Laura Mazon Franqui’s new album Rojo feels very personal. It carries memory, emotion, and a quiet strength that stays with you long after listening
Some albums are carefully constructed. Others feel lived in.
For Cuban classical guitarist Laura Mazon Franqui, Rojo belongs to the second category a project shaped not only by music, but by real moments of grief, change, memory, healing and rediscovery.
Set for release on May 29th, 2026 through the acclaimed classical label Prima Classic, Rojo is Laura’s most personal work to date. And while the album showcases her remarkable artistry as a guitarist, what truly makes the project resonate is the emotional honesty behind it.
“This is my story told through music,” Laura says simply.
Long before audiences, festivals and international recognition, music was already part of Laura’s emotional world growing up in Cuba. Inspired early on by legendary composer Leo Brouwer, she began playing guitar at a young age and eventually built a career that would take her across the United States, Europe and Latin America.
But Rojo feels different from anything she has done before.
The album was created during one of the most vulnerable chapters of her life, and instead of hiding from those emotions, Laura allowed them into the recording process. You can feel that throughout the album in the warmth of the guitar, in the silences between phrases, and in the way every piece feels connected to something deeply personal.
The title itself says a lot.
Rojo the Spanish word for red represents passion, intensity, strength, love and remembrance. It becomes the emotional thread running through the entire project.
Ahead of the official release, the album has already started gaining international attention. Laura’s single Berceuse was recently added to Spotify’s New Classical editorial playlist, while other tracks from the project have also earned placements across Apple Music, Amazon Music and Deezer playlists.
Still, the heart of the album is not about streaming success or industry milestones. It is about identity.
It is about family.
And it is about preserving emotion through music.
Featuring works by composers including Leo Brouwer, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Joaquín Turina, Carlos Rafael Rivera and Grammy Award-winning composer Claudia Montero, Rojo becomes both a celebration of Hispanic and Latin American artistry and a reflection of Laura’s own personal journey.
There is also something quietly powerful about seeing a Latina woman carving out space within the classical guitar world a space that has historically been dominated by men. Laura does not approach that reality with loud statements or forced branding. Instead she opens with authenticity, artistry and emotional connection.
That honesty is exactly what makes Rojo feel so human.
Nothing about the album feels distant or overly polished. It feels real. Like memory. Like conversation. Like someone trying to turn emotions into something tangible before they disappear.
And maybe that is what makes the project linger long after the music ends.
With Rojo, Laura Mazon Franqui is not only sharing an album. She is opening a window into her inner world a world of culture, vulnerability, resilience and heart.
