Freestyle Dance Party

India

India: “Latin Madonna?”

Who is India?
India, called La India by her Salsa fans who call her the queen of that genre, was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico on March 9 ,1970 as Linda Viera Caballero. She has been nominated for both Grammy and Latin Grammy awards.

Why did she choose the name “India”?
Her friends called her that because her dark features and long straight black hair that were evidence of her Taino Indian heritage.

How did India first get involved in music?
When she moved with her parents to the South Bronx area of New York City, they moved in with her grandmother, whom she emulated and was a big influence in building her self-confidence and strong will. She was elementary school classmates with Louie Vega, who introduced her to the urban street music scene where she learned to appreciate hip-hop style.

Cool. How did she break into the business?
In 1985, at only 14 years old, she started to sing backup for TKA, a Latin Freestyle group, and her image is on the cover of their second single, “Come Get My Love.” Her mentor was John “Jellybean” Benitez (who discovered and worked with Madonna). She remade his “Dancing on the Fire,” making it into an even bigger smash hit. She also sang on his club hit “Mirage.” At the same time, she made additional money modeling part-time.

What happened next?
The Madonna connection continued when she found out the Reprise Records, the material girl’s label, intended her to be the Latin version of Madonna. While she did make for them the album Breaking Night, she decided that she had different goals from that of Reprise. In 1990 she married her old schoolmate Louie Vega. The marriage lasted only a few years, but they continue to maintain a professional relationship.

How did they work together? Can you give an example?
Well, Louie Vega teamed up with DJ/producer Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez, as Masters at Work, and that pair worked with India on the classic house anthem “I Can’t Get No Sleep,” which was followed by “When You Touch Me.” but was not as successful as its precursor.

What did she do once Freestyle music lost its mainstream popularity?
Like many other artists, India shifted to Salsa music. She added “La” to her stage name. She has had a huge career in Latin music, collaborating with artists like Marc Anthony, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and Gloria Estefan. She won Grammy and Latin Grammy awards. She patched things up with her family members from which she had been estranged.

What does the future hold for La India?
She said that she’s working on reinventing herself (another Madonna comparison) changing her appearance and body to become more like Barbie. She will continue her charity work, fighting against AIDS and for children’s causes.

Tags: India