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Jacquelyn Davette Velasquez (born October 15 1979) is a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award-nominated, Dove Award-winning American Contemporary Christian Latin Pop
singer in both English and in Spanish.
BiographyJaci has sold over 3.5 million albums, garnered three RIAA certified Platinum recordings, three RIAA certified Gold recordings, sixteen #1 radio hits, and has graced more than 50 magazine covers
. Her resume includes ad campaigns for Pepsi, Doritos, Target, Frizz-Ease, and Helzberg Diamonds.
Velasquez grew up attending an Evangelical church, and her parents were singers. She is of Mexican, Spanish, and French ancestry. When she was ten years old, her parents leased their Houston home and dedicated themselves to touring the United States with their Christian music. It was while on the road that she was discovered by a representative of Myrrh Records.
Velasquez released her first CD album in 1996, and five of the songs on that CD became #1 hits. The album was later certified Platinum. She has since released six English-language albums, two of which were certified Gold. She has produced sixteen #1 Christian radio hits and six other top-10 singles. She has won seven Dove awards, including New Artist of the Year and two Female Vocalist of the Year nods.
In 1998, she signed to Sony Latin and was introduced to Rudy Perez, who produced her first Spanish-language crossover album Llegar a Ti. After that, Velasquez was able to achieve the crossover appeal she desired, building a fan base among Hispanics as well as other Americans. Her first single, "Llegar a Ti," topped the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks and became the first Christian song to top the chart. The song also gave her a Latin Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance, which finally went to Colombian singer Shakira.
In 2001, she released her second Spanish effort: Mi Corazón. The album's lead single, "Como Se Cura Una Herida," topped the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks, and became one of the biggest singles of the year, receiving multiple award nominations and wins. The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Latin Pop Album.
Her Latin music success includes four Spanish-language releases, three #1 Latin Billboard Singles, two Platinum albums, a Premio Lo Nuestro Award for New Artist of the Year, two Billboard Latin Music Awards, and three Dove Awards for Spanish Language Album of the Year.
Velasquez was given a chance in 2002 to act in her first Hollywood movie, Chasing Papi. As well as Velasquez, this movie featured Colombia's Sofia Vergara, Puerto Rico's Roselyn Sanchez, and Mexico's Eduardo Verastegui, as well as Nicole Scherzinger in a cameo role. It was released nationwide in the United States in April 2003. The movie reached as high as #11 at the box office, and it grossed $6 million in total. Velasquez has appeared in over 50 magazines—including the December 2003 issue of Right On!, wherein editor Cynthia Horner calls her a true role model to teens—and has sung for President George W. Bush multiple times.
Currently, Velasquez is touring the U.S. with her husband's band Salvador. Her 13th studio album, "Love Out Loud," was released March 18th, 2008.
Personal lifeVelasquez married Darren Potuck, of the band AutoVaughn, on August 16, 2003. They were divorced in 2005 for unspecified reasons.
On December 17, 2006, she married Nic Gonzales in a private ceremony in Austin, Texas. Gonzales is a member of Salvador, a Christian group with whom she had been touring.
Velasquez gave birth to a boy named Zealand David on November 3, 2007.
Although she has before described herself as a "Non-denominational Christian," she stated in an interview with Morris Cerullo that "you're talking to an Assemblies of God's girl," concerning the power of prayer.
Jaci announced on August 12th, 2008, that she is pregnant for the second time and also working on "two other babies": an English album and another Spanish album (the first since 2003).
Discography- Help Me (1992)
- Keep the Fire Burning (1994)
- Heavenly Place (1996) (US #142)
- Jaci Velasquez (1998) (US #56)
- Llegar A Ti (1999)
- Crystal Clear (2000) (US #49)
- Mi Corazon (2001)
- Christmas (2001) (US #102)
- Navidad (2001)
- Unspoken (2003) (US #55)
- Milagro (2003)
- Mi Historia Musical (2004)
- Beauty Has Grace (2005) (US #195)
- On My Knees: The Best Of Jaci Velasquez (2006)
- Open House (EP) (2007)
- Love Out Loud (2008)
Chart Performance- 2003 "No Hace Falta Un Hombre" Hot Latin Tracks #5
- 2003 "No Me Rendire" Hot Latin Tracks #19
- 2001 "Como Se Cura Una Herida" Hot Latin Tracks #1
- 2000 "De Creer En Ti My Knees" Hot Latin Tracks #18
- 2000 "Love Will Find You (Llegar A Ti)" Hot Dance Music/Club Play #24
- 2000 "Solo Tu" Hot Latin Tracks #4
- 2000 "Un Lugar Celestial" Hot Latin Tracks #40
- 1999 "Llegar A Ti" Hot Latin Tracks #1
Filmography- Chasing Papi (2003)
- Doc (2004)
- The Three Wise Men (2005) including Spanish Christian singer and pastor Marcos Witt
Literature- A Heavenly Place (1996) (10,800 Units sold nationwide)
- Los Evangelios Toman Vida: The Gospels Come to Life (2003)
External Links
AskMen.com - Jaci Velasquez
Copyright Citations
This article is licensed under the GNU License
Click here for original article: Jaci Velasquez
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