Lisa Lisa

One of the greatest R'n'B/Pop divas to come out of the 1980s music scene, Lisa Velez--known by stage name Lisa Lisa--scored a series of hits with her band Cult Jam, who produced 5 albums that sealed their fame in New York City's thriving music scene. The youngest of 10 children born in the Hell's Kitchen section of New York City, Lisa aspired to be a singer very early in life. At age 13 she would sneak out to nightclubs where she met Mike Hughes of Cult Jam, and he introduced her to Rap band Full Force, who was immediately impressed with Lisa's angelic voice and launched her to superstardom. The first Latin artist to make it big nationwide, Lisa Lisa is seen as a pioneer for Latin artist entering the English-language market. She scored Top-10 hits with songs like "I Wonder If I Take You Home," "All Cried Out," "Let the Beat Hit Em," "Lost in Emotion," "Little Jackie," and "Head to Toe." After Cult Jam disbanded in 1994, Lisa released the funk-soul album "LL77" which included the Top-40 hit "Skip To My Lu" and her first Spanish-language track "Cuando Me Enamore," which peaked at #1 on Puerto Rico radio stations. Later in the 1990s Lisa starred in Broadway and off-Broadway plays such as "Barrio Babes" and "West Side Story". In 2001 she starred in the Nickelodeon series "Taina" playing Gloria Morales, Taina's young, sharp-witted mother. She also made a guest appearance on Law & Order's 300th episode in 2003. Television performances on BET and the ALMA Awards indicated a comeback for the Latin R'n'B songstress. In 2009, Lisa released her seventh album "Life N Love," her first bilingual album. In 2012 Lisa began working on her eighth studio album. Fans can catch her on her tour which kicks off on August 22.