Jeannie Ortega

Teenage vocalist Jeannie Ortega characterizes her sound as “hip-pop,” merging direct chart-oriented pop akin to that of Christina Aguilera or Natasha Bedingfield with infusions of hip-hop, reggaeton, and Latin elements. Born Jeannette Ortega on November 19, 1986, in Brooklyn’s demanding Bushwick neighborhood, she committed herself to entertainment from childhood, performing on the streets by the millennium’s arrival as one half of the youthful song-and-dance pair Sugar and Spice. During her enrollment at the Brooklyn High School of the Performing Arts, her debut single “Got What It Takes” landed on the soundtrack for Nick Cannon’s 2003 teen romantic comedy Love Don't Cost a Thing. Hollywood Records, the Disney imprint behind that soundtrack, signed her and kept her active for several years on the tween-pop Radio Disney circuit of interviews, mall performances, and similar promotions while she cut her first album, No Place Like Brooklyn, alongside multiple producers. Her follow-up single “It’s Our Time,” which included contributions from Gemstar, N.O.R.E., and Big Mato, appeared in 2005; it was succeeded in spring 2006 by her initial chart entry “Crowded,” a collaboration with Papoose. No Place Like Brooklyn reached stores that August alongside its third single, the kiss-off ballad “So Done.” Concurrent with her emerging music path, the versatile Ortega launched an acting career with a supporting role in the 2006 teen romantic drama Step Up.