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OLGA TAÑON
Three time Grammy Award winner,Olga Tañon has been a force in Latin Music ever since she recorded her first solo album titled "Sola" with record label WEA Latina in 1992. This superstar has brought audiences to their feet in the most important theaters, concert halls and arenas from her native Puerto Rico, all of Latin America, Spain and the United States, establishing herself as one of the most accomplished and revered Latin artists in the world today.
When Olga hits the stage, her energetic stage presence takes over and crowds go wild singing and dancing to her music. She engages the audience with her versatile voice, her Tina Turner-like moves, and charismatic personality. Olga is the real deal, a natural performer meant to be in the limelight.
Olga paid her dues working the stage since she was a little girl in her native Puerto Rico. She sang in church choirs, performed in school theater productions, and competed in various talent contests, which ironically, she never won. Now, with 14 years of musical experience to her credit, "La Mujer de Fuego" or the Woman of Fire, as she is known, has everything to gain and nothing to lose.
When she signed with Warner Music International in October 2001, after nearly a decade with WEA Latina, she was aiming to expand her reach as an international artist with broad possibilities. And the possibilities are endless.
In the year 2001, she became the second Puerto Rican female artist to receive a statuette from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science (NARAS) for her live double-disc titled "Olga viva, viva Olga." The first to receive this recognition was legendary performer Rita Moreno.
In February 2002, Olga became the first and only Puerto Rican and Latin female artist to win the coveted Grammy award two years in a row. That same year she won a Billboard Award for "Best Merengue Album" for her musical production, "Yo Por Ti" and mesmerized the audience with a live performance at the ceremonies. An extraordinary year for Olga, she also received five Premio Lo Nuestro awards, including the "People's Choice" award and performed to sell out crowds at the legendary Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York and Next Stage in Grand Prairie, Texas, becoming the first Latin female artist to ever perform at this venue.
With millions of albums sold all over the world, this captivating performer is a talent to be reckoned with. Her enchanting duo with Egyptian superstar, Hakim titled "Ya Albi" was released in May 2002. The song, designed to break through musical and cultural boundaries is slowly becoming an international hit. It's number one in Cairo, Lebanon and Alexandria and very strong in France.
Olga performed with Hakim at the World Economic Forum at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, sharing the stage with such stars as Bono, Ravi Shankar, Peter Gabriel, India Arie, Lauryn Hill, Herbie Hancock, Phil Ramone, and Quincy Jones, among others. Quincy Jones was particularly taken aback by Olga's performance. She also performed the popular hit "Ya Albi" with Hakim at the world famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City on July 2002 for the One World Jam concert.
In September 2002, she was awarded her first Latin Grammy for her album "Yo Por Ti." And the following month, Olga had the honor of receiving the "Tropical Female Singer of the Year" award for the Latin Music Awards and the Musica Latina Award for "Best Selling Tropical Album" for the same album. In Venezuela, Olga was awarded the Premio Orquidea de Diamante, the highest recognition for any artist ever in Venezuela.
With numerous awards under her belt and four millions albums sold around the globe, Olga Tañon is at the peak of her career. She is a powerful singer blessed with a beautiful voice, a dynamic body to dance with and tremendous sex appeal. But with all these qualities that she can be proud of, she's still a humble human being with a witty sense of humor.
If "Mujer de Fuego," Olga's second album released in 1993, established her as merengue's reigning queen, then "Nuevos Senderos" (released in 1995 with the collaboration of Marco Antonio Solis, Rudy Perez and Kike Santander), proved Olga's undeniable ability to cross the borders of every musical genre. She's one of the very few artists who has the ability to perform a wide range of musical genres from pop to ballads, from merengue to salsa and boogaloo (a fusion of Latin rhythms with R&B and soul, which originated in NY.) "Nuevos Senderos" sold over 500,000 copies and earned her the Recording Industry of America's (RIAA) Gold status.
Olga Tañon's most recent musical production is without a doubt her best. "Sobrevivir," (or Survive) a collection of pop and ballad songs with great arrangements is a brilliant album produced by Humberto Gatica (Alejandro Sanz-winner of the Latin Grammy for "Best Album of the Year" produced by Gatica), Kike Santander, Latin Grammys "Producer of the Year" (Cristian Castro, Gloria Estefan) and Manuel Tejada, who has been Olga's producer for some of her biggest tropical releases.
"Sobrevivir" will mark a breakthrough in her career and is destined to be a best seller, an album that will open doors and new markets for the Puerto Rican star. "Sobrevivir" is a true masterpiece from a true survivor.
DISCOGRAPHY
1992 - Sola
1993 - Mujer de Fuego
1994 - Siente el Amor
1995 - Éxitos y Más
1995 - Nuevos Senderos
1997 - Llévame Contigo
1999 - Te Acordaras de Mi
1999 - Olga Viva, Viva Olga
2001 - Yo Por Ti
2002 - Sobrevivir