Paulina Álvarez

Raimunda Paula Peña Álvarez (June 29, 1912 – July 22, 1965), professionally known as Paulina Álvarez, was a Cuban singer recognized for her performances of danzonetes, a style that combines traditional danzón with vocals. She rose to prominence in the 1930s as the genre’s foremost interpreter and was popularly referred to as La Emperatriz del Danzonete (The Empress of the Danzonete). Her most notable success was "Rompiendo la rutina," considered the first danzonete, composed by Aniceto Díaz in 1929. In 1960, she released her only full-length LP.

Life and career Early life and career Paulina Álvarez was born Raimunda Paula Peña Álvarez on June 29, 1912 in Cienfuegos, Cuba. By the time she was eight or nine years old she was singing at parties and school functions. In 1926, at age 14, her family moved to Havana, where she started her professional singing career in societies, theatres and radio shows. Other early hits were the boleros "Lágrimas negras" (Miguel Matamoros) and "Mujer divina" (Agustín Lara). Nonetheless, it was not easy for her to achieve success due to the sexist bias of band directors at the time. With this band she recorded several singles for Victor in 1939 and 1940, including not only danzones but also guarachas and rumbas.