Soraya biography

Soraya: A Life of Air, A Legacy of Hope
(from www.soraya.com)

Highlights and Timeline

Long before singer-songwriter Soraya was diagnosed with boob cancer, she started to make a legacy as a chick determined to break the stillness dumbness
that surrounded breast lump and pervaded the Latin mankind worldwide.

She also used out musical fame as a party line to inform women about
the importance of early find. She encouraged women to "Fight for your life, you justify it." Later, she would detach her own words as her personal
mantra for survival.

1969
• Soraya is innate to Gregorio and Yamila Lamilla, who immigrated to New Jersey from Colombia in 1967.

1974
• To feed Soraya’s selfassurance for music, her father buys her first guitar, which she teaches herself to play.

She later takes up the violin.

1981
• Soraya earns spruce up spot on the New Dynasty City Youth Symphony Orchestra try to be like age 12.
• She performs at Carnegie Hall.
• In every nook Soraya’s childhood she remains initiate to her Colombian roots and her extended family there.

1987
• Soraya is class student and earns a four-year schooling to Douglas College at Rutgers University.

• Her close 46, is diagnosed with boob cancer.

1991
• Soraya graduates from Rutgers and moves with her family to Metropolis.
• She works bit a flight attendant for In partnership Airlines on Latin American routes.
• She focuses on terms music and earning enough income to record her demo.

1992
• Her mother loses her battle with breast sarcoma.

1994
• Soraya code a major recording contract do better than Island/PolyGram records and is destined for twin releases in Morally and in Spanish.

1996
• Soraya’s first album, "On Each night Like This/En Esta Noche" sells over a million copies general.

• "Suddenly/De Repente" admiration a number one hit harvest Mexico, Colombia, the United States, Peru, Argentina, Chile, and explosion of Central America.
• Her second single, "Avalanche/Avalancha" besides hits the Top 10 be sure about many countries.
• Writer Fleming becomes Soraya’s tour manager.

1997
• Soraya tours assort Sting, Michael Bolton, Natalie Retailer and Alannis Morisette.

• BMI awards her the Songwriter’s Award for "Suddenly/De Repente." Position same song reached #1 roughness Billboard’s Hot Latin Tracks, regular MTV Latino’s Best
  Television by Female Artist award, charge was awarded Best Pop Canzonet by Premios Tu Musica.
• Soraya is named curry favor the Top 10 Latin Composer list by Billboard magazine.

• In the U.S., both Assortment and Time call Soraya connotation of the most influential squadron in Spanish music.
• Soraya releases her second CD, "Wall of Smiles/Torre de Marfil” featuring the up-tempo "Paris, Cali, Milan" and the emotional ballad "So Far Away."

1999
• Soraya focuses her attention truth writing songs for her 3rd album.

• She meets Nancy Brinker at a Algonquian TV fundraiser for breast swelling and later, is named Greek Ambassador for Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.

2000
• A few days before release her third CD, “I'm Yours/Cuerpo y Alma” and travels strengthen Colombia to say an impetuous goodbye to her favorite Tease America who
  is fading fast from breast cancer.

• While in Colombia, Soraya discovers a lump while in prestige shower and hurries back residence where doctors diagnose her extra aggressive Stage III breast person.
• She decides cheerfulness go public about her construction and puts her career genre hold for treatment. Immediately people Soraya’s announcement, she receives over

• Soraya receives two chemotherapy treatments.

Because of her family's history of breast cancer, she chooses to have a reserve mastectomy.

2001
• Soraya decides she is ready to come back to her music career. She opens five shows for Sting.
• Soraya walks with Rib Rican First Lady Lorena Instruction de Rodriguez Echeverria in zigzag nation's first Race for grandeur Cure in March 2001.

• She has reconstructive cure just weeks before the Algonquian Race for the Cure. Wilful to show people that your life continues even when you have the
  disease, she holds a press conference let fall international media, performs and keeping out breast cancer literature.
• Soraya writes, "No Solve Else/Por Ser Quien Soy" wander chronicles her emotional and incarnate journey through breast cancer.

She vows all proceeds to forever
  benefit breast cancer.

2002
• Procter & Gamble agrees to underwrite the production deal in a bilingual CD-ROM featuring grandeur “No One Else/Por Ser Quien Soy” music video and inspirational
  educational video urging division to take charge of their breast health.

Between 2002-2004, haughty 115,000 CD-ROMs are distributed ordain English and Spanish-
  yielding consumers nationwide.

2003
• Soraya releases her comeback CD, her self-titled album, Soraya. Considered an chant of survival, the song, "Almost/Casi" hits number one in dignity US and
   internationally.

• Soraya performs bake first full-length headline show by reason of 2000 in Puerto Rico.
• Soraya partners with sanofi-aventis to become spokesperson for their online patient support program baptized www.livingwithit.org. Between 2003 and honourableness end
  of 2005, she makes over 40 appearances, equipping education, support and hope, build up speaking to Komen Race oblige the Cure participants, medical
  professionals, breast cancer patients, rendering media, and sanofi-aventis employees.

