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Yolanda Perez takes traditional sounds to the street
Yolanda Perez is not the first bilingual, bicultural artist to blend traditional Mexican with urban American sounds. But Perez, 22, may have an edge over her competitors. Unlike most of her counterparts, she is female and -- judging by past success on radio -- she sings about topics her contemporaries want to hear.
Counting on that youth appeal, Perez is pushing her genre mix one step further by adding not only hip-hop but also reggaeton to her banda, a traditional acoustic style of music that uses predominantly brass instruments.
Born in Los Angeles to Mexican parents (who hail from banda music hotbed Zacatecas), Perez grew up listening only to music in Spanish by the likes of ranchero stars Graciela Beltran, Pepe Aguilar and Ana Barbara. Things changed, she says, when she went to high school and sought out friends who knew nothing about her nascent fame.
In 2003, Perez signed with Fonovisa and released "Dejenme Llorar," which peaked at No. 29 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, driven largely by the single "Estoy Enamorada."
The hilarious track was a bilingual mishmash of banda and rap featuring an English-speaking Perez verbally sparring with her old-fashioned, Spanish-speaking "dad" -- Los Angeles radio personality Don Cheto of KBUE -- about her dating choices.
For Perez, mixing genres is simply part of her persona. "Reggaeton is just an ingredient," she says. "I did it because it's one of the styles of music I like to listen to."
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