Jaci Velasquez
Encyclopedia
Jacquelyn Davette Velasquez (born October 15, 1979) is an American
Contemporary Christian
and Latin Pop
singer—in both English
and Spanish
languages.
Velasquez has sold over four million albums, recorded three Platinum and three Gold albums, and recorded 16 singles that hit number one plus six more that hit the top ten. She has received seven Dove Awards including Best New Artist and Female Vocalist of the Year. Velasquez has co-hosted a morning radio show since late 2010.
. She is of Mexican
, Spanish
, French
, Scottish
, and Arab
ancestry. At the age of nine, she began traveling with her father, who by that time was a full-time singing evangelist. She began by singing backup to her parents, then later sang solo. It was while on the road that she was discovered by a representative of Myrrh Records
.
in 1996 and five of the songs on that CD became No. 1 hits (she had two previous independent records). The album was later certified Platinum. Velasquez has been distinguished as the fastest selling solo debut recording artist in her genre and the first solo artist in Christian music history to reach gold status with a debut album, prior to release of sophomore project. She has since released six English-language albums, two of which were certified Gold. She has produced sixteen No. 1 Christian radio hits and six other top-10 singles, and has won seven Dove awards, including New Artist of the Year and two Female Vocalist of the Year wins. Jaci has covered over 50 magazines as well as been a spokes-model for Pepsi
, Target
, Doritos
, John Freida's Frizz-Ease hair products and Helzberg Diamonds
.
In 1998, she signed to Sony
Latin and was introduced to Rudy Pérez
, 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 ultimately went to Colombia
n 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 No. 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 No. 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.
On September 2008, Velasquez was chosen by the State Department's Bureau of International Information Programs as one of the 15 Prominent Hispanic-Americans in the Arts in America.
In June 2010 she also started working on and recording her first Spanish project since 2003 with Juan Carlos Rodriguez, from the Christian Latin pop duo Tercer Cielo, as well as writing a new book. Velasquez has also currently returned to acting and is starring in two new films, The Encounter and Jerusalem Countdown, both with 2011 scheduled releases.
Velasquez began co-hosting the "Family Friendly Morning Show" with Doug Griffin beginning in November 2010 after being a guest host for several months. The show airs on over 100 radio stations in the United States for four hour each weekday morning.
On August 11, 2011 Jaci signed with InPop Records
and her upcoming album, Diamond, is scheduled for release on February 7, 2012. The first single was released in October 2011, "Give Them Jesus".
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 in 2007. Her second son with her husband, Nic, was born in 2009.
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.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Contemporary Christian
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
and Latin Pop
Latin pop
Latin pop generally refers to pop music that has what may be perceived a Latin American influence...
singer—in both English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
languages.
Velasquez has sold over four million albums, recorded three Platinum and three Gold albums, and recorded 16 singles that hit number one plus six more that hit the top ten. She has received seven Dove Awards including Best New Artist and Female Vocalist of the Year. Velasquez has co-hosted a morning radio show since late 2010.
Early life
Jaci Velasquez was born in Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. She is of Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
, Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
, French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
, Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
ancestry. At the age of nine, she began traveling with her father, who by that time was a full-time singing evangelist. She began by singing backup to her parents, then later sang solo. It was while on the road that she was discovered by a representative of Myrrh Records
Myrrh Records
Myrrh Records, also known as Myrrh Worship, is a Christian music record label. According to Encyclopedia of American Gospel Music, the label was instrumental in developing a popular following for Contemporary Christian music as the label that first published music by Barry McGuire, 2nd Chapter of...
.
Career
Velasquez released her national debut album Heavenly PlaceHeavenly Place
Heavenly Place is Jaci Velasquez' debut major label album, released in 1996 on Myrrh Records.-Track listing:#"If This World"#"Un Lugar Celestial "#"Flower in the Rain"#"On My Knees"#"Shelter"#"Baptize Me"...
in 1996 and five of the songs on that CD became No. 1 hits (she had two previous independent records). The album was later certified Platinum. Velasquez has been distinguished as the fastest selling solo debut recording artist in her genre and the first solo artist in Christian music history to reach gold status with a debut album, prior to release of sophomore project. She has since released six English-language albums, two of which were certified Gold. She has produced sixteen No. 1 Christian radio hits and six other top-10 singles, and has won seven Dove awards, including New Artist of the Year and two Female Vocalist of the Year wins. Jaci has covered over 50 magazines as well as been a spokes-model for Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
, Doritos
Doritos
Doritos is a brand of seasoned tortilla chips created by Arch West and produced since 1964 by the American food company Frito-Lay ....
, John Freida's Frizz-Ease hair products and Helzberg Diamonds
Helzberg Diamonds
- Leadership :In April 2009, Beryl Raff, former executive vice president and general merchandise manager of fine jewelry at JCPenney, was named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Helzberg.-History:...
.
