Aneeka
Birth nameAndrea Martínez
Born (1985-08-18) August 18, 1985 (age 38)
OriginSan Cristóbal, Venezuela
GenresPop, R&B
Occupation(s)Singer
Websiteaneekamusic.com

Aneeka (born Andrea Martínez; August 18, 1985) is a Venezuelan singer born in San Cristóbal.[1] Her name means believe in Wayuu.[1]

Career

Aneeka sought opportunities to record an album in Venezuela but was unsuccessful. She found willing investors in Mexico and after working in different music clubs for seven years,[1] she recorded an album that was never released. She released her first album Ni Antes, Ni Después (Not Before, Nor After), produced by Ettore Grenci, in 2013. It consists of a mix of Pop, R&B and funk music.[1][2] Ni Antes, Ni Después included ten songs written by Mexican Latin Grammy Award winner Mónica Vélez, whose lyrics deal with topics such as jealousy, infidelity, revenge, sex, and solidarity.[3][4] The album was pre-produced in Mexico, with melodies by Anneka and her producer Grenci. It was recorded at the Sonic Ranch studio in El Paso, Texas.[5] Reflecting on the album, Aneeka declared: "Today I see my dream crystallized and it was worth the sacrifice of being away from my family and having lived through my teens quickly. This is what I was born to do".[4] Anneka has stated that her musical influences include the American singers Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Aretha Franklin. She remarked that she attempted to include their musical styles on the album, blending them with pop music.[5]

Three singles were released from Ni Antes, Ni Después: "Ojo por Ojo"; "Sin Combustible"; and "Demasiado Tarde". The music video for "Ojo Por Ojo" was directed by the photographer and fashion designer Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri.[1] "Sin Combustible" was successful in Mexico as the fourteenth best performing single of 2013, reaching number two in the airplay charts. In the United States, the track peaked at number 24 in the Billboard Tropical Songs chart.[6][7] Aneeka was nominated for Best New Artist and performed at the Latin Grammy Awards of 2014. She lost to fellow Venezuelan singer Mariana Vega.[2][8] Aneeka received a nomination for the Lo Nuestro Awards for New Artist of the Year.[9]

In December 2014, it was announced that Aneeka would join the vocal coach Gary Catona's team in the reality show The Ultimate Diva, a singing competition to be broadcast on the video-sharing website YouTube in 2015.[10]

Discography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Aneeka lanza hoy su primer video". Periódico AM (in Spanish). Compañía Periodística Meridiano. May 2, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Aguila, Justino (November 17, 2014). "Latin Grammys 2014: Meet the Best New Artist Nominees". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  3. ^ "2010 Latin Grammy Awards winners". Los Angeles Times. November 11, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Busca Aneeka tener más impacto en América Latina con su música". Yahoo! News (in Spanish). Yahoo!. August 9, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2015.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ a b Vera, Hernán (November 11, 2014). "Aneeka, una nueva voz venezolana al mundo". El Nuevo Herald (in Spanish). The McClatchy Company. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  6. ^ "Estrena Aneeka su tercer sencillo "Demasiado tarde"". Yahoo! News (in Spanish). Yahoo!. January 20, 2014. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  7. ^ "Aneeka - Chart History". Billboard. 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  8. ^ Cobo, Leila (November 26, 2014). "Latin Grammys Deliver Big Ratings, But Few Music Sales". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  9. ^ "Enrique Iglesias and Romeo Santos Lead Nominations for 2015 "Premio Lo Nuestro a La Musica Latina"". Univision. Univision Communications. December 2, 2014. Archived from the original (Press release) on January 20, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  10. ^ "Aneeka participará en el "reality show" "The ultimate diva"". El Porvenir (in Spanish). Editorial El Porvenir. December 16, 2014. Archived from the original on January 29, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
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