Lisette Melendez
Lisette Melendez (born 1967) is an American freestyle/Latin pop/dance-pop singer.[1] She is best known for her 1991 hits "Together Forever", #35 at the Billboard Hot 100[2][3] and "A Day In My Life (Without You)". Both songs were such big dance music hits that they are credited as helping renew interest in Freestyle music in the early 90s, which had been fading in popularity due to the drop in mainstream pop music and rise of grunge at the time.
Lisette Melendez | |
---|---|
Born | 1967 (age 52–53) East Harlem, New York, U.S. |
Genres | Freestyle, Latin pop, dance-pop |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Early life
Melendez was born and raised in East Harlem, New York. Melendez's childhood inspirations include her mother and aunt, who sang in a church choir and community theater. She honed her singing voice in her teenage years through emulating Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler. In high school she became a fan of Puerto Rican freestyle music singer Lisa Lisa who had many dance hits. Melendez, also of Puerto Rican descent, was inspired by Lisa Lisa's success.
Career
She got her break in 1988 and sang backing vocals for a track by dance music record producer Carlos Berrios, who had also worked with Sweet Sensation and Samantha Fox. A few years of dance club touring eventually led to the recording of the single "Together Forever" Produced By Carlos Berrios and Platinum Producer Frankie Cutlass, and soon after a full album with Fever/Columbia Records.
1990s
Four more albums followed, including her second album True To Life in 1994 which spawned the Billboard Hot 100 hit "Goody Goody" (#53), A Day In My Life (Without You) (#49) and "Will You Ever Save Me" which charted on the Rhythmic Top 40 at #38.[3] The album did extremely well in Japan, both commercially and critically. In 1998, she released her third album, Un Poco De Mi in 1998, a salsa album sung in Spanish. It scored a hit with "Algo de Mi" which peaked at No. 8 on the Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay chart and No. 23 on the Hot Latin Tracks chart. Her fourth album released later in 1998 is titled, "Imagination." The lead single from "Imagination" was "Time Passes By." It did not gain mass radio airplay and success like her previous singles, but it became a moderate hit nonetheless.
2000s
Melendez teamed up with fellow freestyle singer Cynthia in 2005, releasing the single "I Can't Change Your Mind" as the duo Liscyn. She continues to tour as of 2006.
Melendez teamed up with famed music producer Carlos "After Dark" Berrios in 2008, performing two new tracks "I Need a Lover" and "Don't Ever Say" on albums Don't Look Back Sessions One & Two.
Melendez also performed at the I Love Freestyle Vol. 1 Live Concert event on January 17, 2015 at the Resorts World Casino in Buffalo, NY along with fellow freestyle artists, such as Jade Starling, Sa-Fire, Lisa Lisa and others.[4]
Discography
Studio albums
Year | Album details | Chart peaks | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US R&B[5] | US Top Heat[6][7] | JAP[8] | |||||||||||||
1991 | Together Forever
|
- | 7 | 100 | |||||||||||
1994 | True to Life
|
100 | 28 | 3 | |||||||||||
1997 | Imagination
|
- | - | - | |||||||||||
1998 | Un Poco De Mi
|
- | - | - | |||||||||||
2000 | Greatest Hits
|
- | - | - | |||||||||||
"-" denotes a release that did not make the stop. | |||||||||||||||
Singles
- 1988: "Make Noise"
- 1990: "If You Truly Love Me"
- 1990: "Together Forever"
- 1990-1991 "Stranger (In my House of Love)"
- 1991: "A Day In My Life (Without You)"
- 1991: "Never Say Never"
- 1993: "Goody Goody"
- 1994: "Will You Ever Save Me"
- 1996: "Time Passes By"
- 1998: "Algo De Mi"
- 1998: "Make the Way"
- 2002 "Stay" (under Lelah Paine)
- 2005: "I Can't Change Your Mind"
- 2018: "Rise"
Videos
Year | Title | Director (s) |
---|---|---|
1991 | "Together Forever" | - |
"A Day in My Life (Without You)" | - | |
"Never Say Never" | - | |
1993 | "Goody Goody" | Rosie Perez |
1994 | "Will You Ever Save Me" | - |
1998 | "Algo De Mi" | - |
See also
References
- Ruíz, Vicki; Korrol, Virginia Sánchez (2006). Latinas in the United States: a historical encyclopedia. Indiana University Press. pp. 655–. ISBN 978-0-253-34681-0. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- "Diva". Vibe. March 1994. p. 73. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
- "Artist Search for "lisette melendez"". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- "Log In or Sign Up to View". Facebook.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- "Billboard - Music Charts, News, Photos & Video". Billboard.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- "Album Search for "together forever"". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- "Album Search for "true to life"". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
- "リセット・メレンデスのアルバム売上ランキング". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved 26 August 2018.