★•★• BRAATA The LifeStyle Magazine is sending out HAPPY BIRTHDAY greetings to LESLIE GRACE who turns 20 today. Best Wishes LESLIE.•★•★ Leslie Grace Martínez Rivera (born 7 January 1995), better known as Leslie Grace, is an American singer-songwriter. [I believe there is power in discovering passion, for there lies purpose. -Leslie Grace] Leslie Grace was born on 7 January 1995 in The Bronx, a borough of New York City. She was raised in Davie, Florida and attended Western High School. Grace, born to Dominican parents, was entertaining her five older siblings and parents when she could barely speak, at the age of two. She speaks fluent English and Spanish. She launched her professional career with her single, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, a bilingual, bachata cover of the 1961 Shirelles hit, co-written by Carole King. Her version peaked at number one on both the Billboard Tropical Songs chart and Billboard Latin Airplay charts, becoming the youngest female artist to do so. Her self-titled second studio album, Leslie Grace (2013) reached number four on the Billboard Latin Albums chart, and number three on the Billboard Tropical Albums chart. Fully embodying the poise and style inherent in her last name and the extraordinary buzz and promise that surrounded her 2013 self-titled debut, Leslie Grace has been an unstoppable force of musical nature this past year. The 20-year-old NYC (Bronx) born, Florida raised “Princess of Bachata” – a genre of Latin music originating from her parents’ birthplace, the Dominican Republic – received a “Best Contemporary Tropical Album” nomination at the 14th Annual Latin Grammy Awards for Leslie Grace, which reached #4 on the Billboard Latin Albums chart and #3 on the Tropical Albums chart. She also performed at the Latin Grammys, delivering a fascinating performance alongside Cirque du Soleil’s Zarkana. At the 26th Annual Premio Lo Nuestro, which honors the best of Latin music, the multi-talented singer and songwriter received nominations for “Tropical Female Artist of the Year” and “Tropical Album of the Year.” Keeping the powerful momentum going as she is in the studio hard at work on her follow-up album, Leslie was recently nominated for “New Artist of the Year” and “Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year, Female” at the 2014 Billboard Latin Music Awards.” Leslie has been co-writing songs for her upcoming album with an exciting array of top pop and Latin songwriters, including three time Latin Grammy nominee Daniel Santacruz , Jorge Luis Piloto and Rico Love (Usher, Beyonce). She is especially excited about her upcoming single “Nadie Como Tu,” a beautiful Bachata she wrote with Sergio George (the producer of both of her albums) and Guianco. Weeks before it hits radio, Leslie is officially launching the single May 16 in a full blown concert that is part of an exciting Yahoo! sponsored street festival in her hometown of the Bronx. “The song has a grooving, funky vibe, a little retro feel and even a touch of country, but it’s still got that Bachata percussion I love so much,” she says. “It’s an exciting fusion of a lot of different influences. I just want to bring some of those Dominican flavors to my music while also being innovative and pop-oriented, so it’s something my generation can understand. A lot of us have parents who migrated here from other countries and we want to be respectful of those roots and musical influences. But at the same time, we were born here so we want to have some American pop culture with some R&B and hip-hop going on. I feel like I’m right there between these two incredible worlds, and I enjoy doing both. I stand in the gap, representing that fusion for fans who, like me, want to hear a little bit of everything.” Leslie’s first three singles were smash hits, starting with her bilingual, Bachata-infused cover of “Will U Still Love Me Tomorrow” (co-written by the legendary Carole King), which reached #1 on Billboard’s Latin Radio Airplay chart, making Leslie the youngest Latin female artist to achieve this. She followed with “Day 1,” which she co-wrote with friend and collaborator Rey King; the track hit #1 on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart. Leslie’s third single was a spirited part Spanish, part English re-imagining of the 60’s classic “Be My Baby.” Over the past year, Leslie also proved her magnetism as a budding multi-media superstar (with a fabulous smile!) by being chosen as an ambassador for Colgate® Optic White® Whiten & Protect. She shot several commercials for the teeth whitening toothpaste, including one featuring a glamorous red carpet appearance with Spanish television host and brand ambassador Rodner Figueroa – which featured Leslie weaving through a sea of flashing cameras and enthusiastic fans decked out in a stunning red dress. The spot aired for the first time during Univision Network’s prime time beauty pageant reality series “Nuestra Belleza Latina.” As an emerging role model, Leslie perfectly captures a new generation of Hispanic consumers via a fresh, youthful approach. “I am honored to be part of this campaign,” Leslie says. “It allows me to show another dimension of myself, and perhaps open the door to some of the other areas of performance that I enjoy and want to work in, including dancing and acting.” Always striving to reach a larger audience, Leslie has toured abroad, performing in the Caribbean island of Curaçao, where she took the stage minutes before Alicia Keys at the North Sea Jazz Festival. In South America, she appeared and performed at Don Francisco’s renowned Teletón Chile and culminated her visit at Estadio Nacional, where she sang before an estimated audience of 60,000 people. In the summer of 2013, she also toured the U.S., performing throughout Florida and Texas and in Chicago and Washington, DC, among other cities. Leslie looks forward to sharing her new album, then touring once again this summer. “It’s always challenging to create an album that can top your last work without changing the basic sound and essence of what people liked so much in the first place,” she says. “The key to the process is staying true to what works but not being afraid to be innovative. I approached the new album with an open mind and a commitment to evolving as an artist with no creative limits or boxes. I’m 20 now and I have grown a lot since I recorded the first album. The contents of the lyrics reflect someone who is more mature but still growing. I want young people to feel they can identify with my life experiences as I bring them along for a wonderful and exciting ride.”
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 20:01:40 +0000