My brother, Mario, is in show business and so are all my cousins on my dad’s side. We come from a family of musicians. My grandmother’s sister in Puerto Rico plays five instruments.
The music industry had virtually blacklisted me.
We have a tendency in this country that when we say Black it automatically means Black Americans. But that’s a big mistake, and that keeps us divided. There are Blacks all over this entire world-even in Africa.
I’ve had my bubblegum years and I did them well. Now it’s time to come back as the woman, artist, and musician that I am without apologizing.
I have a pleasant voice, but I have no great range. I will say that I know how to make a song come alive and I guess I do have a sincerity that comes across. But I do alot of things better than sing.
I haven’t had a vacation in years. I’d really like to sneak off and just run around on a beach for a while.
I liked performing, but not the struggle.
I don’t mean to sound immodest, but I never had any doubt that I’d be successful, nor any fear of success. I was raised as a little goddess who was told she would be a star.
I’ll be gray by the time I’m 30, but I like my hair. It looks shiny. I like the way it looks when those highlights are picked up on camera.
I’ll never be that trusting again, believing accountants and lawyers have my best interests at heart.
That first apartment was a big step. It has a lot to do with being independent.
The situation is not good with the record companies. It’s just not working out, so I don’t plan to record until it’s straightened out. In the meantime I’m happy doing my movies and writing the music for the theme songs, whether I sing them or not.
This has been a long and tiring battle for 10 years. And I’m glad it’s finally resolved. My principles and reputation as a creative artist were involved here-it wasn’t just about the royalties. I can now look foward to getting on with my career.
When I act, I act. When I sing, I sing. I don’t put one over the other. Entertaining is what I do best.
Cara is not my real name, and I’m not going to tell you what it is. Only because I do live in New York and enough people already know who my parents are.
Here I found myself in my early 20s, at the height of my career, up against something I was totally powerless against. I had enemies I had never heard of because of this. I certainly didn’t have needles hanging out of my arms, nor did I smoke anything.
I am very intense. I can’t help it. That’s the way I am. You can’t be in this business without being intense. The pressure and tension get to you; it can’t help but show on you.
I didn’t have to go to school, graduate and then go, What am I going to do? I knew from the beginning.
I had been performing since I was 5, so it wasn’t like I hadn’t been on a stage before. I was always older than my age. That’s my nature. I’ve always been a kind of mature kid.
I’m a woman with a mission. I’ve learned to believe in myself, my vision and to do things the way I want them done.
All of a sudden, I was hearing stories about how difficult I was to work with, ridiculous rumors about drugs and what a diva I was. I never had to go to rehab or a program.