Francisco Céspedes Rodríguez, better known as Pancho Céspedes, is a Cuban singer and songwriter born in Santa Clara, Cuba, on February 28, 1957.
He studied Medicine at the Faculty of Medical Sciences in Havana but decided to pursue music, becoming part of Cuban groups where he performed songs he composed, carving out a place for himself within the feeling genre, a musical style that originated on the island and blends bolero with jazz.
He rose to fame as a composer when in 1992 the Mexican singer Luis Miguel decided to include his song "Pensar en ti" in his album "Aries." This would not be the only title performed by the Mexican artist that was written by Céspedes. Later, in 1996, as part of the album "Nada es igual," "Qué tú te vas," authored by the Cuban, appeared.
He later emigrated to Mexico, where he became a citizen and relaunched his career, achieving great success that has made him one of the most renowned singer-songwriters on the continent.
He participated as a soloist representing Mexico in the Viña del Mar Festival in 1997, taking home the second prize. In 1997, he recorded his first album, Vida loca, the title track of which has become his most well-known composition and earned him several Platinum records in Spain. In 2018, it was used for the advertisement of the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Pancho Céspedes has had an extensive career, having been nominated several times for the Grammy and Latin Grammy awards. He has also received other significant accolades, such as the Premios Amigo for Best Latin New Artist, Best Latin Male Solo Artist, and Best Latin Album, as well as an Ondas Award for Latin New Artist in 1998
Discography: Vida loca (1998), ¿Dónde está la vida? (2000), ..Ay corazón (2002), Dicen que el alma (2004), Autorretrato (2005), Con el permiso de bola (2006), Te acuerdas... (2009), Armando un pancho, featuring Armando Manzanero (2010), Más cerca de ti (Live) (2011), Todavía (2015)
Regarding his position on the Cuban government, it has been controversial. In 2016, the singer-songwriter criticized his compatriot, the also singer Amaury Gutiérrez, who resides in Miami, for the content of his lyrics that oppose the Cuban regime. However, in 2020, one of his performances at a Cuban hotel was canceled following his statements in which he made clear his opinion on the failure of the Cuban revolutionary project.
