Dee Hernandez
Born in rural Cuba and arrived in Canada at 16 on a tour she would never leave, Dee Hernandez carries a voice Sass Jordan called “world-class” — Afro-Cuban jazz told from Atlantic Canada
Biography
Dee Hernandez is a Cuban-Canadian singer, songwriter and performer. Born and raised in rural Cuba, near Havana, she was singing from childhood — Nueva Trova songs at age four — before becoming, at 14, the lead singer of the big band Los Primos de Cuba. It was while touring Canada's East Coast in 1998 that, at 16, she chose to stay in Canada: a new country, and a voice to rebuild between two cultures.
Her music brings Afro-Cuban rhythms into dialogue with jazz, soul, R&B and funk — a sound Maritime Edit magazine saluted by naming her “The Voice of Cuban-Canadian Jazz”. A multiple East Coast Music Award nominee (2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026, including a 2026 Global Recording of the Year nomination) and Music New Brunswick Award nominee, she has also seen her songs live on screen, from the TIFF-featured film Do I Know You from Somewhere to the Bell TV series Home on the Bay (2026).
In September 2026 she released her debut album, Deshecha = Undone — the story, in music, of the road from Cuba to Canadian stages: migration, resilience and cultural preservation. On stage she performs with her band D'Fusion, and also carries an Ella Fitzgerald tribute that says everything about her lineage with the great jazz voices.
Stages and milestones
Lead singer of the Los Primos de Cuba big band from age 14 · Arrived in Canada on tour, 1998 · “The Voice of Cuban-Canadian Jazz” — Maritime Edit · East Coast Music Award nominations 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 · Music New Brunswick Award nominations · Songs featured in the film Do I Know You from Somewhere (TIFF) and the series Home on the Bay (Bell TV, 2026) · Folk Canada 2026 official showcase (Hamilton) · Ella Fitzgerald tribute touring Atlantic Canada
Upcoming dates
- Wednesday November 18, 2026 — Vitrine officielle — Mundial Montréal 2026 (après-midi) · Maison des Arts Participatifs, Montréal (Canada) — Official page ↗
Public dates — collected from the artist's official channels on November 9, 2026.
Discography
Deshecha = Undone (debut album, September 2026) · The Deesalsa Project (EP) · Singles: “Breath”, “Crazy Love”, “Rebirth”, “Just Friends”, “Pa' Que lo Pruebes” (2025), “Navidad Under the Stars” (2024)
Gallery
Calendar
- Wednesday, November 18, 2026, 5:00 p.m. — Mundial Montréal 2026, Maison des Arts Participatifs, Montreal (showcase presented by Music NB)
Show formats
- Concert with her band D'Fusion — Afro-Cuban jazz, soul and R&B
- Dee Unplugged — an intimate acoustic format
- Ella Fitzgerald tribute — the great jazz voices revisited
On video — their Mundial Montréal 2026 showcase
The official presentation video of Dee Hernandez for Mundial Montréal 2026: Wednesday, November 18, 2026 · 5:00 p.m. · Maison des Arts Participatifs, Montreal. Video © Mundial Montréal — provided to Festival TV in the festival's official media kit.