Veronica (singer)
Encyclopedia
Veronica is a dance music
singer and theatrical actress. Along with singers Ultra Nate
, Deborah Cox
, she is considered to be one of the divas of the 1990s club music scene. She also is one of the few Latinas to become a successful artist in the English-language dance music genre.
Born in the New York City borough
of the Bronx, her parents who were originally from Puerto Rico
encouraged her to pursue her artistic inclinations. Veronica began her career in 1995 with the release of her debut album V...As in Veronica. The album was a mixture of R&B and Hip hop. The album featured production from Rodney Jerkins
and Dallas Austin
. In 1997, Veronica released her second album Rise. This album was again R&B and Hip Hop influenced. She released two singles/videos off of this album. The first single was No One But You and it featured Craig Mack
. The second single and album title track Rise was released and that featured guest vocals by Big Pun
& Cuban Link
. As one of the first artists to signed to Jellybean Recordings, a label founded by music producer Jellybean Benitez, Veronica had a string of hits on the Billboard
Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, including three reached the top ten. Let Me Go... Release Me landed the number one spot in 1998, and soon afterwards it was followed by the club anthem Someone To Hold (which peaked at the number two slot) which was remixed by producer Johnny Vicious
and played heavily in the club circuit scene. The song still remains a classic among clubgoers today and it was featured on the soundtrack to the independent film Trick
released in 1999 and starred Christian Campbell
and Tori Spelling
. She scored a second number one dance hit in 2000 with her cover of Evelyn "Champagne" King
's classic R&B song I'm In Love, which was rerecorded for a club setting. She remains a very popular singer to this very day among gay
audiences and especially in the club circuit scene.
She moved away from New York and the club music scene for a few years. During these years, she pursued her love for musical theater and was given the opportunity to portray slain Tejano
singer Selena
in a traveling production about her life and times. The production, titled Selena Forever
traveled to numerous cities with a large Mexican-American population for over a year. Shortly after the successful run of the production, she decided to return to New York and start a family and return to her love of music. In 2004, Veronica recorded a song with rapper Triple Seis titled "Krazy". The song was featured on Triple Seis' debut album Time'll Tell. After a brief hiatus, Veronica returned in 2006, with music producer Tim Rex on her first dance single in over five years, Relentless...Just a Game. She can be seen in the 2007 film "The Singer" where she plays Héctor Lavoe
's mother in his younger years.
She presently resides in New York City with her husband and their son, C.J. After her son was diagnosed with autism
, Veronica has become a tireless advocate for further research and has led several efforts, including charitable walks, to raise research funds and awareness for the disorder.
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
singer and theatrical actress. Along with singers Ultra Nate
Ultra Naté
Ultra Naté is an American house music, Dance-pop and sometimes R&B musician who has achieved a respectable amount of success on the pop charts with songs such as "Free" and "If You Could Read My Mind" as part of Stars on 54....
, Deborah Cox
Deborah Cox
Deborah Cox is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. Her 1998 song "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" held the record for longest-running number one single on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart , a record held for nearly eight years. She has achieved ten number-one hits on...
, she is considered to be one of the divas of the 1990s club music scene. She also is one of the few Latinas to become a successful artist in the English-language dance music genre.
Born in the New York City borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
of the Bronx, her parents who were originally from Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
encouraged her to pursue her artistic inclinations. Veronica began her career in 1995 with the release of her debut album V...As in Veronica. The album was a mixture of R&B and Hip hop. The album featured production from Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
and Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...
. In 1997, Veronica released her second album Rise. This album was again R&B and Hip Hop influenced. She released two singles/videos off of this album. The first single was No One But You and it featured Craig Mack
Craig Mack
Craig Mack is an American Grammy nominated rapper, who gained fame on Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Entertainment record label in the 1990s. Although his first single was released under the name MC EZ in 1988, he is best known for his 1994 hit single "Flava In Ya Ear", which was released under his real name...
. The second single and album title track Rise was released and that featured guest vocals by Big Pun
Big Pun
Christopher Lee Rios , better known by his stage name Big Pun , was an American rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s...
