Rockell

Rockell stands out as a dance-pop performer rooted in New York whose output revives the Hi-NRG and Miami freestyle styles that dominated the 1980s. Born Rachel Alexandra Mercaldo on Staten Island on March 4, 1977, she attracted notice when a producer overheard her singing along to “Killing Me Softly with His Song” inside a bar. Ewart A. Wilson, Jr. signed her and oversaw the 1996 release of her first single, “I Fell in Love.” One year afterward she scored another success with “In a Dream,” prompting Robbins Entertainment to issue her full-length debut, What Are You Lookin’ At?, in 1998. That collection gathered the earlier tracks plus the duet “Can’t We Try” with freestyle outfit Collage, itself a charting release. Two years on she delivered Instant Pleasure, drawing on production from Hex Hector and Tony Moran. Among its tracks, the club favorite “What U Did 2 Me” became her strongest commercial seller even though it fell just short of the Billboard Hot 100; the set also contained a Garth Brooks cover, “The Dance,” issued separately as a single. Rockell resurfaced in 2005 on her independent imprint with the single “L.O.V.E.” Subsequent 2007 releases included “Playin’ My Love” and a version of “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” after which she joined Joe Zangie and fellow freestyle acts for a U.S. tour. In 2009 she paired with Zangie on “When I Want You Back” and offered her interpretation of Donna Summer’s “On the Radio.” Following a lengthy hiatus she issued the 2012 single “Turn Up the Heat.”