Melissa Otero

Melissa Otero

Otero at her My Spirit album release party in New York City January 2009.
Background information
Birth name Melissa Otero Cintrón
Born (1980-10-11) October 11, 1980
Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States
Origin Yauco, Puerto Rico, USA
Genres Pop, soft rock
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter[1]
Instruments vocals, piano
Years active 1994—present
Labels Divine Spell Music Group (2002-Present)
Website www.melissaotero.com

Melissa Otero Cintrón (born October 11, 1980) is an independent Puerto Rican pop/rock singer, songwriter and entrepreneur. Otero made her debut under her own label Divine Spell Music Group in 2008.

Otero has released one album and one EP to date. Her single "My First Everything" was released in 2006 and had national airplay on indie radio stations marking the beginning of her professional career as an artist. It reached #1 for two consecutive weeks on the Hot97.net Online Radio. Her debut album My Spirit[2] was released on Christmas Day of 2008 and has sold over 500 digital copies most of which were from fans in Colombia and New York City.

Otero recently wrapped up her Free Spirit Tour[3] which included performances in New York, Puerto Rico and throughout the Fox Valley of the State of Wisconsin during the summer of 2009.

As of 2011, in addition to her touring, Otero has begun working on her second album with Secret Sounds, CEO/producer Stefan Moessle and producer Jimmy Deer (Seal, India.Arie, Danica).

Early life

Melissa Otero Cintrón was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and grew up in the countryside of Yauco, Puerto Rico in the Diego Hernández neighborhood. She is the fourth child of Luis Otero, a retired mechanic, and Nellie Cintrón. When Otero was five years old, her family settled in Yauco where her parents bought a piece of land and decided to build their dream home.

After the house was complete, her father joined the National Guard and was sent to the mainland to begin boot camp while her mother struggled between work, school, and four kids. At the age of 9, Otero saw the Gloria Estefan Let It Loose Homecoming Concert. She remarked to her mother: “When I grow up, I want to do that!” and soon after, Otero’s dream of professionally pursuing music began.

As a child, Otero would create her own “home concerts” imitating Gloria Estefan and others. She struggled finding venues at which to perform live due to her choice to perform in English while she was, at the time, living in a Spanish-speaking country. She performed at many local talent shows. On several occasions she won second place to later be told by the judges that she had not been awarded first place because of her choice to perform in English.

By the time Otero was close to 14, her mother decided to help her create a professional demo. A local recording studio called The Time Machine, run by Ivan Nazario, a well-respected producer in Puerto Rico, was opening in town and her mother immediately contacted them to inquire about pricing. She became their first customer but was unable to record there because the studio was not finished. They set out to San Juan, Puerto Rico and recorded at the Horizon Studios to record the covers “The Rose” by Bette Midler and “You Mean The World To Me” by Toni Braxton.

Once In A Lifetime Concert 1998

During her final months in high school, Otero and her mother began working on her first concert ever in which she titled Once In A Lifetime.[4] By 1995, American music became very popular and performing in English was not that much of a struggle anymore. The concert had many local businesses, schools and friends involved allowing Melissa to perform at the Starz Theater in Yauco, Puerto Rico. They sold over 300 tickets and was deemed a “huge success” for no other independent artist had been able to accomplish such an event while performing in another language.

My First Everything EP

After years of trying to secure a contract with a major record label, Otero decided to release her first single on her own. Doing extensive research, she found CD Baby, an independent digital distribution company which was booming at the time. Simultaneously, her brother-in-law’s friend was an entertainment lawyer and submitted the track to Atlantic Records. After a few months waiting for a response, Atlantic Records said they liked the track but it was not something they were looking for to add on to their roster at the time.

Shortly after submitting her track for distribution, Melissa met through another artist online the radio host Michael McCartney of The Time Machine Radio in Hawaii. Mr. McCartney is an independent radio host that allows independent artists to submit their tracks for airplay. He liked Melissa’s song and added it to his roster shortly after.

