Gene-Manuel was born in La Habana, Cuba. He lived in Europe for a year, before spending the rest of his life in the USA. His mother Regina is a singer and actress, and throughout his childhood he always heard her sing. It was no surprise that he eventually got into music himself.
In 2006, Gene-Manuel released ‘Sophisticated Kink’, his debut album, produced by Michael Morgan. The album includes a cover version of Under The Ivy.
Gene-Manuel about Kate Bush
I love Kate Bush. Absolutely love her! It sounds so corny when people say this but her music saved my life when I was young. It truly did. There was something about her songs, especially early songs from ‘The Kick Inside’ and ‘Lionheart’, that got me through some very tough times. So, there’s a connection. I really don’t remember how our version of ‘Under The Ivy’ came about. All I know is that I was listening to it one day and mentioned it to Michael [Morgan] in the studio. He heard it, started playing with it and all of a sudden we started laying down the tracks. It’s a departure from the original but I think that she’d like it. Her version of course is a masterpiece. I mean, nothing beats Kate Bush on the piano, but, I do feel extremely happy with our outcome. She’s a huge influence on my music.
