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BIOGRAPHY

Jaci Velasquez
	BIOGRAPHY | GALLERY | GOSSIP | BLOG

Jacquelyn Davette Velasquez, born on October 15, 1979, is a Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award-nominated, Dove Award-winning American Contemporary Christian and pop singer.

Velasquez grew up attending church and her parents were singers. She is of Mexican, Spanish, French, Scottish, and Arabic ancestry. When she was ten years old, her parents sold their Houston home and dedicated themselves to touring the United States with their Christian music. It was while on the road that she was discovered by a representative of Myrrh Records.

In 1995, Velasquez sang at an Alvin, Texas church (ESMIRNA) where she met Mauricio Ruiz, a local immigration consultant, as well as his wife, Flora Ruiz. They made a large contribution in support of Velasquez and her parents. This helped her and her family to travel the United States and launch her singing career.

Velasquez released her first CD album in 1996, and five of the songs on that CD became #1 hits. The album was later certified Platinum. She has since released six English-language albums, two of which were certified Gold. She has produced 16 #1 Christian radio hits and six other top 10 singles. She has won 7 Dove awards including New Artist of the Year and 2 Female Vocalist of the Year nods.

In 1998, Velasquez signed to Sony Latin and was introduced to Rudy Perez, who produced her 1st 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. She lost to Shakira.

In 2001, Velasquez released her sophomore spanish-effort Mi Corazón. The album's lead single "Como Se Cura Una Herida" topped the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks and become one of the biggest singles of the year, receiving multiple awards nominations and wins. The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Latin Pop Album.

Her Latin music success includes 4 Spanish language releases, 3 #1 Latin Billboard Singles, 2 Platinum albums, a Premio Lo Nuestro Award for New Artist of the Year and 2 Billboard Latin Music Awards.

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 #11 at the box office and 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.