20 Latin Music Star Hopefuls Announced At Telemundo's Premiere Of "Nuevas Voces De America"
Did you miss the premiere episode of "Nuevas Voces de America" ("New Voices of America") this past Sunday. Well there are 20 singers that made the finals and are looking to be the next Latin Superstar. This new reality show is being produced by Latin music mogul Emilio Estefan, and will air on Telemundo every Sunday at 7 p.m.
The finalists ranging from the ages of 18 to 32 and come from California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and Florida are all vying for the final grand prize, which consists of a $250,000 recording contract with Universal Music Latino.
Instead of facing a panel of judges to get dismissed from the show, the finalists were actually given the good news, some received a special message from Emilio himself, others were even more surprised when he showed up at their doorstep. The initial auditions were held in L.A., NY, Miami, San Antonio and Puerto Rico.
Four of the 20 finalist are Tejanos, born and breed in TEXAS! With packed bags and a sense of excitement, they arrived in Miami, to congregate at the famous Casa Casuarina (previously the Versace mansion) to meet Emilio Estefan face to face, and then headed over to Crescent Moon Studios to take a peak inside the high-tech facilities where each one of them will be putting their talent to the test. But before the show was over, they received the tough news: five will be eliminated during the first round.
Following are the "Nuevas Voces de America" Finalists:
Vanessa del Fierro
23 years old. Born in San Antonio, Texas, where she resides.
Claudia Lopez
24 years old. Born in Del Rio, Texas. Resides in San Antonio.
Gerardo Arturo Lopez, Jr.
22 years old. Born in Eagle Pass, Texas, where he resides.
Michael Muenchow
18 years old. Born in San Antonio, Texas, where he resides.
Cesar Bernardo Rios
24 years old. Born in L.A., California. Resides in Mexico, D.F.
Crystal de la Cruz
19 years old. Born in Oxnard, California, where she lives.
Natalie Mainegra
18 years old. Born in Paterson, New Jersey. Resides in Demarest, NJ.
William Jimenez
20 years old. Born in Santiago, Dominican Republic. Resides in Manhattan, NY.
Carmen Lidia Rodriguez
26 years old. Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Resides in The Bronx, NY.
Gerardo Williams
32 years old. Born in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Resides in The Bronx, NY.
Gustavo Jurabe
28 years old. Born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Resides in Lares, P.R.
Zurisaddai Jurabe
21 years old. Born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Resides in Toa Baja, P.R.
Mariela Matos
20 years old. Born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, where she resides.
Oscar Rivera
27 years old. Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where he resides.
Alma Yahveh Carloz
20 years old. Born in Pachuca, Mexico. Resides in San Diego, California.
Jose Pedro Cervantes
20 years old. Born in Chula Vista, California. Resides in Tijuana, Baja California.
Daniel Munoz
22 years old. Born in Jalisco, Mexico. Resides in L.A., California.
Karina Vazquez
23 years old. Born in Loma Linda, California. Resides in Ontario, California.
Cindy Diaz
19 years old. Born in Miami, Florida. Resides in Hialeah, Florida.
Fabian Alonso
29 years old. Born in Habana, Cuba. Resides in Miami, Florida.
All contestants will be trained under the watchful eye of Emilio Estefan, the renowned producer who has helped launch the careers of many Latin mega stars like Thalia, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Marc Anthony and Gloria Estefan. Emilio Estefan will be assisted by a team of experts in various areas of training, which include: Musical coaches and producers Ricardo & Alberto Gaitan; choreographer Anita Vivas, physical trainer Jose "Pepe" Rodriguez, and vocal coach Jackie Arredondo. This training is designed to transform every contestant into real stars. In addition, Estefan will create original tunes, taking into consideration individual voice ranges, to be interpreted by each finalist over the course of the show.
Judges include Mexican rock star Alejandra Guzman, Emilio Regueira, lead singer of rock band "Los Rabanes," and David Naranjo, a marketing and media executive who has worked on the careers of such known artists as Gloria Estefan, Marc Anthony, Julio Iglesias and Alejandro Fernandez. Other celebrity judges will also participate. "Nuevas Voces de America" is hosted by 2003 Miss Universe Amelia Vega. Co-hosting with Amelia is Spanish TV personality Poncho de Anda.
For more information please go to www.telemundo.com
