Miriam Cruz

Miriam Cruz, a singer of merengue and performer in film from the Dominican Republic, first rose to prominence as lead vocalist for Las Chicas del Can across the 1980s and into the early 1990s. She issued her debut solo album, the major success Nueva Vida, in 1993. Born Miriam Aracelis Cruz Ramírez in Santo Domingo on August 17, 1968, she belonged to the group between 1982 and 1992. Wilfrido Vargas, the renowned Dominican singer, songwriter, trumpeter, and producer, had established the teenage merengue girl group, which originally showcased Belkis Concepción in the lead role. Following Concepción’s departure for a solo path, Cruz assumed lead vocals on the ensemble’s second release, Chicán, in 1985. For the rest of the decade the act put out one album annually and collected a string of international hit singles. The last project featuring Cruz was Nada Común in 1991. Her solo bow, Nueva Vida, appeared under the billing Miriam y las Chicas and proved enormously popular, yielding the hit singles “Tómalo Tú,” “La Loba,” and “Te Propongo,” the last of which Juan Luis Guerra penned for her while at the peak of his fame. Another major single, “Agua de Sal,” followed in 1994. She stepped away from recording during the mid- and late 1990s to build a career as a respected actress. Several years elapsed before she issued her next album, Punto y Aparte, on Sony Music in 2001; it underperformed commercially compared with her earlier work. Her third album, Aquí Estoy, arrived in 2006 and achieved only modest results. She subsequently returned to acting. Beginning in 2011 she resumed her recording career with the singles “Es Cosa de Él,” “Es Necesario,” and “La Carnada.”