Ivan Martinez

Born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba March 16, 1967. From 1987 to 1992 Ivan studied university courses at Pedagogico de la Habana, obtaining a bachelors degree in Music Education. While studying he was trombone player and musical director of the band “Son Imagen”, which received various award recognitions. Then in 1993, he started as a trombone player with the orchestra “Cuestión Seria”, and later shared responsibilities as musical director with Mariela Suarez. This group won the 1995 Novel Orchestra award in Cuba. Two years later he participated as musical arranger and trombone player in the recording production “Amante Solo Yo”, by Dikan and “Cuestión Seria”.
He formed part of the group “Caribe Show” in Mexico sharing the stage with internationally known musicians such as Oscar D’Leon, La Coco Band and Wilfredo Vargas. In 1999, Ivan moved to the United States, and has worked as timbal player and vocalist. He became a founding member of Havana NRG! in 2002.

Paola Murillo

Paola inherited her passion for music from her family of musicians who introduced her to the world of entertainment. Her family’s influence allowed Paola to become a naturally gifted singer and become a band member as a backing vocalist and vocal director during her earlier years. That experience alone would shed light into Paola’s ability to enchant others not only with her natural voice, but also her stage presence. Paola has the capacity to perform Latin and Pop styles of music, which enhances her ability to perform all genres of music on stage. Recently, Paola joined Havana NRG in October 2021 to continue her passion for music and building her legacy in the music industry.

Michael Romero

Born in Holguin, Cuba in December, 1973. The son of an actress and a school teacher, Maiquel began to show interest in the arts in his early life. At the age of 5 he was already singing the old “Trova Cubana,” which gave the first glimpse of a bright future in the music field. He spent five years performing in Monterrey with the cuban band Caribe Show. In 1999 he moved to Dallas, where he has worked as lead vocalist and trumpet player. He became a founding member of Havana NRG! in 2002.

Mariela Suarez

Born February 6, 1971 in the city of Havana, Cuba. From the age of four she began to appear in TV, radio, documentaries and theater as part of a musical children’s group, “Meñique”. She studied at the music academy specializing in piano and violin. In 1987 she won first place in a national contest for violin students. Mariela graduated with a technical and professional title as instrumentalist and violin professor. In 1989 she was selected to participate the Young Musicians World Orchestra as a violinist becoming the first Cuban in history to be accepted for this kind of event. In 1992 she was part of the prestigious orchestra of the Cabaret Tropicana in Havana, Cuba as keyboard player. Along with Ivan Martinez was musical director of the band “Cuestión Seria”, which won the 1995 Novel Orchestra award in Cuba. In 1997 she was the producer, musical arranger and piano player of the CD, “Amante Solo Yo”, by Dikan and Cuestión Seria. Of which the song “Hice Por Ti”, reached fourth place in the New York Hit Parade of the Latin Beat magazine. During three years she participated as violinist in the symphonic orchestra of Nuevo Leon and was professor of violin in the Instituto Superior de Musica in Monterrey, Mexico. In 1999, Mariela moved to the United States and worked as musical director, arranger, piano and violin player/teacher in Dallas. She became a founding member of Havana NRG! in 2002 and is currently Musical Director and Manager of this band.

Ramon Rodriguez

Born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba March 16, 1967. From 1987 to 1992 Ivan studied university courses at Pedagogico de la Habana, obtaining a bachelors degree in Music Education. While studying he was trombone player and musical director of the band “Son Imagen”, which received various award recognitions. In 2002 Ivan brought his succesful experience to Dallas to the new Havana NRG!

Jeff Fort

Born May 25, 1971 and grew up in the tropical setting of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He started playing the saxophone at the age of 16. When he finished High School, he briefly attended music school before he was hired to play for Carnival Cruise Lines.
After working on the cruise ships for 3years, Jeff moved to Denton, TX to finish school. He graduated from the University of North Texas in 2001 specializing in jazz performance, and started working in the Latin music scene as saxophone and flute player. He became a founding member of Havana NRG! in 2002.

Georber Nodal

Born in Matanzas, Cuba on July 2, 1976. At the age 9 he took his first steps towards music, getting involved with different bands playing guitar and percussion. He began his musical studies in the Vocational School of the Arts in Matanzas, specializing in trumpet. Four years later, he decided to further his musical studies and successfully completed the entrance requirements at the famed National School of Art in Havana, where he extended his skills. Georber graduated in 1995 with the a degree in Trumpet Performance. In 2000 he was sharing the stage with the late Celia Cruz and Mickey Taveras where he also performed on the popular television progreams based in Miami such as "Sabado Gigante", "Escandalo de Mediodia" and "De Mañanita", and others.

Melvin Garcia

Born October 19th, 1976. Melvin began his musical career at an early age, performing with cover bands throughout Puerto Rico. His talent garnered recognition from better known acts with regional and international renown. One of these acts, Las Nenas de Ringo y Jossie, launched the singing career of Olga Tañón. As a result, Melvin started performing with Tañón and Dominican bands with an international fan base such as La Toro Band, Sergio Vargas, Ramón Orlando, Fernandito Villalona, Wilfrido Vargas and Johnny Ventura, among others. In 2010 Melvin suffered a stroke that stalled his musical career. In 2015, Mariela Suárez, the manager for Havana NRG, invited him to be part of her band, playing bongos and minor percussion, reviving his passion for music. Presently, Melvin lives in Fort Worth, Texas and continues to perform with Havana NRG

Jose Angel

José Angel Blanco Lissabet was born in Havana, Cuba on December 30, 1986. At an early age he began studying percussion at the Manuel Samuell Music School and the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory. At the age of 18 he began working professionally with renowned artists such as Félix Baloy, Roberto Faz, Haila María Mompie, Sixto Llorente and other members of the Buena Vista Social Club and Afro Cuban All Stars, with whom he participated in different international tours. He has been part of various record productions such as "Lo que sucede Conviene" by Indio, "Mambo Stress" by Tumbao Habana and "Abreme tu corazon" by Jimmy Cruz. In 2015 he traveled with his Latin Fire project to the United Arab Emirates for a period of one year and upon his return to Cuba he began to collaborate with bands such as Charanga Forever, Paulo FG and finally with Issac Delgado. He has collaborated on productions by American Grammy winner Roniel Alfonso for artists such as Gente de Zona and Leoni Torres. He has been part of bands accompanying internationally renowned singers such as Victor Manuel, Maelo Ruiz, Tito Nieves, Tony Vega, El Cigala, among others. In 2020 he relocated to the U.S.A. where he currently performs with the band Havana NRG! José Angel continues to work as a percussionist today.