Soraya (musician)

Infobox Person
name = Soraya

---

dead = dead
birth_date = birth date|1969|3|11|mf=y
birth_place = Point Pleasant, New Jersey
death_date = death date and age|2006|5|10|1969|3|11|mf=y
death_place = Miami, Florida

Soraya Raquel Lamilla Cuevas (March 11, 1969 – May 10, 2006) was a Lebanese-Colombian-American singer/songwriter, guitarist, arranger and record producer. She was a successful Latin music star who had two number-one songs on Billboard's Latin Pop Airplay charts. She won a 2004 Latin Grammy Award for the self titled album "Soraya" as "Best Album by Songwriter", which she produced, and a 2005 Latin Grammy Awards nomination for "Female Pop Vocal Album" for her album "El Otro Lado de Mi". She was the opening act for the 2005 Billboard Latin Music Awards. Her career spanned ten years, and she recorded five albums.

Biography

Early life

Soraya Lamilla was a U.S. citizen born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, one year after her father, mother, and brother moved to the United States from Colombia. Her family was forced to move back to Colombia, but when Soraya was eight years old, they returned to New Jersey [http://www.askmen.com/women/singer_250/272_soraya.html "Singer of the Week: Soraya"] , "AskMen.com", 2005. "Soraya" is very common name in the Middle East. Soraya's maternal side of the family were Lebanese Christians who emigrated from Lebanon to Colombia, and "Soraya" is a Hispanicized Arabic word Achy Obejas, [http://gspotdesign.com/archives/cuerpo/soraya.html "Soraya survivor"] , "Cuerpo Magazine", 2005. Soraya's mother, Yamila Gharib Cuevas, was a housewife in Colombia, but when the family moved to the United States, her parents had to work extremely hard. Her father, Juan Cuevas, worked for an exporting company in Colombia; in the United States it was so hard for the family to make ends meet that he worked three of four jobs.

Soraya was never allowed to speak English in her home while growing up. It was the one thing that her mother insisted upon. Her father brought the family to the United States because he wanted to increase the opportunities for himself and his children; he had studied English long before entering the United States. However, her mother preferred to speak Spanish although she did learn English. While her mother wanted Soraya and her brother, Filipe, to become fluent in English in school, she also wanted them to retain their ability to communicate well in Spanish .

Soraya was only twelve years old when her mother was first diagnosed with breast cancer; she was eighteen when her mother had a recurrence and twenty-two when her mother died, in 1992. Soraya has said that her sense of responsibility increased because she needed to take care of her mother and do all of the chores around the house. She would also go to the doctor's office with her mother; together they did breast-cancer research and participated in the Race for the Cure.

Soraya first became interested in music at the age of five when she heard her uncle playing music in Colombia. Her uncle played Colombian traditional folk music on an instrument called the tiple, which is a kind of guitar with triple strings. Her parents bought her a guitar, which she taught herself how to play. She became proficient in classical violin and her first 'public' performance was as a violinist at Carnegie Hall in New York City. As a student at Point Pleasant Boro High School, Soraya began writing her own music in English and Spanish .

Soraya attended Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she studied English literature, French philosophy and women's studies. Initially, Soraya worried she might be too shy to play before big crowds, but she eventually triumphed over her fear and realized her tremendous talent as a live performer when she played to rapt audiences at coffee houses and rallies around the sprawling Rutgers campus .

Musical career

Soraya obtained a record contract with Polygram Latino/Island Records in 1996. Her first album, called "En Esta Noche" (English-language version "On Nights Like This"), received positive critical acclaim and enabled her to tour and open for famous musicians such as Natalie Merchant, Zucchero, Sting, Michael Bolton, and Alanis Morissette.

Four of her songs climbed to the top of the charts just about everywhere in the Latin American and U.S. Hispanic markets, and her single "Suddenly/De Repente" dominated the Billboard Latin Pop listings. Her second album, "Torre de Marfil" (English-language version "Wall of Smiles"), co-written with her idol Carole King and released in late 1997, helped her attain worldwide recognition.

Unfortunately, her breast cancer was diagnosed shortly after the release of her third album — just before she was about to tour to promote it. Yet, Soraya created two more successful albums before she finally succumbed to the disease in 2006 .

Discography

(Spanish-language versions / English-language versions)

tudio albums

* (1996) "En Esta Noche" / "On Nights Like This"
* (1997) "Torre de Marfil" / "Wall of Smiles"
* (2000) "Cuerpo y Alma" / "I'm Yours"
* (2003) "Soraya" / "Soraya International version"
* (2005) "El Otro Lado de Mí" (Only launched in Spanish)

Compilations

* (1996) Sálvame / Save Me "Tributo A Queen", Los Mas Grandes Del Rock En Español, Tribute To The Britanic Group Queen In Latin Rock
* (1998) Todo Lo Que El Hace (Everything She Does Is Magic)"Outlandos D' America" Tribute To The Police In Latin Rock
* (2001) Desert Roses and Arabian Rhythms, Vol. 1
* (2001) "Serie 32"
* (2003) "Essenciales" (The Ultimate Collection)
* (2005) "Éxitos Eternos"
* (2005) "The Best of Soraya" (20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection)
* (2005) Dreaming of you with Barrio Boyzz, Selena Vive! (Tribute to Selena)
* (2006) "Gold" (2-CD best-of)
* (2006) "Herencia"
* (2006) "Entre Su Ritmo y el Silencio"

References

The following book was written by Soraya during her battle with Breast Cancer. "Con Las Cuerdas Rotas" Una historia de perseverancia, un legado de esperanza Written by "Soraya"

External links

* [http://www.soraya.com/ Soraya] , official site
* [http://www.drdonnica.com/celebrities/00006741.htm Soraya's Breast Cancer Information]
* [http://www.usaweekend.com/04_issues/040919/040919soraya.html USA Weekend September 19 2004 interview]
* http://www.sorayaforever.com