In 1998, she signed to Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Latin and was introduced to Rudy Pérez
Rudy Pérez
Rudy Pérez is a Cuban American composer, producer and Sound engineer specialized in Latin Ballad whose songs have been very successful. He is considered one of the most outstanding creators in the field of international pop music...
, 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 ultimately went to Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n singer Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
).
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
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for Best Latin Pop Album.
Her Latin music success includes four Spanish-language releases, three No. 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
Chasing Papi
Chasing Papi is a 2003 Latino comedy film starring Roselyn Sánchez, Sofía Vergara, Jaci Velasquez, and Eduardo Verástegui. The women discover that their boyfriend has been dating all three of them at the same time—a discovery that leads them on an adventure throughout Los Angeles,...
. As well as Velasquez, this movie featured Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
's Sofia Vergara
Sofía Vergara
Sofía Margarita Vergara Vergara is a Colombian actress, comedian, television hostess and model.Vergara had been widely known for co-hosting two TV shows for Univisión in the late 1990s. Her TV career opened up for her a window of exposure to North American audiences prior to her first notable...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
's Roselyn Sanchez
Roselyn Sanchez
Roselyn Sánchez is a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter, model, actress, producer and writer of film and television.-Early life:...
, and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
's Eduardo Verastegui
Eduardo Verástegui
Eduardo Verástegui is a Mexican model, singer, and actor.- Biography :Verástegui was born in Mante, Tamaulipas, México and was raised as a devout Roman Catholic. He moved to Mexico City to pursue modeling, landing work with Calvin Klein among others...
, as well as Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Prescovia Elikolani Valiente Scherzinger is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, record producer, model, and actress. Scherzinger is perhaps best known for being the lead vocalist of the Pussycat Dolls....
in a cameo role. It was released nationwide in the United States in April 2003. The movie reached as high as No. 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!
Right On!
Right On! is an American teen magazine. It is published by Dorchester Media in New York City, and it was a sister publication of Tiger Beat....
, wherein editor Cynthia Horner
Cynthia Horner
Cynthia Horner is a writer, magazine editor, and entertainment industry entrepreneur. An African-American woman, Horner is based in New York City....
calls her a true role model to teens—and has sung for President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
multiple times.
On September 2008, Velasquez was chosen by the State Department's Bureau of International Information Programs as one of the 15 Prominent Hispanic-Americans in the Arts in America.
In June 2010 she also started working on and recording her first Spanish project since 2003 with Juan Carlos Rodriguez, from the Christian Latin pop duo Tercer Cielo, as well as writing a new book. Velasquez has also currently returned to acting and is starring in two new films, The Encounter and Jerusalem Countdown, both with 2011 scheduled releases.
Velasquez began co-hosting the "Family Friendly Morning Show" with Doug Griffin beginning in November 2010 after being a guest host for several months. The show airs on over 100 radio stations in the United States for four hour each weekday morning.
On August 11, 2011 Jaci signed with InPop Records
Inpop Records
Inpop Records is an independent contemporary Christian music record label based in Franklin, Tennessee, USA. It was launched in July 1999 by Australians Peter Furler, Dale Bray, and Wes Campbell...
and her upcoming album, Diamond, is scheduled for release on February 7, 2012. The first single was released in October 2011, "Give Them Jesus".
Personal life
Velasquez 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
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Gonzales is a member of Salvador
Salvador (band)
Salvador is a Christian band. The band began with Art, Nic, and Josh Gonzales as part of the worship band in their home church located in north east Austin, Texas. Which was called King of Glory church...
, a Christian group with whom she had been touring.
Velasquez gave birth to a boy in 2007. Her second son with her husband, Nic, was born in 2009.
Although she has before described herself as a "Non-denominational Christian," she stated in an interview with Morris Cerullo
Morris Cerullo
Morris Cerullo is an American pentecostal televangelist.-Early life and ministry:Cerullo, whose evangelistic ministry is based in San Diego, California, was born in Passaic, New Jersey to a Russo Jewish/Italian family. His parents died in an automobile accident when he was only two years old...
that "you're talking to an Assemblies of God
Assemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
's girl," concerning the power of prayer.
Discography
- 1992: Help MeHelp Me (album)Help Me is the debut album from contemporary Christian musician Jaci Velasquez. It was released independently under the name "Jaci" in 1992. It is currently out-of-print and quite rare.-Track listing:#"Help Me"#"He Can Do It Again"#"The Highest Praise"...
(independent) - 1994: Keep the Fire BurningKeep the Fire BurningFor the song by REO Speedwagon, see Keep the Fire BurninKeep the Fire Burning is the second album by Jaci Velasquez, released independently under the name "Jaci" in 1994. It is currently out-of-print and quite rare.-Track listing:#"No One"...
(independent) - 1996: Heavenly PlaceHeavenly PlaceHeavenly Place is Jaci Velasquez' debut major label album, released in 1996 on Myrrh Records.-Track listing:#"If This World"#"Un Lugar Celestial "#"Flower in the Rain"#"On My Knees"#"Shelter"#"Baptize Me"...
