For the spirit Majela María Dueñas Boffill and José Manuel Rodríguez AguilarCuba was the starting point. On the island they formed, prepared and experienced experiences that contributed to the construction of their musical identity, which today forms Joma.
They decided to leave the island in November 2022, they passed through Maldives and China until on April 15, 2024 they arrived in Spain with the illusion of sharing their music and with a suitcase full of dreams to fulfill. In May of that same year they premiered their first video clip, “Back to you”, next to the Iris duo.
Today they live in the Canary Islands and have as a seal a fusion of all the genres they have consumed: pop music, soulLatin influences and other sounds they like to experiment.
On the coming duo debut in an auditorium in Madrid, the road traveled until that moment, and its nomination for the Independent Music Awards in Spain (2025), we recently talked with Majela Dueñas.
At age nine they began their way in music at the Ernesto Lecuona Conservatory, by Sancti Spíritus. When and why do they decide to join in a musical project?
Joma was born from the need to tell our stories through music. We sing together from very small, from 11 or 12 years. But the duo arose when we realized that the need we had to express went beyond simply playing music.
One day, in half an hour, during a night blackout, we composed our first song: “Back to you.” There we realized that singing our own songs and telling stories was our most sincere way to connect with music, with people, to feel art and find our purpose as singers.
How did they decided the name of the duo?
Joma is a fusion of our names and, therefore, synthesizes our essence. We wanted something to represent us and made us feel at home, no matter where we were. We had come up with another name, but none made us vibrate like this. Joma found us, and not vice versa.
They have been nominated for independent music awards in Spain (2025). How do you receive this recognition and what does it mean for you to represent Cuba in the Spanish music scene?
It is an honor and a great responsibility. It means that our music is connecting with people. If you work hard, you focus and defend your project, dreams can come true. Here in Spain all the media have supported us a lot. We are very grateful.
They have worked with Alfonso Pérez, pianist and producer of Alejandro Sanz, and who has also collaborated with Camila Cabello, Carlos Vives and Andrés Suárez. How do you describe the experience with a producer of your size?
Alfonso is a teacher in what he does and an excellent person. Working with him has been a constant learning and enriching experience for our music. In addition, it makes us feel super good and fills us with security. Recording with him is something inexplicable; You have to live it.
Although they are now in Spain, Joma has Cuban roots. How much has that influenced his work?
The greatest influence of our music is from the pop ballad, and of course the Cuban; That always goes with one. Our music is a creative trip where the cultural wealth of all the places we have inhabited and known is mixed.
If they had to choose between the issues that have released the one that identifies them as artists, what would it be?
“I am to fly” for us is more than a song, it is our manifesto, the reflection of a soul that rises through music. In each note our essence of dreamers, the deep belief in love and in the transforming power of music to change the way we see the world are embodied.
It is that freedom to fly what defines us. “I am to fly” embodies our identity and the passion we share in each verse; It is the anthem that drives us to continue creating and believing in a morning full of possibilities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxuqz7jajgs
What Cuban or foreign musical figures have influenced their identity since they began composing?
We grew up with the music of Alejandro Sanz, Luis Fonsi, without a flag, Jorge Drexler and Natalia Lafourcade. Our identity has evolved, but the essence remains intact.
What is the biggest challenge they have faced in these years?
First, leave Cuba and start from scratch in a new country, without friends or family, facing loneliness and uncertainty of the unknown. And, secondly, to find our space in such a changing industry, where good taste and musical quality seem to fade, without falling into the temptation to make music just by following trends.
Each of these challenges, however, has strengthened us; It has allowed us to grow and reaffirm our identity. We have learned to fly without fear, to remain faithful to our spirit and transform adversity into the melody that defines us.
How does the fact that they are a couple in the artistic work of the duo influence?
We have a unique connection. We know each other deeply, we study together since children at the Ernesto Lecuona Conservatory of Music, in Sancti Spíritus. We were very good friends and having the same musical tastes and interest in singing united us. That is reflected in music, in our complicity, our sincerity. Sometimes it is a challenge, but it is always a gift.
The launch of “letting you flee” occurred on March 21. Does this theme follow the line of the previous ones or something distinguishes it?
We are more and more and discover our own loudness. “Letting you run away” has a special emotional burden and an evolution in our way of telling stories.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7OE3nqygza
His next concert in Madrid, on May 20, will be the debut of Joma in the Búho Real Room and in the Spanish capital. What does that opportunity represent for your musical career?
It is a dream come true, a new beginning in a stage with such history, where we want to leave our mark. We want to take advantage of that concert, which will be acoustic, to be able to connect more with the audience.
What can attendees expect?
An intimate and emotional trip. It will be a special night, with our naked essence and the emotion of sharing our live music.
If they had to give a message to the novel and emerging artists, what would it be?
That they trust in your voice and in your truth. Music is a long, resistance, learning path, but when it is done with the heart, it always finds its destiny. Do not give up, do not deviate, focus and work hard, that at the end of the day dreams come true.