& Cuban Link
Cuban Link
Felix Delgado , better known by his stage name Cuban Link, is a Cuban rapper.-Biography:Delgado was born in Havana, Cuba in 1974. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1980 and settled in the Morrisania section of the South Bronx neighborhood of New York City...
. As one of the first artists to signed to Jellybean Recordings, a label founded by music producer Jellybean Benitez, Veronica had a string of hits on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, including three reached the top ten. Let Me Go... Release Me landed the number one spot in 1998, and soon afterwards it was followed by the club anthem Someone To Hold (which peaked at the number two slot) which was remixed by producer Johnny Vicious
Johnny Vicious
Johnny Vicious is an American house DJ, producer and remixer. He DJed in New York City clubs Mars and Paladium in the 1980s, and in the early 1990s started his own label, Vicious Musik Records, with Jeffrey Rodman....
and played heavily in the club circuit scene. The song still remains a classic among clubgoers today and it was featured on the soundtrack to the independent film Trick
Trick (film)
Trick is a 1999 gay-themed romantic comedy film directed by Jim Fall. Trick appeared at the Sundance and Berlin film festivals in 1999. Filming was completed in less than three weeks in August 1998.-Plot:...
released in 1999 and starred Christian Campbell
Christian Campbell
Christian Bethune Campbell is a Canadian stage and screen actor. He is married to actress America Olivo.-Personal life:Campbell was born in Toronto, Ontario. Campbell's mother, Marnie , is a yoga instructor and psychologist from Amsterdam, Netherlands...
and Tori Spelling
Tori Spelling
Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...
. She scored a second number one dance hit in 2000 with her cover of Evelyn "Champagne" King
Evelyn King (singer)
Evelyn "Champagne" King is an American R&B, disco and post-disco singer. Some of her best-known songs are "Shame", "Love Come Down," and "I'm in Love."-Biography:...
's classic R&B song I'm In Love, which was rerecorded for a club setting. She remains a very popular singer to this very day among gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
audiences and especially in the club circuit scene.
She moved away from New York and the club music scene for a few years. During these years, she pursued her love for musical theater and was given the opportunity to portray slain Tejano
Tejano
Tejano or Texano is a term used to identify a Texan of Mexican heritage.Historically, the Spanish term Tejano has been used to identify different groups of people...
singer Selena
Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez , known simply as Selena, was a Mexican American singer-songwriter. She was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Top Latin Songs chart, including seven number-one hits...
in a traveling production about her life and times. The production, titled Selena Forever
Selena Forever
Selena Forever is an American stage musical, based on the film Selena , that tells the life of the famous Tejano singer Selena. The musical has been staged under two titles. The first - Selena Forever was conceived with book and original lyrics by Edward Gallardo and original music by Fernando...
traveled to numerous cities with a large Mexican-American population for over a year. Shortly after the successful run of the production, she decided to return to New York and start a family and return to her love of music. In 2004, Veronica recorded a song with rapper Triple Seis titled "Krazy". The song was featured on Triple Seis' debut album Time'll Tell. After a brief hiatus, Veronica returned in 2006, with music producer Tim Rex on her first dance single in over five years, Relentless...Just a Game. She can be seen in the 2007 film "The Singer" where she plays Héctor Lavoe
Héctor Lavoe
Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez , better known as Héctor Lavoe, was a Puerto Rican salsa singer. Lavoe was born and raised in the Machuelito sector of Ponce, Puerto Rico. Early in his life, he attended a local music school and developed an interest inspired by Jesús Sánchez Erazo. He moved to New York...
's mother in his younger years.
She presently resides in New York City with her husband and their son, C.J. After her son was diagnosed with autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
, Veronica has become a tireless advocate for further research and has led several efforts, including charitable walks, to raise research funds and awareness for the disorder.
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
External links
- Official Selena Forever website
- Veronica on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Video of Veronica performing live at Fly Nightclub in Toronto, Canada