On July 18, the legendary and exquisite Spanish-language singer Marisela will be romancing your memories at House of Blues.
At the age of 15, she was groomed for pop stardom by award-winning vocalist Marco Antonio Solis (“El Buki,” and former boyfriend). The Mexican-American vocalist has stood the test of time and is etched into the memory of many Latino music listeners, including myself. Growing up in the '80s to an immigrant Mexican mom who loved music, we'd religiously watch “Siempre en Domingo” for all its concert greatness, and cruise around from one errand to another listening to all the hits in her brand new powder blue hatchback Datsun equipped with a state of the art, get this, AM/FM cassette player. One musician who made frequent appearances on both my mom's TV and tape deck included: Marisela.
In 1985, I remember my mom tearing the plastic shrink wrap off Marisela's "Completamente Tuya" cassette tape and sliding it into the player for the first time. It wasn't long before I knew the lyrics and able to identify her signature voice. Marisela was so iconic -- she defined the fashion and sound of '80s Spanish-language love ballads. Her pensive, but fierce pose against a bold cotton candy pink backdrop wearing dramatic big hair and Nagel-like make-up became one of those unforgettable album covers from my childhood.
As a child watching her perform on TV show, “Siempre en Domingo” was fascinating. For many, she became known for her fashion sense as the Latin Madonna. Marisela is the Iron Lady of Spanish pop music as proclaimed in her hit song, “La Dama de Hierro." To describe her: She's got the vocal chops of a Kim Wilde, with the charming seducing personality of a Marilyn Monroe, and some of the revamp fashion sensibilities of a Madonna. She's revered by many vocalists, including the late Jenni Rivera, who turned into a gushing fan when she shared the stage with Marisela to cover “A Escondidas” in their native Los Angeles at Nokia Theatre.
Despite her run-ins with the law due to substance abuse, Marisela continues to persevere and is beloved by fans worldwide. Her long-lived career has spanned three decades with hit records. Allmusic.com reports she has recorded 17 albums, but her iTunes discography says otherwise with over 30 albums to purchase (if only Marisela would make an official website site to confirm). In 2010, her greatest hits album "20 Exitos Inmortales" won two Latin Billboard awards.
“Like” Marisela on Facebook here. She performs with Angel Lopez on July 18 at House of Blues. Purchase tickets here.
Dita Quinones is a multimedia journalist born in Tijuana with a passion for Latin alternative and hip-hop music news. Her main goal is to uplift and inform so that the Latino, Filipino and hip-hop community get knitted into the fabric of American history. In addition to SoundDiego, she contributes to Latina, Fox News Latino, Poder, VidaVibrante, San Diego CityBeat and HipHopDx. She is also the founder of the infamous music and politrix blog GN$F! Follow Dita on Twitter or on Facebook.
