Cuba’s Delgado Working In U.S.

Cuban salsa singer Issac Delgado has immigrated to Florida, where he signed with the William Morris Agency for worldwide representation. He is the biggest name in Cuban music to make the move in more than 10 years.

Unlike the publicized relocation of Cuban vocalists Manolín and Carlos Manuel, Delgado, with his wife and children, left the Communist island in secrecy.

There were rumors about Delgado moving to Florida for about a year, but WMA’s announcement was the first confirmation. Details about the singer’s entry to the U.S. were not disclosed, the Los Angeles Times said.

Delgado, now living in Tampa, is already working on a new album, which would be released in the spring and followed by a world tour this summer.

But the move can be a tricky one as far as maintaining success goes.

"Carlos Manuel is just a complete disaster," Hugo Cancio, a Miami businessman who helped bring the singer to the States, told the Times. "He’s been here four years and what has he done?"

But Delgado might be more marketable, said Kevin Moore, a Cuban music expert who writes for Timba.com, but it’s still risky.

"He has a better chance than the others, but it still seems like a questionable move," Moore told the Times. "He always worked the best-paying gigs in Havana and lived in a beautiful palace. To leave all that behind for an unknown financial situation makes you wonder…"

The move might have something to do with politics, the Times said. Delgado could be trying to get a jump on political changes expected when Fidel Castro dies. It’s possible that a democratic Cuba would leave those seeking asylum waiting in line for visas with everyone else.

Manolín was a celebrity in Cuba performing as El Medico de la Salsa and still performs in Miami though he didn’t reach stardom in the U.S. Last year he told Delgado, "You are a success already. You can come here and try to maintain what you’ve already achieved, but if you expect anything more, you’re going to be frustrated," the Times reported.

Delgado was one of the first acts from Cuba to play in the U.S. and was one of the biggest stars to come out of Havana’s dance music boom of the ’90s. He also released several albums on U.S. labels.