cantores and To the hill of Bethlehem.
The first version of the phrase Rosa, how beautiful you are It became popular to the rhythm of the son. The text uses the metaphor of the rose (flower) to describe the beauty of a woman with the same name. It was composed in the second decade of the 20th century and appears registered under the authorship of Gerardo Martínez, The Princefounder and second director of the Sexteto Habanero, on a record recorded in New York in 1927 by the Victor Talking Machine Co. label.
However, according to an article published on the blog Bohemia and Montunothere is another recording prior to this one, from 1918, released to the market under the label of “Sexteto Habanero Godínez” and registered in the name of Carlos Godínez Facenda. Rafael Cafiel, author of this thorough investigation, assumes that Pink It is, without a doubt, a composition by Gerardo Martínez, “since the original version from 1918 only shares the chorus with the one from 1928” and, furthermore, “it is illogical that Gerardo would later steal the credit as composer from his partner.”
Rosa, how beautiful you are It has generated controversy among music lovers, as its origin is also disputed in Colombia. Luis Magín Díaz García, one of the great representatives of cumbia and Colombian folklore, also popularized it in the 1980s and said he dedicated it to a young woman with that name. However, when it was released in Cuba, Magín was barely seven years old.
Some research on the subject shows that the Colombian must have heard this chorus sung by the Cubans who worked at the Sincerín sugar mill, where he also worked, and that he unconsciously incorporated it into his version in the format of a boat.
As if that were not enough, the song was also awarded to the Colombian folklorist Irene Martínez, recorded in bullerengue rhythm and sealed by the record company Codiscos. Martínez pointed out on more than one occasion that “since the members of the group did not know who owned the rights to the song, Pinkthey had to put their name as the composer at the risk of the song not being included on the album, since the record company did not publish songs with reserved rights.”
A fourth vallenato adaptation became a little more internationally known in the voice of Carlos Vives, recorded on his album The land of oblivion, from 1995, although Alibi has come to break all audience records. Sevdaliza herself notes that the song is a testament to women’s ability to rise up together: “It’s about getting rid of painful misconceptions about our being and stepping into our unique power and beauty,” she said.
