Biography
Lisa Lisa, born Lisa Velez in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen section, first sang in church choirs and later nurtured ambitions of a recording career while employed at a clothing store. Inspired by Madonna’s discovery by DJ and producer Jellybean at the Funhouse, she slipped out after dark in hopes of the same break. At that storied club she met drummer and keyboardist Mike Hughes, a Brooklyn native who performed with Full Force and served as a roadie; he invited her to audition at the crew’s East Flatbush headquarters. There she performed songs Hughes had written plus Sheena Easton’s “For Your Eyes Only,” and Full Force selected her—not as a vocal powerhouse, but as a singer everyday teenagers could emulate—having decided to assemble a modern Supremes-style trio akin to New Edition.
Management and production duties were entrusted to Full Force, who christened her Lisa Lisa while naming Hughes and guitarist-bassist Alex Mosely (aka Spanador, an original Living Colour member) as Cult Jam. Their trademark rhythm, drawing from Al Jackson, Jr.’s work on Otis Redding and Carla Thomas’s “Tramp” and the electro pulse of Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock,” yielded the debut single “I Wonder if I Take You Home.” Issued locally on Personal Records and leased abroad to CBS for the Break Dancing compilation, the track gained U.S. club play via import before a domestic 12-inch release; it reached number one on Billboard’s club chart in April 1985, climbed to number five R&B and number 34 pop, and became the first of five gold singles the partnership achieved. The ensuing platinum-certified album Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force followed, after which “Can You Feel the Beat” scored another Top Ten club hit and “All Cried Out” reached number eight pop and number three R&B while earning gold status.
The trio next collaborated on Full Force’s self-titled album before returning with Spanish Fly, whose opening singles “Head to Toe” and “Lost in Emotion” both topped the pop and R&B charts in 1987. Lisa co-wrote the subsequent Top Ten R&B ballad “Someone to Love Me for Me,” while the tougher “Everything Will B-Fine” also reached that tier; the set peaked at number seven on both charts and went platinum. Between albums they placed “Go for Yours” on the Caddyshack II soundtrack and landed a seventh Top 20 R&B entry. Still allied with Full Force, they issued Straight to the Sky in 1989, highlighted by the cautionary “Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star,” their fifth Top 40 pop single, and the freestyle-house fusion “Just Git It Together,” which became their fifth Top Ten club track.
For 1991’s Straight Outta Hell’s Kitchen the group divided production duties, assigning side one to Robert Clivillés and David Cole of C+C Music Factory and side two to Full Force. The Clivillés-Cole single “Let the Beat Hit ’Em” topped the R&B and club charts (number 37 pop) and went gold that summer, while the Full Force follow-up “Where Were You When I Needed You” reached number 65 R&B; a cover of the Isley Brothers’ “Sensuality” further displayed Lisa’s maturing voice. After four albums the partnership dissolved. Lisa made her solo bow on the Elektra-distributed Pendulum imprint with LL 77, enlisting Giovanni Salah, Junior Vazquez, Nona Hendryx, Jill Jones, and Guru. The 1993 single “Skip to My Lu” climbed to number 38 R&B, and the album mixed hip-hop soul, acid jazz, and house with occasional rock edges. She maintained a performance schedule, took a recurring role on the sitcom Taina, and guest-starred on Law & Order.
In 2009 she released the eclectic Life ’n Love via Mass Appeal, which revisited her history while exploring her heritage. The track “Rock into Your Soul,” reuniting her with Tony Moran (whose Latin Rascals work with Albert Cabrera had sampled her on the 1985 single “Lisa’s Coming”), first appeared on Moran’s The Event; the set also contained the flamenco-tinged bilingual dance cut “Que Locura” alongside mature pop and sophisticated contemporary R&B. Over the ensuing decade and a half she toured steadily and issued independent singles including “Rain,” “No Lloraré Mas,” and a 2024 update of “All Cried Out,” the latter two celebrating her Nuyorican salsa roots and coinciding with her role as madrina of the 67th annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade in her native Manhattan.
Management and production duties were entrusted to Full Force, who christened her Lisa Lisa while naming Hughes and guitarist-bassist Alex Mosely (aka Spanador, an original Living Colour member) as Cult Jam. Their trademark rhythm, drawing from Al Jackson, Jr.’s work on Otis Redding and Carla Thomas’s “Tramp” and the electro pulse of Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock,” yielded the debut single “I Wonder if I Take You Home.” Issued locally on Personal Records and leased abroad to CBS for the Break Dancing compilation, the track gained U.S. club play via import before a domestic 12-inch release; it reached number one on Billboard’s club chart in April 1985, climbed to number five R&B and number 34 pop, and became the first of five gold singles the partnership achieved. The ensuing platinum-certified album Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force followed, after which “Can You Feel the Beat” scored another Top Ten club hit and “All Cried Out” reached number eight pop and number three R&B while earning gold status.
The trio next collaborated on Full Force’s self-titled album before returning with Spanish Fly, whose opening singles “Head to Toe” and “Lost in Emotion” both topped the pop and R&B charts in 1987. Lisa co-wrote the subsequent Top Ten R&B ballad “Someone to Love Me for Me,” while the tougher “Everything Will B-Fine” also reached that tier; the set peaked at number seven on both charts and went platinum. Between albums they placed “Go for Yours” on the Caddyshack II soundtrack and landed a seventh Top 20 R&B entry. Still allied with Full Force, they issued Straight to the Sky in 1989, highlighted by the cautionary “Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star,” their fifth Top 40 pop single, and the freestyle-house fusion “Just Git It Together,” which became their fifth Top Ten club track.
For 1991’s Straight Outta Hell’s Kitchen the group divided production duties, assigning side one to Robert Clivillés and David Cole of C+C Music Factory and side two to Full Force. The Clivillés-Cole single “Let the Beat Hit ’Em” topped the R&B and club charts (number 37 pop) and went gold that summer, while the Full Force follow-up “Where Were You When I Needed You” reached number 65 R&B; a cover of the Isley Brothers’ “Sensuality” further displayed Lisa’s maturing voice. After four albums the partnership dissolved. Lisa made her solo bow on the Elektra-distributed Pendulum imprint with LL 77, enlisting Giovanni Salah, Junior Vazquez, Nona Hendryx, Jill Jones, and Guru. The 1993 single “Skip to My Lu” climbed to number 38 R&B, and the album mixed hip-hop soul, acid jazz, and house with occasional rock edges. She maintained a performance schedule, took a recurring role on the sitcom Taina, and guest-starred on Law & Order.
In 2009 she released the eclectic Life ’n Love via Mass Appeal, which revisited her history while exploring her heritage. The track “Rock into Your Soul,” reuniting her with Tony Moran (whose Latin Rascals work with Albert Cabrera had sampled her on the 1985 single “Lisa’s Coming”), first appeared on Moran’s The Event; the set also contained the flamenco-tinged bilingual dance cut “Que Locura” alongside mature pop and sophisticated contemporary R&B. Over the ensuing decade and a half she toured steadily and issued independent singles including “Rain,” “No Lloraré Mas,” and a 2024 update of “All Cried Out,” the latter two celebrating her Nuyorican salsa roots and coinciding with her role as madrina of the 67th annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade in her native Manhattan.
Albums
Singles
