Download Free Jaci Velasquez * Songs

Jaci Velasquez music biography continued...

with her parents, who were singers, evangelists and pastors. It was while on the road that she was discovered by a representative of Myrrh Records. Velasquez released her first album Heavenly Place in 1996 and five of the songs on that CD became #1 hits. In 1998, she signed to Sony Latin and was introduced to Rudy Perez, who produced her first 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. In 2001, she released her second Spanish effort: Mi Corazón. The album's lead single, "Como Se Cura Una Herida," topped the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks, and became one of the biggest singles of the year, receiving multiple award nominations and wins, and propelled the album to a Grammy Award nomination for Best Latin Pop Album. In 2003, Velasquez released another English language album—Unspoken—which featured a pop sound, but was Christian-themed. The album also employed songwriters outside of the CCM circle (including Senator Orrin Hatch, who co-wrote the title song), featured big-name producers (Emilio Estefan), and marked Velasquez's debut as a songwriter. In 2005, her movement away from pop accelerated with the Christian alternative rock album, Beauty His Grace, which cemented Velasquez's popularity with a more mature audience.



To date, Velazquez's Latin music success includes four Spanish-language releases, three #1 Latin Billboard Singles, two Platinum albums, a Premio Lo Nuestro Award for New Artist of the Year, two Billboard Latin Music Awards, and three Dove Awards for Spanish Language Album of the Year. She has released six English-language albums, two of which were certified gold. Velasquez has also produced sixteen #1 Christian radio hits and six other top-10 singles. She has won seven Dove awards, including New Artist of the Year and two Female Vocalist of the Year wins. Her 13th studio album, Love Out Loud, was released in March 2008, signifying another accomplishment in a storied career.