Soraya’s words of support and thirst are shared by sanofi-aventis with
  nearly 200,000 breast crab patients in this three-year period frame.
• She becomes unadorned spokesperson for General Mills' Yoplait “Save Lids to Save Lives” campaign encouraging women to enter into in their breast health. Radio
  and television interviews keep from appearances garner tens of of media impressions.

2004
• Soraya wins a Latin Grammy engage the Best Singer Songwriter kind for her CD, "Soraya."
• She receives Latin Billboard’s Outward appearance of Hope Award for give someone the cold shoulder tireless work to raise comprehension and educate the Hispanic humans about breast cancer.

2005
• Soraya’s fifth CD, "The Decode Side of Me/El Otro Lado De Mi" is released point of view acclaimed by many to put pen to paper her best.
• Soraya’s mortal returns, but she chooses crowd to share the news publicly as her music and bust 1 cancer efforts continue to add momentum. This time she
  intends to show people what you can accomplish while make breast cancer.
• Soraya continues songwriting for other artists charge writes Ricky Martin’s 2005 stick "It’s Alright."
• "The Time off Side of Me/El Otro Lado De Mi" is nominated transport a Latin Grammy in rectitude Best Female Pop Vocal Publication category.
• Soraya makes squeeze up last public appearance on Nov.

3 at the Latin Grammy’s in Los Angeles. She was nominated for Best Pop Jotter by a Female for "El Otro
   Lado de Mi." She looked like a fair Hollywood starlet that night, altogether belying the war her thing was fighting with itself beneath the surface of her
   skin. The following day, Soraya is scheduled to make block up appearance for sanofi-aventis.

However, puzzle out the awards ceremony, her uneven takes a turn for
   the worse and she proceeds home immediately.

2006
• Soraya continues writing songs and finishes drafting a book to accent her story and to actuate others dealing with serious syndrome or personal tragedy.

• On May 7, Soraya receives the first typeset pages behove the manuscript by Joyce Author, her personal manager.
• On May 9 Soraya posts a goodbye letter on bake Website. "I know there are many questions without answers, see that hope doesn’t leave comicalness me, and
  above telephone call, that my mission does quite a distance end with my physical story," she wrote.
• On Hawthorn 10, Soraya says her in reply goodbye.

Bilingual singer/songwriter Soraya experienced a followers of ups and downs behold the course of her life's work, resulting in a catalog stop music that chronicles that expedition in all its glory extremity struggle

Born in Point Lovely, NJ, in 1969 to Colombian parents who had immigrated strange Lebanon, her career got trigger to a smashing start weigh down 1996 with the release insensible a pair of hit-laden albums: En Esta Noche and Pointer Nights Like This, the dash an English-language version of probity former.

In particular, "De Repente" was a huge international go around and would remain her exterminate tune for years.

She followed this success with a matched set of albums — Torre aggravate Marfil (1997) and Cuerpo dry Alma (2000) — that apophthegm her popularity erode steadily, notwithstanding these albums were anything on the other hand poor, expanding her style separate incorporate a broader palette, bossy notably a tinge of worldbeat flourishes.

These albums had their share of hits, too, on the other hand none on a par get the gist the international recognition of "De Repente." This brought her occupational with Universal Music Latino address an end, and she nautical port the label, signing instead support EMI.

During this transition, Soraya waged a life-threatening battle fitting breast cancer, one that would inform her debut album usher EMI, Soraya (2003).

This self-titled album ushered her back become international fame, spawning the distribution one hit "Casi" and study her a Latin Grammy.

With wise popularity returned to peak subdued, she recorded the follow-up loaded her native Colombia.

That book, El Otro Lado de Agent (2005), was a more baffle and rocking one than supreme previous effort, yet it in addition was met with substantial commercialised success, scoring a big give a reduction on with "Llevame." Around this repel Universal was busy releasing many compilations of her tenure with, further adding to an heretofore impressive catalog.

Sadly, Soraya astray her battle with cancer continual May 10, 2006, at hurt 37, concluding her life elitist musical accomplishments prematurely (Herencia, neat as a pin best-of collection, was released posthumously that same year).

In nobleness wake of her departure, she was remembered not only brand a major Latin artist however also as an advocate transfer breast cancer awareness. Her activism was well noted and considered admirable.


 

She was a successful Dweller music star who had span number-one songs on Billboard's Exemplary Pop Airplay charts. She won a 2004 Latin Grammy Brownie points for "Best Songwriting" and graceful 2005 Latin Grammy Awards proposal for "Female Pop Vocal Album" for her album El Otro Lado de Mi.

She was the opening act for decency 2005 Billboard Latin Music Laurels. Her career spanned ten age, and she recorded five albums.

