| La India | |
|---|---|
 La India's "Latin Songbird: Mi Alma y Corazón"
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Linda Viera Caballero |
| Born | March 9 1970 |
| Origin |  Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico |
| Genre(s) | Salsa, Latin Pop |
| Years active | 1985—Present |
"La India" (born: March 9, 1970), is a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award-nominated noted singer of salsa also known as the "Princess of Salsa".
Contents |
Early years
La India was born Linda Viera Caballero in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. Her parents decided to move to New York City soon after her birth and upon their arrival, they settled down in the South Bronx area of the city. They moved in with Caballero's grandmother, a person who is considered to have served as an important influence on her life. Caballero's grandmother was a very strong willed lady and she looked up to her. During her grade school years Caballero met and became friends with Louie Vega who introduced her to the urban street music scene where she learned to appreciate the hip hop style of the day.
"La India"
Caballero's became known as "India" (Native American) among her friends because of her fine dark features and long straight black hair. In 1985, when Caballero was 14 years old, she signed up as a back-up singer for the Latin Hip Hop group TKA and scored a number one hit with "I Can't Get No Sleep". She was under the tutelage of John "Jellybean" Benitez, a Puerto Rican DJ who was once involved with Madonna. She also contributed backing vocals on Jellybean's Club Hit "Mirage". She later recorded her own Freestyle single "Dancing on the fire". When Caballero wasn't singing, she earned money as a part time model. In 1990, when she was 19 years old, Caballero married Louie Vega who then went by the name of Little Louie Vega. Vega was then a DJ and record producer. Before marrying Vega, Caballero had signed a record contract with Warner Bros., who planned on making her the "Latin" version of Madonna. After recording "Breaking Night", Caballero decided that she didn't want to take that route in her career.[1]
First Salsa album
An improtant event in her life took place one day when accompanied her husband during a studio recording. Salsa band leader Eddie Palmieri happened to visit the studio and was impressed with Caballero when he heard her singing. In 1992, Palmieri produced Caballero's first Spanish salsa album "Llego La India via Eddie Palmieri" (The "India" has Arrived via Eddie Palmieri) which was acclaimed as one of the best salsa albums of the year. From then on Caballero became known to all as "La India". In 1994, La India together with Vega recorded an album of salsa dance tunes which paid tribute to "Santeria" (a syncretic religion based in the Caribbean) titled "Yemaya y Ochun". La India's involvement with Santeria bothered many people and as a result she was criticized by many. She later recorded "Dicen Que Soy" (They Say that I Am) which was a top Billboard Hit. In that song La India states that she doesn't care what others think of her. That year she also released the song Vivir Lo Nuestro, a duet with Marc Anthony, which appeared on the album "Combinación Perfecta". The song is considered by many as a salsa classic and one of her best songs to date, helping both performers to became salsa icons.
The Princess of Salsa
In 1996, La India worked with Tito Puente in the production of "Jazzin", the English version of some swing classics with a Latin twist for "RMM Records". That year she sang "Voces Unidas" (United Voices) a duet with Marc Anthony. She also released "India:Mega Mix" that same year before divorcing Vega. La India sang a duet, "La Voz de la Experiencia" (The Voice of Experience), with Celia Cruz, "The Queen of Salsa". It was then that Cruz named La India "The Princess of Salsa". In 1997, La India recorded "Sobre el Fuego" (Over the Fire) with Puerto Rican salsa singer Kevin Ceballo as back-up, and was nominated for the "Best Latin Tropical Performance" Grammy Award and in 1998 she won an ACE Award. On May 31, 1998 La India had two sold out concerts at the Luis A. Ferre Center of Beautiful Arts in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She returned to the United States and Cable Channel UPN aired one of her shows. La India also held concerts in New York's Madison Square Garden and in El Festival de la Calle Ocho in Miami, Florida. On February 5, 2000, a full page ad was placed in Billboard Magazine congratulating her on her second Grammy Award nomination and on March 2000, she was featured on Vibe Magazine. In 2003, La India released "Latin Songbird: Mi Alma Y Corazón". The album's lead single, the salsa romantic tune "Sedúceme", became a hit in the Latin Charts, topping the U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Tracks for several weeks. This was La India's first number 1 song. That song brought her a new fanbase, as well, as many awards and nominations, including two Latin Grammy nominations for Best Salsa Album and Best Tropical Song in 2003, and her third Grammy Award nomination for Best Salsa Album in 2004. In 2005, La India participated in the musical presentation 'Selena Vive', a tribute to the late Tejano sensation 'Selena Quintanilla - Perez'. In 2006, she released the album "Soy Diferente" and which contained two songs which became "hits", they were "Soy Diferente" and "Solamente Una Noche". The 2007 Annual Latin Billboard Awards honored India with (2) Awards, Best Tropical Album of The Year Female for "Soy Diferente" and Latin Dance Club Play track of the Year for "Just For One Night/Solamente Una Noche".
Recordings
Among La India's recordings are the following:
Studio Albums (New Material):
- Breaking Night (1989)
- Llego La India Via Eddie Palmieri (1992)
- Dicen Que Soy (1994)
- Jazzin' [with Tito Puente] (1996)
- Sobre El Fuego (1997)
- Sola (1999)
- Latin Songbird: Mi Alma Y Corazón (2003)
- Soy Diferente (2006)
Compilations:
- Love and Happiness EP (with River Ocean) (1993)
- India Megamix (1997)
- The Best of India (2004)
- Grandes Exitos + (2005)
Contributions on other Recordings:
- With Masters At Work
- RMM Combinacion Perfecta
- 1994 - Vivir Lo Nuestro (duet with Marc Anthony)
- With Oscar D'Leon
- 1997 - Hazme El Amor (from "Es De Nueva York")
- The Last Days of Disco Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
- 1998 - I Love the Nightlife (Disco Round)
- The 24 Hour Woman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
- 1999 - India Con Lavoe (Viva Puerto Rico)
- Voces Unidas: The Atlanta Olympics
- 1999 - Banderas
- Empire Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
- 2003 - Empire, Imperio
- With Tito Nieves, Nicky Jam, and K-Mil
- 2004 - Ya No Queda Nada
- Tribute to Selena
- 2005 - No Debes Jugar (from "Selena Vive")
- With Marlon Fernández
- 2006 - Usted Abusó (from "Mi Sueño")
- With Gloria Estefan
