Two time Grammy award winner, Rebecca Valadez visits with Sonny, sharing her inspiring journey to musical stardom beyond her wildest dreams. All along the way, Rebecca has managed to give back through her Network for Young Artists. Listen and find out..
-How she landed an international TV commercial at age 14
-Her chance meeting with a hair stylist who suggested an audition that would change her life
-How she has dealt with an anxiety disorder all her life, especially when she was chosen to play Selena onstage
-How she landed the job as backup singer for Janet Jackson by auditioning on the phone!
-Her 2 year old daughter Mia steals the show in the middle of our interview!
Rebecca’s Links:
Official Site: https://RebeccaValadez.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.valadez.925
Twitter: https://twitter.com/valadez_rebecca
Network for Young Artists: https://www.networkforyoungartists.org/
About Rebecca
Back in the early 90’s Rebecca started her professional career as a actress/vocalist when she landed the first ever commercial that she auditioned for. An international McDonalds spot. But as a latin american, Rebecca was all too often asked to audition for spanish speaking roles and unfortunately, Rebecca did not speak spanish. So instead she concentrated on music. She recorded a few dance songs that made it on to the airwaves but didn’t see national recognition. In between touring and school Rebecca stumbled into the chair of a famous hair stylist and through her Rebecca landed an audition with the hugely popular Tejano band called Mazz.
She recorded Vuelve Conmigo’s intro ad-lib at the tender age of 14 and the rest was history. Well… until Rebecca hired and fired a few managers and decided to try her luck in sunny California.
She landed meetings with the heads of a few labels and ended up signing a letter of intent with Sony Music in New York but was shelved. But when God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window, and Rebecca managed to land an audition to tour as a back up vocalist with Janet Jackson.
The year was long and being away from her family proved more than Rebecca (who suffered from social anxiety disorder) could handle and she came home to further her education. But as fate would have it; another auditioned brought her back to LA and Rebecca ended up working with Sheila E and Peter Mike Escovedo on multiple television projects including the Alma Awards, the Wayne Brady Hour, and a hand full of celebrity talent competitions.
Back in Texas, a song that Rebecca co-wrote was being heard by Jimmy Gonzalez. Jimmy claimed he was inspired to write a cumbia version of the song and NO QUIERO ESTAR YO SIN TU AMOR was born. The single climbed to the top of the national Tejano charts and brought Rebecca back to her home town of San Antonio to follow the successful single with an album.
That self titled album went on to earn her a Grammy nomination. (Rebecca had already won two Grammy’s as a member of Jimmy Gonzalez and Grupo Mazz). Rebecca followed that album with her sophomore release Sinceramente. But Tejano music wasn’t what it once was, and Rebecca went back into Television, earning credits as a vocal producer on such shows like HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL GET IN THE PICTURE.
Rebecca managed to make her way back home once in a while and worked on and off for the Network for Young Artists, she stared in the musical Selena Forever, and worked on so many albums in spanish and english as a producer and back up vocalist. She even managed to co star in a Mariachi project her mother produced. Scattered between all of this Rebecca performed on and off with multiple cover groups like Bruce Soto’s “Soto” Band and traveled to soooooo many places, including Iraq and South Korea and even Macau China to name a few.
Rebecca is home now and is a mother of three gorgeous little girls and is married to the man of her dreams; Mr. Darwin Grande. And she says that of all the things she has accomplished; she is still more amazed at the family she managed to create.
You really can have it all, if you realize what you’ve got when you’ve got it!
