- Milly Quezada
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Milly Quezada 
Promotional photo for her album "Solo Faltas Tú"Background information Birth name Milagros Quezada Borbón Also known as Milly Quezada, Reina del Merengue, Queen of Merengue Music Born May 21, 1955
Santo Domingo, RDOrigin Dominican Republic Genres Latin, merengue Occupations Singer, Songwriter Website Official Website Milagros Quezada Borbón, known simply as Milly Quezada, is a Latin Grammy-winning Dominican Merengue music singer. She is a singer in Latin America; especially in those Latin American countries bordered by the Caribbean Sea, and in the eastern seaboard region of the United States. She is also known as Merengue Queen.[1]
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Biography
Milly Quezada was born in Santo Domingo, the daughter of two Cibao natives and sister of four musician brothers. Growing up in such a musical family, Quezada became interested in music as a toddler—she would sing along with her brothers for family, friends and small gatherings near her home.
She expressed an interest in developing her singing talents as a young girl, and, partly for this reason the Quezada family moved to New York City when she was still a child.
Milly spent her pre-teen and teen years in New York, a city that is well known as a school for Merengue and Salsa singers from its Latino barrios, e.g. Spanish Harlem. In New York, Quezada developed an in-depth knowledge of her favorite musical genre, the fastest of the Latin American popular dance music styles, sung in Spanish and native to the Dominican Republic (see also Son Cubano, Rumba, Salsa, Cha-Cha-Cha, and Punta for comparison, as well as Kompa, the style sung in kreyòl in neighboring Haiti). Merengue has been comically referred to as "the Latino weight-loss program" since it is an infectious rhythm, and the songs tend to inspire adherents to enthusiastic dancing. After graduating from high school in New York, she attended City College of New York, graduating with a university degree in communications.
During the 1980s, Quezada was the lead singer of a group named Milly y los Vecinos. The group enjoyed wild international success, producing 20 records, some of which were released in both vinyl and CD format, others only as CD's (as vinyl record album sales declined substantially by the end of the decade).
Quezada later decided to embark on a solo career, moving to Puerto Rico where she also married and became a mother, enjoying even more success as a solo artist. Since the 1990s, Quezada has been either on tour or in recording studios almost constantly, earning several prestigious awards and public recognition such as keys to cities (see below).
In May 2005, she began a Dominican Republic tour that included a concert with the legendary Conjunto Quisqueya.
Quezada has publicly proclaimed her love for the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the United States.
In 2007, Milly recorded a song called "Reencuentro" along with fellow Dominicans Sergio Vargas and Anaís. The original version and Merengue version of the song appear on Anais' album "Con Todo Mi Corazón"
In early 2009, Milly joined eleven other Dominican music legends on a national tour celebrating the merengue and bachata music traditions of the country. That tour was transformed into a Felix Limardo documentary entitled Sol Caribe. The movie features an original song, La Puerta del Nuevo Mundo that is a once in a lifetime collaboration of the twelve stars. The film was the closing feature at the III Dominican Republic Global Film Festival in November, 2009 and was attended by the President of the Dominican Republic.
She is related to Dominican model Patricia Gomez.
Discography
Milly y los Vecinos
- Esta es Milly con los Vecinos (This is Milly with los Vecinos)
- La gente de hoy (Today's People)
- Pa' Dominicana (To Dominican Republic)
- Los Vecinos en su momento (The Vecinos at Their Best Moment)
- 'Milly en Boleros (Milly into Boleros)
- Acabando (Kicking Some)
- Nostalgia (Nostalgy)
- Esta Noche, Los Vecinos (Topnight, Los Vecinos!)
- Milly en Salsa (Milly into Salsa, alongside Luis "Perico" Ortiz)
- Dinastía
- Special Delivery
- Etiqueta Negra (Black Tie Affair)
- Por Supuesto (Of Course)
- Ahora es (Now's the Time)
- 7+1= Vecinos
- Flying solo
- La Milly una noche (Milly, one Night)
- Celebrando (Celebrando)
- Lo Mejor de Milly y los Vecinos (The Best of Milly y los Vecinos, a remix)
- En tus manos (On Your Hands)
As a solo singer
Quezada has recorded five solo albums, receiving a Latin Grammy for Pienso asi and MQ.
- Hasta siempre (Forever)
- Milly vive (Milly Lives)
- Tesoros de mi Tierra (Treasures From my Homecountry, where she had her first experience singing Bachata)
- Milly, éxitos y más (Milly, Hits and More)
- Pienso así (This is How I Think)
- MQ (MQ)
- Sólo Faltas Tú
- Aquí estoy yo (forecoming)
City Keys
Quezada has received many awards during her career, such as the aforementioned Grammy. Arguably, one of the highest honors a person or celebrity can receive is the "key to a city," usually presented by that city's mayor. Here is a list of cities that have given Quezada that symbolic award:
- Jersey City, New Jersey
- Providence, Rhode Island
- New York City, New York
- West New York, New Jersey
See also
- List of Dominicans
References
- ^ Bonacich, Drago. "Milly Quezada". Allmusic. http://allmusic.com/artist/milly-quezada-p263506/biography. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
External links
Categories:- 1955 births
- Living people
- Dominican Republic female singers
- Latin Grammy Award winners
- Merengue musicians
- Dominican Republic expatriates in Puerto Rico
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