Jaci Velasquez - Rotten Tomatoes Celebrity Profile

Biography

This page uses content from the Jaci Velasquez biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Jaci Velasquez (born Jacquelyn Davette Velasquez on October 15, 1979) is an American Contemporary Christian and pop singer. Her first name is pronounced as "Jackie".

Velasquez grew up attending church and her parents were singers. She is of Mexican, Spanish, French, Scottish, and Arabic ancestry.[1] 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, she 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 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 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 sang for President George W. Bush multiple times.

On August 16, 2003, Velasquez married Darren Potuck, a member of the band AutoVaughn, and native of Goshen, Indiana. They were divorced nearly two years later. Although she did not comment on the cause of the divorce, she did ask that listeners pray for her emotional well being due to her being bi-polar.

Discography

Help Me (Unknown)
Keep The Fire Burning (Unknown)
Heavenly Place (1996) (US #142)
Jaci Velasquez (1998)
Llegar A Ti (1999)
Crystal Clear (2000) (US #49)
Mi Corazon (2001)
Christmas (2001)
Navidad (2001)
Unspoken (2003) (US #55)
Milagro (2003)
Mi Historia Musical (2004)
Beauty Has Grace (2005) (US #195)
On My Knees: The Best Of Jaci Velasquez (2006)

Chart Performance

2003 "No Hace Falta Un Hombre" Hot Latin Tracks #5
2003 "No Me Rendire" Hot Latin Tracks #19
2001 "Como Se Cura Una Herida" Hot Latin Tracks #1
2000 "De Creer En Ti [On My Knees]" Hot Latin Tracks #18
2000 "Love Will Find You (Llegar A Ti)" Hot Dance Music/Club Play #24
2000 "Solo Tu" Hot Latin Tracks #4
2000 "Un Lugar Celestial" Hot Latin Tracks #40
1999 "Llegar A Ti" Hot Latin Tracks #1

Filmography

Chasing Papi (2003)
Doc (2004)
The Three Wise Men (2005)

Literature

Heavenly Place (1996)(10,800 Units sold nation wide)

External links

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