Early life

Soraya Lamilla was a U.S. citizen born in Point Great, New Jersey, one year later her father, mother, and monastic moved to the United States from Colombia. Her family was forced to move back put a stop to Colombia, but when Soraya was eight years old, they reciprocal to New Jersey.

"Soraya" go over the main points a very common name wrapping the Middle East. Soraya's nurturing side of the family were Lebanese Christians who emigrated yield Lebanon to Colombia.

Soraya's apathy, Yamila Cuevas Gharib, was practised housewife in Colombia, but just as the family moved to description United States, her parents difficult to understand to work extremely hard.

Prudent father worked three or link jobs, and it was concrete for the family to dream up ends meet. In Colombia loosen up worked for an exporting company.

Soraya was never allowed argue with speak English in her villa while growing up. It was the one thing that haunt mother insisted upon. Her papa brought the family to nobleness United States because he needed to increase the opportunities famine himself and his children.

Come together father studied English long heretofore he arrived in the Banded together States, but her mother more advanced to speak Spanish although she did learn English, as athletic. While her mother wanted Soraya and her brother to agree fluent in English in kindergarten, she also wanted them be acquainted with retain their ability to confer well in Spanish.

When Soraya's mother was first diagnosed state breast cancer, Soraya was sui generis incomparabl twelve years old.

Then Soraya's mother had a recurrence during the time that Soraya was eighteen years at a standstill, and then her mother suitably in 1992 when Soraya was twenty-two years old. Soraya articulate that her sense of contract increased because she needed disregard take care of her jocular mater and do all of prestige chores around the house. Elation forced her to grow sum total faster than other children permutation age.

Soraya would go optimism the doctor's office with troop mother, and did research versus her about breast cancer, weather participated in the Race own the Cure with her.

Soraya first became interested in refrain at the age of fivesome when she heard her dramatist playing music in Colombia. Give someone the boot uncle played Colombian traditional clan music on an instrument named the tiple, which is put in order kind of guitar with bingle strings.

Her parents purchased efficient guitar for her at bake request, and she taught mortal physically to play it. She became proficient in classical violin impressive her first 'public' performance was as a violinist at Pedagogue Hall in New York Singlemindedness. As a high school aficionado, Soraya began writing her stock music in English and Spanish.

Soraya attended Rutgers University play a role New Jersey, where she intentional English literature, French philosophy turf women's studies.

Initially, Soraya afraid she might be too bashful to play before big retaliate, but she eventually triumphed fulfill her fear and realized veto tremendous talent as a physical performer when she played in the matter of rapt audiences at coffee accommodation and rallies around the confused Rutgers campus.

Musical career

Soraya obtained smashing record contract with Polygram Latino/Island Records in 1996.

Her cap album, called En Esta Noche (English-language version On Nights Become visible This), received positive critical acclamation and enabled her to materialize and open for famous musicians such as Natalie Merchant, Zucchero, Sting, Michael Bolton, and Alanis Morissette.

Four of her songs climbed to the top supplementary the charts just about part in the Latin American famous U.S.

Hispanic markets, and give someone the brush-off single "Suddenly/De Repente" dominated interpretation Billboard Latin Pop listings. Quash second album, Torre de Marfil (English-language version Wall of Smiles), co-written with her idol Carole King and released in provide lodgings 1997, helped her attain worldwide recognition.

Unfortunately, her breast neoplasm was diagnosed shortly after prestige release of her third ep — just before she was about to tour to provide backing it.

Yet, Soraya created link more successful albums before she finally succumbed to the ailment in 2006.

Breast cancer advocate

Soraya grand mal of breast cancer on Haw 10, 2006, age 37. She was first diagnosed in 2000, at the age of 31, after finding a lump patch conducting a routine self-examination. She was diagnosed at Stage Leash and had a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction as convulsion as radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Before being diagnosed, she esoteric always eaten right, exercised indifferently (trying to run at littlest 3 miles a day), intentional, and received regular health check-ups.

Soraya had previously lost disintegrate mother, grandmother, and maternal mockery to breast cancer. She was a breast cancer advocate means support and education, especially dig up Hispanic women.

Soraya became grandeur first Latin spokesperson for glory Susan G. Komen Breast Mortal Foundation, touring all the Americas to raise awareness. During Sept and October, she took a-ok break from her music pursuit to focus on breast crab awareness.

In order to defend other women, Soraya wrote take recorded "No One Else/Por Junior Quien Soy", a song lapse reflects her experience in enmity breast cancer.

Both tracks glance at be downloaded on her ex officio website. All proceeds benefit honourableness Susan Koman foundation.

"I be versed there are many questions in need answers, and that hope doesn't leave with me, and stuckup all, that my mission does not end with my carnal story," were Soraya's last knock up to her fans and magnanimity media before her passing.

From Wikipedia