The Cuban reggaeton player Yulien Oviedo had his first concert in the United States this weekend, but it seems that the urban artist’s expectations were not met exactly as he expected.
The appointment took place last Sunday at the Infierno nightclub in Las Vegas, Nevada, but what attracted the most attention were the protests outside the venue, prior to the presentation.
The reggaeton player found several detractors of his music, who protested with shouts and banners with slogans against the Cuban dictatorship, hoping that the presentation would be cancelled.
On the other hand, the urban singer also found himself with a much smaller audience than expected, since he barely sold seats.
While on his official social networks the singer presumed that he had “sold out” the tickets for his concert, the evidence recorded in it indicates that the event was far from being a sold outas there were several holes in the space for attendees.
Oviedo had to confront his detractors, among them the activists Thais Franco and Gretell Salermo, who arrived with banners of “Patria y Vida” and “Libertad para Cuba”, and who were also accompanied by several political prisoners from the island.
The Yulién promoter confronted the protesters, and the incident was recorded in a video that was later posted on Instagram by Thais.
The images show the promoter defending the singer, and alleging that the protests are the result of personal quarrels between Yulién and the Cuban influencer Alexander Otaola, and not so much because of their political positions.
However, Oviedo has had several scandals in this regard, and Thais showed captures of the reggaeton player, annoyed, calling Cuban opponents “disgusting, starving, cynical and hypocritical beings.”
Gretell Salermo, at the same time, used her Instagram profile to show the empty nightclub parking lot after the concert, questioning Yulién’s claims about the supposed total ticket sales.
He also documented the arrival of the police, emphasizing that, unlike in Cuba, the US authorities were only there to ensure that the protests proceeded peacefully and private property was not trespassed.
Yulién defended himself on social media, questioning why he was being attacked despite not having participated in political events in Cuba or receiving favors from the government.
“If I did not sing at the concert for peace, if I did not ride in a protocol Mercedes in Havana, if they never gave me a house in the Náutico next to the president himself (…) in short, what is the incarnated with my person?” Yulien expressed.
However, in addition to his statements against the opposition, Yulien had already denied the existence of a dictatorship in Cuba, what in 2021 cost him the cancellation of what would be his first concert in the USthat time in Miami.
Like all Cuban artists, Yulien has been asked on several occasions not to take a direct and concrete position against the Cuban dictatorship, since he makes it seem that he is only trying to look good with both sides.
