Biography
Andre Veloz, born in the Dominican Republic and now based in the Bronx, works as a bachatera, songwriter, pianist, painter, actor, and educator for children with special needs. She embodies the shift of bachata away from its early reputation, since recordings began in 1962, as a genre long dominated by men and tied to perceptions of “low culture” and “bad morals.” During one interview she remarked, “My country has a thing of wanting to whitewash our African past and the same with bachata. We want to whitewash our taste in music and not admit how much we enjoy it because it comes from the lowest rungs of society.” Within the style’s modern era the most prominent women include Leslie Grace, Jessy Rose, and Alexandra Cabrera of Monchy y Alexandra, while Melinda Rodriguez and Aridia Ventura rank among the storied voices whose careers covered the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s; beyond those names, few women have registered even modest commercial traction.
Known as “La Fosforera” (“happy woman”), Veloz operates as an early feminist whose songs forthrightly—some would call it combatively—celebrate women while delivering pointed political and social commentary on machismo and sexism, alongside frank expressions of female longing and self-assertion. She has carried bachata melodies with her, at least privately, from childhood onward. Following the 2014 release of her first EP, Cabare Bachata, and the singles that came after, she emerged as a major presence in Latin music, drawing hundreds of thousands of followers across social platforms, dance floors, festival stages, and streaming playlists and videos.
Although born in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Veloz grew up in Santiago, the historic center of bachata within the Dominican region known as El Cibao. At the time, and arguably still today, strong social disapproval surrounded women performing the genre in the Dominican Republic. One afternoon during her pre-teen years a popular bachata track aired while she sang along in her backyard; a visitor acquainted with her mother overheard and approached to declare that “little girls don’t sing that music.” Despite that discouragement and the lingering pull of artists such as Juan Luis Guerra, she kept her affinity hidden for a period. Her primary inspirations remain Celia Cruz, Ella Fitzgerald, and Chicas del Can.
At age fourteen she began regular performances with the experimental garage Rock en Español group Horizontes Verticales, which she formed alongside her closest friend. Three years later she turned professional, appearing at jazz festivals and world-music venues throughout the Dominican Republic, recording commercial jingles, and briefly anchoring television news. Her sets at that stage spanned far beyond Dominican repertoire. As recognition grew she collaborated with leading Dominican musicians including Xiomara Fortuna, Sandy Gabriel, Patricia Pereyra, Felle Vega, and Rafael Mirabal.
At twenty-one Veloz relocated to New York, where the adjustment proved harsh; she enrolled at university, taught during the day, and cleaned homes as a second job. Evenings found her performing jazz, boleros, salsa, and merengues in clubs until nostalgia for home and her longstanding attachment to bachata prompted her first steps toward recording in that style. A 2013 video of her interpreting “Si la Ves Bachata” caught the attention of Iaso Records, which offered her a contract. The following year she issued the digital EP Cabare Bachata, a project that resonated with both reviewers and club DJs in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. In 2015 she joined guitarist Joan Soriano on his album Mi Decidi and scored successes with the singles “Bachata Llanto a La Luna” and “Veneno.” She next contributed “El Menor” to the 2017 TMP Records compilation Los Trovadores Vol. 2 and released the single “Eta Que Ta Aquí,” which received substantial airplay in both the United States and the Dominican Republic. Three further singles in 2018, among them “El Blues del Esclavo” and “Ay Lero Lero,” spread widely across global playlists. Veloz continues her work with Soriano while completing her debut full-length album.
Known as “La Fosforera” (“happy woman”), Veloz operates as an early feminist whose songs forthrightly—some would call it combatively—celebrate women while delivering pointed political and social commentary on machismo and sexism, alongside frank expressions of female longing and self-assertion. She has carried bachata melodies with her, at least privately, from childhood onward. Following the 2014 release of her first EP, Cabare Bachata, and the singles that came after, she emerged as a major presence in Latin music, drawing hundreds of thousands of followers across social platforms, dance floors, festival stages, and streaming playlists and videos.
Although born in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Veloz grew up in Santiago, the historic center of bachata within the Dominican region known as El Cibao. At the time, and arguably still today, strong social disapproval surrounded women performing the genre in the Dominican Republic. One afternoon during her pre-teen years a popular bachata track aired while she sang along in her backyard; a visitor acquainted with her mother overheard and approached to declare that “little girls don’t sing that music.” Despite that discouragement and the lingering pull of artists such as Juan Luis Guerra, she kept her affinity hidden for a period. Her primary inspirations remain Celia Cruz, Ella Fitzgerald, and Chicas del Can.
At age fourteen she began regular performances with the experimental garage Rock en Español group Horizontes Verticales, which she formed alongside her closest friend. Three years later she turned professional, appearing at jazz festivals and world-music venues throughout the Dominican Republic, recording commercial jingles, and briefly anchoring television news. Her sets at that stage spanned far beyond Dominican repertoire. As recognition grew she collaborated with leading Dominican musicians including Xiomara Fortuna, Sandy Gabriel, Patricia Pereyra, Felle Vega, and Rafael Mirabal.
At twenty-one Veloz relocated to New York, where the adjustment proved harsh; she enrolled at university, taught during the day, and cleaned homes as a second job. Evenings found her performing jazz, boleros, salsa, and merengues in clubs until nostalgia for home and her longstanding attachment to bachata prompted her first steps toward recording in that style. A 2013 video of her interpreting “Si la Ves Bachata” caught the attention of Iaso Records, which offered her a contract. The following year she issued the digital EP Cabare Bachata, a project that resonated with both reviewers and club DJs in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. In 2015 she joined guitarist Joan Soriano on his album Mi Decidi and scored successes with the singles “Bachata Llanto a La Luna” and “Veneno.” She next contributed “El Menor” to the 2017 TMP Records compilation Los Trovadores Vol. 2 and released the single “Eta Que Ta Aquí,” which received substantial airplay in both the United States and the Dominican Republic. Three further singles in 2018, among them “El Blues del Esclavo” and “Ay Lero Lero,” spread widely across global playlists. Veloz continues her work with Soriano while completing her debut full-length album.
Albums
Singles
