Singer-songwriters Silvio Rodríguez and Alejo Stivel present the single and music video “Déjame en paz,” a collaborative composition that reflects on conscience, human fragility, and the social function of music.
The song, accompanied by a music video directed by Leandro Raposo, marks the first official collaboration between the two artists and stands as a cultural contribution that connects the musical traditions of Cuba and Argentina.
During “Déjame en paz” (Leave Me in Peace), the artists sing to the conscience they don’t want to be forgiven or complacent, only to receive “songs that serve people.”
The creative alliance arose in 2025, during a personal meeting in Spain or Cuba, places where they often meet. Alejo Stivel and Silvio Rodríguez have known each other “for many, many years,” according to Stivel, who has followed the Cuban singer-songwriter’s career since childhood.
On that occasion, Stivel proposed producing a song, but Rodríguez suggested composing together. “It never occurred to me that it could happen, but it did,” Stivel says happily.
Silvio Rodríguez sent the lyrics, titled “Leave Me in Peace,” via WhatsApp messages. Initially, Stivel perceived the title as aggressive, but upon reading the content, he understood it to be a reflection on consciousness, fragility, and the need to live with our own contradictions: “I was blown away by the level of poetry and expression it has.”
The musical composition presented creative challenges. Stivel experienced writer’s block for months: “I didn’t like anything I did; I felt like I wasn’t up to the task.” Finally, he recorded an idea with a rock aesthetic, featuring guitar and drums, a far cry from Rodríguez’s usual style.
The Cuban singer-songwriter approved the proposal, and according to Stivel, “I’m happy because it surpasses my wildest dreams.” For his part, Rodríguez affirms that the song is “more Alejo’s” than his own and is grateful to have been able to “add some thoughts and words.”
The lyrics, sung in two voices, begin with lines like: “You don’t forgive my eyes, nor my blindness.” You don’t forgive me for being lame, nor for wandering in spring. You don’t forgive me for the wound, you don’t forgive me for my fate. You don’t forgive me for life, nor do you forgive me for death. The song addresses the relationship with conscience from a perspective that rejects complacency and prioritizes the social utility of art.
Regarding the function of music, Alejo Stivel points out that the emotional accompaniment provided by songs “is not conscious.”
“I don’t set out to do something with a social function, but naturally, like everything you do, like music, it already fulfills that inevitable function of accompanying. It helps you feel sad, happy; it has that power. It’s not premeditated,” the composer reflects.
Stivel clarifies that not all artists share this approach, since some “do aim to mobilize people for some purpose.”
The release of “Déjame en paz” (Leave Me in Peace) comes months before Stivel embarks on a summer tour. The Argentine musician boasts a five-decade career: he arrived in Madrid in 1976 fleeing the Argentine dictatorship and, in 1977, founded the band Tequila with Ariel Rot. With groups like Tequila, he participated in songs that are part of the collective memory, such as “Salta” (Jump), “Dime que me quieres” (Tell Me You Love Me), and “Rock and Roll en la plaza del pueblo” (Rock and Roll in the Town Square).
After the group disbanded in 1983, Stivel established himself as a music producer, having produced more than 250 albums for artists such as Joaquín Sabina, La Oreja de Van Gogh, and Carlos Baute. A decade ago, he returned to the stage with his solo project, and in 2024, he published his memoirs, “Yo debería estar muerto” (I Should Be Dead).
Silvio Rodríguez, for his part, is recognized as one of the most influential Cuban singer-songwriters in Latin America. An exponent of the Nueva Trova movement alongside Pablo Milanés and Vicente Feliú, he boasts a career spanning more than four decades, at least 560 songs, and some twenty albums, solidifying his status as an international icon of Spanish-language music.
[ SOURCE: teleSUR ]
