Miss YaYa
-------------------------------------------------
The following are a few of the extremely talented individuals Miss YaYa has worked with:
Sergio George (Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Trevi, Tito Puentes, Celia Cruz, etc.)
Jorge Luis Piloto ((Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Trevi, Celia Cruz, etc.)
Mike Ciro (Alicia Keys, Alejandro Sans, Mariah Carey)
New Jersey Devil (The Game, Black Wall Street/ Livelihood)
Dan The Automator (The Gorillaz)
Rsonist (of Heatmakerz, Dip Set)
DJ Ted Smooth (DJ Webstar, Young B, Lumidee)
Baron Lopez (Vico C)
Golden Child (Black Wall Street/ Livelihood)
Elliott Maisonet (arranger/ songwriter/ composer)
Sara Devine (Singer/ Songwriter)
Chris Jackson (Singer/ Songwriter)
Angel Ramirez Jr. (Singer/ Songwriter, Barrio Boyz, Mark Anthony)
Peter Lord (Family Stand, Paula Abdul, Tamia)
Luis Angel Pantojas (Songwriter/ Composer, George Lamond)
and the list is growing.
-------------------------------------------------
Many people only dream of becoming stars, few are just born that way. Miss YaYa is prime example of a resilient, natural born star, who sets her goals high and takes on challenges full speed ahead at whatever cost.
Born Yahaira Antonia Vargas in NYC in the early 80's, she was raised by her mother, a single parent from the Dominican Republic; Yahaira's father is from Puerto Rico. As the youngest of five children, the next youngest being nine years her elder, the age gap caused her to be an introvert who sat in a corner mimicking popular songs of the time and memorizing commercial jingles she heard on the radio.
She began to sing at the age of 5 in school functions as well as writing songs and poems at the age of 10. It was not until the 9th grade when she attended Fiorello H. La Guardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts that she began to receive proper vocal training. From there she improved and honed in on her skills. Yahaira was a member of many choirs including Gospel Chorus and Senior Chorus (Classical).
After high school she accomplished many dreams including receiving her bachelors degree in broadcast journalism from the City College of New York/ CUNY in June of 2006. While in college she starred in her first musical theater performance, taking on the role of Maria in 'West Side Story' in 2003. The rave reviews she received from colleagues and audience members gave her the push and confidence to star in two more musicals: 'Hair' (Jeanie, '04) and 'The Fantistiks' (Luisa, '04).
In 2003 she made her television debut on Univision's American- Idol- like competition, "Gigantes Del Manana," on the channel's famous variety show Sabado Gigante. She was one of 26 contestants who beat out thousands in the nationwide search for the next Latin solo artist. After being told that her voice was angelic yet her overall image and stage performance was not going to cut it in the competition, she was sent home. Although she was eliminated after the first round , it was evident that she has what it takes to make it to the next level of becoming a professional recording artist. Yahaira was determined to improve.
In 2004 she took another chance at a nationwide search for P. Diddy's "Making The Band 3," season 1'. She took the chance of leaving college for a semester against her mothers' wishes to work with one of the most influential moguls of our time. Miss YaYa made it to the final 9 of the 22 girls chosen to live in a house together, and out of the thousands who auditioned. Again her efforts, drive and determination helped her to compete to be in Bad Boys next "international girl group sensation." The experience helped her on how to work harder on dance choreography, improved her vocal skills and presentation. The show aired on MTV March thru May, 2005. The exposure helped her in many ways including being interviewed in the May 2005 issue of 'KING Magazine'.
She classifies her sound as Latin Hip Hop/ R & B in both English and Spanish. As a result of the many genres she grew up to love and listen to Yahaira's work is influenced by true school Hip Hop and R & B, freestyle, soul, gospel, salsa, merengue, bachata, reggae, reggaeton, jazz, neo- soul, rock, alternative, techno and in high school she studied classical music. She is diverse in what she listens to and is open to working with all aspects of music.
Although Miss YaYa has her heart set on touring the world as a recording artist, she has the looks and talent of doing anything and everything in entertainment; from acting on stage to television, to the big screen, to hosting her own show on both television and radio.
At this time Miss YaYa completed her first studio production album with her group DLG, along with original band members James da Barba and Fragancia. The group is signed to La Calle Records/ Univision Music Group and is under the musical direction of award winning arranger Sergio George. The album was released April 15th and debuted at 4 on BillBoard's Tropical Album category. She is excited about being a part of such a successful group who was and will continue to be ahead of its time for albums to come.
As a vocalist, songwriter, dancer and actress, Yahaira is a triple- if not quadruple- threat to look out for very soon.
-------------------------------------------------