Sa-Fire

Safire: She Lives for Being Live

Who is Safire?
She is a recording Artist, songwriter, record producer and an entrepreneur.

Is Safire her real name?
Nope. Her real name is Wilma Cosme. She spelled her stage name Sa-fire until 1996, when she lost the hyphen.

What was her early life like?
After being born in 1967 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, her parents relocated to Spanish Harlem, in New York City, hoping for a better life. That was where she began to focus and work on being a performer. Her multicultural neighborhood influenced her diverse style.

How did her recording career start?
In 1986, after working for a while as a session singer, she auditioned for and landed her first single, “Don’t Break My Heart,” on Cutting Records. She soon co-wrote and released “Let Me Be The One.” The high amount of play these tracks recieved on the radio and in clubs led to major nationwide success.

What happened next?
She contracted with Mercury/Polygram Records for her debut album, “Safire”.

What was the first single on her debut album?
It was, “Boy I’ve Been Told,” a megasuccess written by the likes of music superstar Marc Anthony. Even today it’s considered one of America’s favorite dance/pop songs and is still being requested on radio stations nationwide.

I love “Thinking of You.” Can you tell me about it?
It was the second single coming off the debut album, and was a very personal ballad. She co-wrote it about her uncle and mentor upon his AIDS-related death. With its Spanish version, “El Recuerdo de Ti,” Safire gained worldwide fame, leading her to tour Japan, Europe, the USA, and the Caribbean. It was also used by AIDS awareness groups in their public service ads.

Why didn’t I hear much from her on the radio after that?
Well, her label, Mercury, did not push “Love is on Her Mind” very much, so mainstream listeners did not hear it much. However, her freestyle fans adored it as much as her other releases. She was also a victim of bad timing – Safire’s second album, I Wasn’t Born Yesterday, came out in 1990 at the same time that Freestyle’s popularity was decreasing, being replaced by dance-pop and house music. Those changes caused Safire to take a break until 1996, when she signed on to Sony records and Sa-fire became Safire. Her album was definitely Latin dance music, a mix of salsa and hip-hop.

Did I hear her on “On the Edge”?
Yes indeed. On that classic by the Latin Rascals, you can hear her saying “Ooh” and “C’mon,” and moaning and making other noises that would become known as the “Safire sound.”

What makes her happiest?
Safire loves to energetically perform in front of live audience, reaching out to her adorning fans.

Where else have I seen and heard her?
Possibly on SPIN magazine, for which she was the first Latina to appear on the cover. She also sang “I Will Survive” on the soundtrack of “She-Devil,” the movie costarring Roseanne and Meryl Streep.

What has she been doing to keep busy these days?
A lot! Today she’s still working on her craft, re-creating herself in new exciting projects. In 2007 she released more singles, a dance album, and a Latin/rock album. She formed two publishing companies, Cosme Music and East Harlem Shuffle, and writes for other artists. She’s still recording jingles and performs throughout the US and in the Caribbean Islands.

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