Controversial: Joy Enriquez signed for Latin name?
Nov 25, 2003 22:14:27 GMT -5
Post by George Tropicana on Nov 25, 2003 22:14:27 GMT -5
Was Joy Enriquez signed because of her surname? Nope. But how Arista screwed her over when they forced her to sing "Shake Up The Party" to hop onto the Latin music wave -- a little too late.
Here is an excerpt from Billboard's 12/9/200 story "Latin Crossover's New Twist."
Joy Enriquez is quoted at the end of the article. She is a proud Latina.
Even though I don't enjoy her debut album, she is an inspiration to us all! Dream big!
Here is an excerpt from Billboard's 12/9/200 story "Latin Crossover's New Twist."
What's different about today's artists--aside from their numbers--is many of them barely speak Spanish, yet that isn't stopping them from tapping into the Latin market as well.
"There clearly is a population of English-speaking Latin audiences that want to be entertained," says Arista president/CEO Antonio "L.A." Reid, who signed [Joy] Enriquez, "based on her talent," three years ago. "I wasn't really looking for home-grown Latin talent," adds Reid. "When we signed her, we didn't have a clue that the Latin music genre would become as successful." But today, he adds, "the Spanish is an added bonus for someone of her caliber. We'd be foolish not to take advantage of that."
Foolish indeed. Months before her album hits the market, Enriquez has already given a host of interviews to Spanish- and English-language magazines as part of her promotion strategy.
"What we did with Joy right from the beginning was go down to Mexico and do press there," says Arista executive VP Jerry Blair, who was instrumental in developing Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez in the English market. "We're slowly exposing her to the marketplace with the potential of embracing the marketplace more so than formats of radio."
Still, radio is already an issue. Although Enriquez will be promoted to mainstream pop stations, she's already recorded a duet with Carlos Ponce, in both English and Spanish, for the Disney film "Lady And The Tramp 2," and that duet can easily go to Spanish-language formats.
The dual promotional approach is markedly different from what was being done even two years ago.
Christina Aguilera and Jaci Velasquez, for example, became successful in English--Aguilera as a pop artist, Velasquez in the Christian market--without ever having ventured into Latin territory in any way. That, and their quest to learn how to speak Spanish properly, only came when they decided to record in that language.
Now, even artists like Enriquez, who was originally slated to sing only in English, learn Spanish because, among other things, they see it as a powerful marketing tool.
"There clearly is a population of English-speaking Latin audiences that want to be entertained," says Arista president/CEO Antonio "L.A." Reid, who signed [Joy] Enriquez, "based on her talent," three years ago. "I wasn't really looking for home-grown Latin talent," adds Reid. "When we signed her, we didn't have a clue that the Latin music genre would become as successful." But today, he adds, "the Spanish is an added bonus for someone of her caliber. We'd be foolish not to take advantage of that."
Foolish indeed. Months before her album hits the market, Enriquez has already given a host of interviews to Spanish- and English-language magazines as part of her promotion strategy.
"What we did with Joy right from the beginning was go down to Mexico and do press there," says Arista executive VP Jerry Blair, who was instrumental in developing Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez in the English market. "We're slowly exposing her to the marketplace with the potential of embracing the marketplace more so than formats of radio."
Still, radio is already an issue. Although Enriquez will be promoted to mainstream pop stations, she's already recorded a duet with Carlos Ponce, in both English and Spanish, for the Disney film "Lady And The Tramp 2," and that duet can easily go to Spanish-language formats.
The dual promotional approach is markedly different from what was being done even two years ago.
Christina Aguilera and Jaci Velasquez, for example, became successful in English--Aguilera as a pop artist, Velasquez in the Christian market--without ever having ventured into Latin territory in any way. That, and their quest to learn how to speak Spanish properly, only came when they decided to record in that language.
Now, even artists like Enriquez, who was originally slated to sing only in English, learn Spanish because, among other things, they see it as a powerful marketing tool.
Joy Enriquez is quoted at the end of the article. She is a proud Latina.
"I had a record company approach me to do Spanish first," says Enriquez. "They said, 'We're going to make you the next Selena.' And I said, 'But I want to sing pop. That's where my heart is. That's what I love.' "
But despite the fact that Enriquez is indeed recording a pop album (with Babyface producing), she makes a big deal about the fact that she's Mexican-American.
"Because I am Mexican-American," she says bluntly. "I have 35 cousins who go to [predominantly] Mexican-American schools. I'm proud of who I am, and I want them to say, 'My cousin Joy Enriquez comes from Whittier [Calif.], and she's doing it.' "
But despite the fact that Enriquez is indeed recording a pop album (with Babyface producing), she makes a big deal about the fact that she's Mexican-American.
"Because I am Mexican-American," she says bluntly. "I have 35 cousins who go to [predominantly] Mexican-American schools. I'm proud of who I am, and I want them to say, 'My cousin Joy Enriquez comes from Whittier [Calif.], and she's doing it.' "
Even though I don't enjoy her debut album, she is an inspiration to us all! Dream big!
