Cynthia

Cynthia, recognized as a dance and freestyle performer, entered the music industry in 1987 after sharing her interest in pursuing a recording career with the rising freestylist Safire. Safire responded by arranging several auditions for her acquaintance. One of these sessions involved producer Mickey Garcia, whose strong reaction prompted him to advise his superior at MicMac Records to assess Cynthia’s abilities. She obtained a five-year contract with the label shortly afterward.

In the years that followed, she delivered two albums. The self-titled debut contained the singles “Change on Me,” “Endless Night,” and “Thief of Hearts,” while Cynthia II produced “Love Me Tonight” and the duet “Dream Boy/Dream Girl” with Johnny O. The year 1995 brought The Remixes, an album presenting updated interpretations of her most familiar material.

Although her tenure at MicMac had been successful, Cynthia elected not to record further albums for the company, preferring instead to explore other musical directions because she anticipated a decline in freestyle’s popularity. By the mid-’90s she temporarily stepped away from music to enroll in school and obtain a nursing degree, yet she eventually resumed performing. Producers Joey Gardner and Tony Moran introduced themselves to her at that point and placed her on the Tommy Boy roster. Her first single for the label, “How I Love Him,” featured a cameo by K7 from the Swing Kids and reflected a turn toward club sounds; it was succeeded by the 12-inch “Like a Star,” which carried remixes from Todd Terry. Rumors circulated that an album titled after the latter track was in progress, but the project never appeared, and little has been heard from her since. In 2001 the twelve-track anthology Cynthia’s Greatest Hits was issued.