Bomba Estéreo and Carlos Vives Celebrate Santa Marta With ‘La Samaria’

Bomba Estéreo and Carlos Vives are paying homage to the beauty of Santa Marta, Colombia’s beloved Caribbean city. On Thursday, Vives and Li Saumet released “La Samaria,” accompanied by a vibrant video celebrating the 500th anniversary of Santa Marta and its rich cultural heritage.

“This song means a lot to me because it’s a song from my homeland—where I grew up, where I was born and raised, and where I became the person I am,” Li Saumet said in a press release. “It’s where I learned to connect with the Sierra, with the people, with the cultures of my land. It’s a sacred place, so it’s important for me to be able to offer that energy in a song.”

Saumet said she selected Vives, a vallenato icon, to join her for the song because “he is that Samarian figure” in music. “It had to be him,” she said. “He has that same love for the land and that same connection with the Sierra.”

The video shows Vives and Saumet dancing by the beach and singing through the colorful streets of the town as they trade lyrics about how there’s “no spring or winter” in Santa Marta. Backed by traditional instruments, they honor the city’s beauty: “Here all sadness leaves with the waves,” Vives sings.

Vives produced the song with Bomba Estéro members José Castillo, Andrés Leal, and Casta. It marks Saumet’s first release since releasing music as Astropical alongside Rawayana, and comes a few weeks after Vives made his grand return to NPR’s Tiny Desk.

 “Sharing this song that celebrates the Samarian spirit with Bomba Estéreo fills me with joy,” Carlos Vives said. “It is a song of unity, pride, and a sense of belonging to Santa Marta, reflecting the nostalgia that Li and I feel every time we return to our home.”