Hi there, Miss Marisol here, back from La Coruña, Spain. I´m very glad Miss Lopez is coming to La Coruña on July 5th for a whole month. Cool! Bienvenida Miss Lopez, my friend! 🙂
Happy to be back to blogging, specially with such a great story! I want to tell you about my friend, Latina Hip Hop and Recording Artist Maria Isa, same name as Miss Lopez (Maria Isabel as well). I have known Maria Isa since she was a little girl. I am very fond of her and her parents without whom my life in Minnesota would have been a lot different. You know I lived in Minnesota, USA for many years.
Maria Isa has signed to play the roll of Angie (sister of the main character) and score the music for the upcoming movie Strike One .
Maria Isa (Angie Gerardo/Songwriter for the Movie) Born and raised in the Twin Cities to Nuyorican parents, singer/songwriter/emcee and renowned Hip-Hop artist, Maria Isa learned at an early age the traditional Puerto Rican rhythms of Bomba and Plena. At the age of 14, she realized that she could fuse her love for Hip-Hop and R&B with her Latin roots. She recalls, “It made me feel at home! My family didn’t just listen to one style of music. Now, through combining all of the musical elements that I love, and weaving in stories of the past, I invite everyone to push the boundaries, honoring and uniting all cultures.”
Beginning her arts education at El Arco Iris Center for the Arts in 1992, Maria Isa quickly progressed from the role of student to the role of singer, songwriter, emcee and performer, cranking out several hits and playing to a sold-out historic First Avenue Nightclub in Minneapolis for her now-historic CD release, “Street Politics.” She has been featured on the cover of Twin Cities Metro and other major magazines.
She was nominated for a Minnesota Music “Best Hip-Hop Artist” Award, and was recognized as a 2010 Rising Star by the National Hispaña Leadership Institute for her outstanding work with Youthrive on behalf of incarcerated youth throughout the Twin Cities. She has also been honored for her involvement with Peace Jam on behalf of Nobel Peace Prize laureates. She recently received the Best Urban Artist award from Univision 13, a Certificate of Appreciation from the Governor of Minnesota for her outstanding songwriting and contributions to the Latino Community, and a David Laffyette Award for her dedication towards the peace movement through the arts.
She has appeared on the International Bazaar stage at the Minnesota State Fair, as Mimi in the musical “Rent”at the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre and at New York’s BMI Latin Alternative Music Conference showcase. Her music has reached audiences around the world, including Asia and the United Kingdom, Latin America, the United States and Puerto Rico. She has performed alongside and shared the stage with International acts such as Slick Rick, to name a few. Maria Isa is a True Latina who is definitely going to “make it big”. It gives me great pleasure to tell you her story. With this, I leave you all until next time.
Feelgood Womanhood! OLE FOR THE LATIN WOMEN POWER & TALENT!!! VIVA MISS LOPEZ´S BLOG 🙂