La India

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La India, 2015

La India (born March 9, 1969 in Río Piedras / Puerto Rico ), actually Linda Bell Viera Caballero , also known as "La Princesa de la Salsa", is a Puerto Rican salsa singer .

Career

La India was born in Rio Piedras / Puerto Rico. Shortly after she was born, her parents emigrated to the United States and settled in the South Bronx. Her grandmother called her "La India" because of her dark skin and long black hair, which she later kept as a stage name. During her high school days, she met Louie Vega, who introduced her to the style of hip hop . In 1985 at the age of 14 she became a member of the TKA group, which she left a short time later. With the help of John "Jellybean" Benitez, she recorded "Dancing on the Fire" and had her first musical success. She also earned money as a part-time model. She signed a record deal with Reprise / Warner Bros. Records, which planned to give her the image of a Latin version of Madonna . It was under these influences that she recorded the album “Breaking Night”, but later decided to take a different musical path. In 1990, at the age of 19, she married "Little" Louie Vega. Although the marriage lasted only a few months, both maintained a professional partnership. Together with Todd Terry she recorded the house album "I Can't Get No Sleep", followed by the less successful "When You Touch Me".

The meeting with Eddie Palmieri in 1992 led to the recording of the Spanish-language salsa album "Llegó la India via Eddie Palmieri". In 1994 an album "Love and Happiness" (Yemaya y Ochún), recorded with Vega, followed, which was based heavily on the Caribbean Santería religion. Tracks from this production have been played in many dance clubs and discos. The album "Latin Songbird: Mi Alma Y Corazón" was awarded platinum by the RIAA . She recorded "Vivir Lo Nuestro" with Marc Anthony . In 1996 she worked with Tito Puente and produced swing classics with him. She sang with Voces Unidas together with other artists for the 1996 Summer Olympics. The album "Dicen Que Soy" with Kevin Ceballo as background singer was nominated for a Grammy Award. La India performed live at the sold out Luis A. Ferre Performing Arts Center in San Juan, Madison Square Garden in New York, and at the Festival de la Calle Ocho in Miami , Florida . During this time Celia Cruz gave her the nickname "La Princesa de la Salsa". In 2003, their hit "Sedúceme" stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks for several weeks. With her album Soy Diferente she had two more award-winning hits. In the same year she sang her duet "90 Millas" with Gloria Estefan . In 2010 she released her tenth studio album, with which she toured various European and Asian countries. In 2010 she released her single "Estupida" on iTunes , which was released in a salsa and a ballad version. With the title "Estupida" she reached the most number one hits on the Tropical Billboard Charts.

Discography

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
Unica
  US 180 06/19/2010 (1 week)
Singles
Love And Happiness (Yemaya Y Ochun) (with River Ocean)
  UK 50 02/26/1994 (4 weeks)
I Can't Get No Sleep '95 (with Masters at Work )
  UK 44 08/05/1995 (2 weeks)
Runaway (with Nuyorican Soul)
  DE 86 March 31, 1997 (3 weeks)
  CH 39 04/13/1997 (5 weeks)
  UK 24 02/08/1997 (8 weeks)
To Be In Love (with MAW)
  UK 23 07/31/1999 (3 weeks)
Backfired (with Masters at Work)
  UK 62 07/06/2002 (3 weeks)

Studio albums

  • 1990: Breaking Night
  • 1992: Llegó la India Via Eddie Palmieri
  • 1994: Dicen Que Soy
  • 1996: Jazzin 'with Tito Puente
  • 1997: Sobre el Fuego
  • 1999: Sola
  • 2003: Latin Songbird: Mi Alma Y Corazón
  • 2006: Soy Diferente
  • 2010: Unica

Singles

With Masters At Work

  • 1992: Ride On The Rhythm by Louie Vega & Marc Anthony (wrote / background vocals)
  • 1993: When You Touch Me and I Can't Get No Sleep (from The Album )
  • 1994: Voices In My Mind by Voices (India, Carol Sylvan, Michael Watford)
  • 1994: Vibe PM (Masters at Work Remix) (featured with Mondo Grosso)
  • 1998: To Be In Love (MAW Remix) (from MAW Records: The Collection Volume I )
  • 1998: Runaway (from Nuyorican Soul )
  • 2002: Backfired (from Our Time Is Coming )

Prizes and awards

  • Best Latin Tropical Performance Grammy Award (1996)
  • ACE Award (1998)
  • second Grammy nomination (2000)
  • Latin Grammy nomination for Best Salsa Album (2003)
  • Latin Grammy nomination for Best Tropical Song (2003)
  • Grammy Award nomination Best Salsa Album (2004)
  • Award in the Walk of Fame in Celia Cruz Park in Union City / New Jersey (2006)
  • "Soy Diferente", winner of the Best Tropical Album of the Year Female (2007)
  • "Solamente Una Noche", winner of the Latin Dance Club Play Track of the Year (2007)
  • "Unica" Latin Grammy Award for Best Salsa Album (2010)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Übers. The Salsa Princess
  2. ↑ Cros. United Voices
  3. ↑ a b Chart sources: DE CH UK1 UK2 UK3 US
personal data
SURNAME La India
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Viera Caballero, Linda Bell (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Puerto Rican salsa singer
DATE OF BIRTH March 9, 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH Río Piedras , Puerto Rico