Asturian artist Rodrigo Cuevas (Oviedo, 1985) is one of the most distinctive figures on the contemporary Spanish scene. In an interview for Rockdelux, conducted during the La Mar de Músicas festival in Cartagena, he talks about the album Manual de belleza (Sony, 2026) — and about why, in his view, we should educate "for beauty and respect, above all." Rockdelux ↗
Cuevas lives outside the big cities: "I live almost every day in the village of Vegarrionda, in the parish of L'Arteosa in the Piloña district," he says. This contrast between his rural background and his extravagant stage persona is characteristic of him. Rockdelux describes it precisely: on stage the figure becomes larger than life and captivating, yet in a crowd the small person who inhabits it goes unnoticed. Rockdelux ↗
Cuevas describes himself as an "agitator of folk culture" — his project is built on traditional Asturian songs, which he blends with cabaret, electronics and queer aesthetics. It is precisely this that allows him to achieve what most folk revivals do not: reaching an audience that would otherwise never put on folk music. For the album Manual de belleza, released at the end of March, he is gathering some of the best reviews of his career.
On SuperMusic you can find the lyrics to three of his songs, including "MÁS ANIMAL" and "La fiesta."
His concerts are close to theatre — light, costume and choreography are as much a part of the statement as the song itself. In 2021 Cuevas received the Premio Nacional de Músicas Actuales, awarded to him by the Spanish Ministry of Culture.
Illustrative photo: Rodrigo Cuevas. Photo: Donostia Kultura / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Rodrigo Cuevas: "We should educate for beauty and respect, above all"
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