Lisa Lisa (born Lisa Velez)

Born as Lisa Velez on January 15, 1967, in New York City's gritty neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen, she would later become better known in the world of music as Lisa Lisa. She was the youngest of ten children in a Puerto Rican household where she learned to speak Spanish at home and English at school. Raised by a religious mother earning by babysitting while the father was largely absent, Velez had a humble upbringing.

An A student in Manhattan International High School, Lisa Lisa was also a part of a traveling singing group that performed Motown hits and songs from old Broadway musicals. She stood out in her school choir, sang at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and held a job at Benetton while making her start in the music industry.

Her break into the music scene came when she successfully auditioned for the Brooklyn production team Full Force and formed Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with drummer Mike Hughes and Alex "Spanador" Moseley. In 1985, they released their debut single, "I Wonder If I Take You Home." The group was quickly signed by Columbia Records, and the single climbed into the top ten on the US R&B charts. They went on to produce a number of hit songs throughout the '80s.

Despite experiencing a decline in their popularity by the end of the '80s, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam still had a hit with "Let the Beat Hit 'Em" from their album Straight Outta Hell's Kitchen. The group disbanded in 1991, leading Lisa Lisa to pursue solo singing and acting careers. She released the solo album LL77 in 1994, which included the moderate club hit "When I Fell in Love" and the single "Skip to My Lu," which hit No. 38 on the R&B chart.

In the 2000s, Lisa Lisa took on acting roles, like playing the title character's mother in the Nickelodeon series Taina. Additionally, she released Life 'n Love, a full-length album of new material on Mass Appeal Entertainment, featuring the single "Can't Wait" with guest rapper Pitbull in 2009. Lisa Lisa continues to make music and perform, and has even appeared at the eighth annual Forever Freestyle showcase at the Lehman College Center.