At the same time, another online radio station was booming from Portland, Oregon and requested Melissa’s music to add to their roster. Her song My First Everything became a number 1 track for two consecutive weeks on the Hot97.net spins making that Melissa’s official first #1 single.

Depression

During the summer of 2006, Melissa had released her single “My First Everything” but was struggling with depression. She did however continue writing and began her journey in writing 'My Spirit" [5]

My Spirit

Finally after months of being in seclusion, Otero felt she was ready to continue her dream and release an album. She started recording her new songs in Mexico City, Mexico, as well as in New York. The response from producers was positive.

She recorded her songs “Free”, “10:40pm” and “Not Lost Anymore”. The reviews for these songs were positive ones and “10:40pm” became an instant favorite. It was a deep rock-pop ballad and was being requested as a single.

In August 2008, Otero teamed up with independent film maker Randy Jones to create her first music video for the song “10:40pm”. They filmed in Astoria, Queens and sent it to many television stations. NBC Universal caught an interest in it and Otero signed an agreement to allow NBC to air it on an independent showcase for film makers.

On Christmas Day of 2008, Otero released her debut album, My Spirit. It included some of her old tracks that were in her My First Everything EP as well as new. Soon after, radio stations from all over the world were requesting a copy to add to their spins and “My Spirit” began its journey to international success.

It was on rotation in Hawaii through Michael McCartney of The Time Machine[6] again, then in Colombia on the Radio Nacional de Colombia morning hits, some independent stations in Puerto Rico and in Europe, Michael Ruel from France requested My Spirit to syndicate in Germany, France and other parts of Europe.

Colombia was responding very well to Otero's music especially her tracks “Libre”, “Mi Primer Amor” and “10:40pm”. A tour was being requested and journalist Carlos Villota Santacruz made her music available to her fans on the Colombian radio website. There over 500 fans downloaded Otero’s music and her popularity rose within the Colombian community.[7]

In the summer of 2009, Otero began her first tour, Free Spirit Tour, in Wisconsin with the help of Karate America and the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. She performed in several venues and was a popular artist within the Fox Valley region. After Wisconsin, Otero headed to Puerto Rico to perform in front of over 500 people at the Festival de la Juventud in Hormigueros. The mayor of the town was very pleased with Otero's style and invited her back. Her last performance was at Fontana’s in New York City on September 2, 2009.

Angels and Demons

During the months of July 2011 and August 2011, Melissa's new promotional track "Angels and Demons" was featured on US Airways as part of the Sonicbids Indie Showcase. The track was written by Otero and produced by Stefan Moessle.[8]

Otero's song "Angels and Demons" was featured on Dance Moms during the Season 3 premier show on January 1, 2013. It was featured in the themed performance by the contestants.

Otero's song "Spellbound" was featured on Abbys ultimate dance competition season 2 for Kalani Hilliker and Tyler Atwood duet "the ice queen".

Discography

Extended Play (EP) studio albums

Full Length (LP) studio albums

Singles

Compilation Albums

New Album

Currently Melissa is working on her second album with producers Stefan Moessle and Jimmy Deer. A release date has not been set.

Memoirs of My Spirit

Otero has stated in a few interviews that she has been working on a book for the past three years about her life during her turmoil titled Memoirs of My Spirit. She stated that the book itself also describes how her album My Spirit was created and how she wrote the songs according to her life. No publishing date has been established.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Official Website. Melissa Otero Official Website
  2. ↑ Article in La Voz Hispana
  3. ↑ Melissa Otero Embarks on First US Tour
  4. ↑ Beginnings: Once In A Lifetime Concert
  5. ↑ Astorian Sings of Faith, Depression on New CD
  6. ↑ Melissa Otero - The Time Machine Interview
  7. ↑ Colombia Invites Melissa as International Pop Artist
  8. ↑ US Airways to Feature Latina Singer Melissa Otero's New Single 'Angels and Demons'
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