Jéssica Cristina

Popular merengue singer, was born on 12 December, 1975 in Santurce, Puerto Rico. Former Puerto Rican basketball and volleyball star, Jéssica Cristina got involved in music at the age of 15 while participating in a local contest called Juventud Vibra. Her music career started when she was 15 years old when she was discovered at a singing competition. She was soon sined to a recording contract with Sony Music, releasing her first album, Aprendiendo A Querer in 1992, which included her first hit songs, “Cosquillas En El Corazón” and “Todo Es Vida,” recorded with Ricky Martin. Her follow-up release, Mas Allá was released in 1994, where she delved into the merengue style that would mark her place in Latin music world. Her fame as a “merenguera” grew immensely with the release of her next album the very next year: Me Gusta Todo de Ti, on the BMG label. It included hit songs “Necesito Una Persona” and, in tribute to slain Mexican songstress Selena, “Amor Prohibido”, helping to make the album Gold in sales. Despite her success as an artist, Cristina ventured back into the world of sports in 1997, signing to play professional volleyball with the “Volleygirls” team from Guayanilla, Puerto Rico. But Cristina was not long away from her music. Her next album, Natural was another success, particularly in the Dominican Republic, birthplace of the merengue genre. On her 1998 self-titled album, Jessica Cristina, produced by noted Dominican master of merengue, Manuel Tejada, she made her debut as a song writer with “Llanto De Pasión”. Cristina’s latest release, Pasional reflects her growth and maturity, mixing merengue, such as the title song, Pasional along with bachata, pop and ballads. It received good reviews that praised the passion and emotions she convincingly conveys.