(US No. 142) (Platinum – RIIA) (debut album) - 1998: Jaci VelasquezJaci Velasquez (album)Jaci Velasquez is the self-titled fourth studio album by Contemporary Christian singer Jaci Velasquez. It was released in 1998 on Myrrh Records.-Track listing:#"God So Loved"#"Show You Love"#"Little Voice Inside"#"You"#"Look What Love Has Done"...
(US No. 56) (Gold – RIIA) - 1999: Llegar A TiLlegar A TiLlegar a Ti is Christian artist Jaci Velasquez' fifth album, and the first released in Spanish. The title track reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks , making her the first Christian artist to reach No. 1 on any Billboard Latin chart. It received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best...
(Platinum – Latin RIIA) - 2000: Crystal ClearCrystal Clear (album)Crystal Clear is the sixth studio album by contemporary Christian artist Jaci Velasquez. It was released in 2000 on Word Records. The album includes 2 versions, the booklet of one includes only 2 photographs, just one on the cover and the other on the last page of the booklet...
(US No. 49) (Gold – RIIA) - 2001: Mi CorazónMi CorazonMi Corazón is the second Spanish album by the Latin pop/contemporary Christian singer Jaci Velasquez. The lead single, "Como Se Cura Una Herida", charted at #1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart...
(Platinum – Latin RIIA) - 2001: ChristmasChristmas (Jaci Velasquez album)Christmas is the name of the 2001 English-language holiday themed album by Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award-nominated contemporary Christian singer Jaci Velasquez...
(US No. 102) - 2001: NavidadNavidadNavidad is the Spanish Christmas album by Christian pop singer Jaci Velasquez and is essentially a Spanish version of her previous album Christmas.-Tracklist:# Oh Ven, Oh Ven, Emmanuel# La Cancion Del Angel# El Rey De Israel...
- 2003: Unspoken (US No. 55)
- 2003: MilagroMilagro (Jaci Velasquez album)Milagro is the third Latin album by Christian singer Jaci Velasquez. This record won a Billboard Latin Music Award in the category "Best Christian Album". Although lyrically considered the most secular from all her works. The album was not as successful as her previous Spanish works due to Sony...
- 2004: Mi Historia MusicalMi Historia MusicalMi Historia Musical is a 2004 album by Spanish & English Contemporary Christian music singer Jaci Velasquez. It is a collection of her Spanish songs from 1999-2003....
- 2005: Beauty Has GraceBeauty Has GraceBeauty Has Grace is Christian artist Jaci Velasquez' fifth studio album. It marks a departure from her previous albums in style, having been recorded in London, England with Martin Terefe...
(US No. 195) - 2006: On My Knees: The Best of Jaci VelasquezOn My Knees: The Best of Jaci VelasquezOn My Knees: The Best of Jaci Velasquez is the greatest hits album by Christian pop singer Jaci Velasquez. It featured songs from all five of her albums, including On My Knees, God So Loved and Every Time I Fall.-Track listing:...
(a.k.a. Jaci Velasquez: Greatest Hits) - 2007: Open House (Christmas EP)
- 2008: Love Out LoudLove Out LoudLove Out Loud is an album by Jaci Velasquez released on March 18, 2008.-Album background:On the heels of the 10th year anniversary celebration of her debut platinum selling album, Heavenly Place, Jaci Velasquez returned to the studio to write and record her the album Love Out Loud. The lead single...
- 2012: Diamond
Chart performance
- 1999: "Llegar A Ti" Hot Latin Tracks No. 1
- 2000: "De Creer En Ti (On My Knees)" Hot Latin Tracks No. 18
- 2000: "Love Will Find You (Llegar A Ti)" Hot Dance Music/Club Play No. 24
- 2000: "Solo Tu" Hot Latin Tracks No. 4
- 2000: "Un Lugar Celestial" Hot Latin Tracks No. 40
- 2001: "Como Se Cura Una Herida" Hot Latin Tracks No. 1
- 2003: "No Hace Falta Un Hombre" Hot Latin Tracks No. 5
- 2003: "No Me Rendire" Hot Latin Tracks No. 19
Filmography
- 2003: Chasing PapiChasing PapiChasing Papi is a 2003 Latino comedy film starring Roselyn Sánchez, Sofía Vergara, Jaci Velasquez, and Eduardo Verástegui. The women discover that their boyfriend has been dating all three of them at the same time—a discovery that leads them on an adventure throughout Los Angeles,...
- 2004: Doc (TV series)Doc (TV series)Doc is a medical drama/family drama with strong Christian undertones starring Billy Ray Cyrus as Dr. Clint "Doc" Cassidy, a Montana doctor who takes a job in a New York City medical clinic. It ran from March 11, 2001 to November 28, 2004 on PAX...
(one episode) - 2003: Los Reyes Magos (The Three Wise Men)
- 2011: The Encounter
- 2011: Jerusalem Countdown