Milly Quezada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Milly Quezada
|
|
|---|---|
_cropped.jpg) |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Milagros del Rosario Quezada Borbón |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | May 21, 1955 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic |
| Origin | Dominican Republic |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) |
|
Milagros del Rosario Quezada Borbón (born May 21, 1955) is a singer from the Dominican Republic and the United States. She is famous for singing Merengue, a fast and lively dance music style. People often call her the "Queen of Merengue" because she has had a big impact on this music genre. Milly has won four Latin Grammy Awards, which are very important music awards.
Contents
Milly's Early Life
Milagros Quezada Borbón was born in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. Her parents were from a region called Cibao, and she grew up with four brothers who were also musicians. From a very young age, Milly loved music. She would sing with her brothers for family and friends.
Her family moved to Washington Heights, Manhattan in New York City to escape the Dominican Civil War. Milly spent her teenage years there. Washington Heights was a lively place for Latin music at that time. In New York, Milly learned a lot about merengue, her favorite music style. Merengue is a fast dance music from the Dominican Republic, sung in Spanish.
Milly finished school in New York City. She earned a degree in communications and mass media in 1981.
Milly's Music Career
Starting with Milly, Jocelyn y los Vecinos
Milly's love for music grew in Washington Heights. She formed a group with her brothers and sister called Milly, Jocelyn & Los Vecinos. Their music became very popular with the growing Dominican community in Washington Heights. They had a unique style of merengue that was led by women.
Some of their popular songs from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s include "Volvio Juanita," “La Guacherna," and “Tengo." Many of these songs became Christmas favorites. Milly's oldest brother, Rafael Quezada, was the group's musical leader. The group traveled all over the world. They were among the first to bring live Dominican Merengue to cities in Japan, like Tokyo and Osaka. They also toured in Spain, Central America, South America, and many parts of the United States.
In 1990, Milly and her group were the first to perform at a Presidential Inaugural Gala for President George H. W. Bush in Washington, D.C.
Milly's Solo Journey
Later, Milly decided to start a solo career. She moved to Puerto Rico, where she got married and became a mother. As a solo artist, she became even more successful. Since the 1990s, Milly has been touring and recording music almost all the time. She has won many awards and received special honors, like "keys to cities."
In 1996, Milly's husband and manager, Rafael Vázquez, passed away. She took a break from music after this sad event. She had already been singing for twenty years and released twenty albums. In 1997, her friend and manager, Pedro Nuñez del Risco, encouraged her to start recording music again. This was a turning point in her career. After her husband's death, Milly released many popular songs like "Lo Tengo Todo" and “Entre tu Cuerpo y el Mío."
Recent Music and Coaching
In recent years, Milly has worked with many other artists. Some of these include Fefita la Grande, Gilberto Santa Rosa, and Olga Tañón. Many of these collaborations are on her 2019 album, "Milly & Company." In 2020, she released "Gracias A Ti." This song thanked frontline workers for their hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 2021, Milly has been a coach on The Voice Dominicana, a singing competition show. Her singers won in both seasons she coached.
In 2022, Milly released her thirty-fifth album, Resistirá. She also released a remix of "Se Busca" with other artists. In 2023, she released a new song called "Llegasté" with Manny Cruz.
In 2023, Milly started her "Viva La Reina" tour. This tour celebrated her 45 years in the music business. She performed in places like the Coca-Cola Music Hall in Puerto Rico and the Eduardo Brito National Theater in Santo Domingo.
Milly's Personal Life
Milly Quezada was married to Rafael Vázquez from 1976 until he passed away in 1996. He was also her manager. They had three children: Miguel, Anthony, and Rafael Jesús.
Milly was a close friend and student of the famous singer and band leader Johnny Ventura. After he passed away in 2021, Milly often performed songs to honor him in her concerts. She also sang on a tribute album with Ventura's son, Jandy.
Awards and Special Recognition
Milly, the "Queen of Merengue," has won many national and international awards for her tropical music. These include:
- Four Latin Grammy Awards.
- The highest honor in her genre, the "Premio Soberano," in the Dominican Republic in 1997.
- Billboard awards and Univision's Premio Lo Nuestro in 1998.
- Various "Congo de Oro" awards during the Carnaval de Barranquilla tours in Colombia. Her song "La Guacherna" is recognized with Barranquilla's Carnival by UNESCO as a "Worldwide Cultural Heritage."
Milly has also been honored by the governments of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The Mayor of New York City has also recognized her for her contributions to music in the Americas.
OTHER AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
- In 1998, she was added to the musical archives at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
- In 2001, President Hipolito Mejia gave her the "Orden Cristobal Colon/Grado Oficial" medal.
- She received a Bronze Star on the Boulevard of the Stars in Panama City, Panama.
- In 2007, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg honored her during Hispanic Heritage Month.
- In 2008, she was named "Ambassador of Cultural Affairs" by President Dr. Leonel Fernandez.
- In 2010, she received the "Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Dominican American Nat'l Roundtable.
- In 2011, Berklee College of Music gave her a special recognition.
- In 2012, she won two more Latin Grammy Awards for her album "Aqui Estoy Yo."
- In 2015, the Mayor's Office of Barranquilla declared Milly an "Adoptive Daughter."
- In 2019, she received the ASCAP Latin Heritage Award.
- In February 2021, the United States Congress officially recognized Milly for her music.
- In 2021, she received the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Milly has also received the Keys to the City in several places, including:
Milly's Movies
In 2009, Milly joined eleven other Dominican music legends for a tour. This tour celebrated merengue and bachata music. The tour was made into a documentary film called Sol Caribe. The movie included a special song, "La Puerta del Nuevo Mundo," sung by all twelve stars.
Besides the movie "Yuniol 2," Milly has acted in other films. These include “Cal y Arena” in Puerto Rico, “Hermanos R.D.” in the Dominican Republic, and “Juanita,” which was released in 2018.
In 2022, it was announced that a movie about Milly's life, called MILLY Queen of Merengue, is being made. Sandy Hernandez will play Milly, and Leticia Tonos will direct the film.
Milly's Music Albums
Milly Quezada has released 31 albums over more than four decades in music.
Albums with Milly y los Vecinos
- 1976 Esta es Milly con los Vecinos (This is Milly with los Vecinos)
- 1977 La gente de hoy (Today's People)
- 1978 Pa' Dominicana (To Dominican Republic)
- 1979 Milly en Boleros (Milly into Boleros)
- 1980 Los Vecinos en su momento (The Vecinos at Their Best Moment)
- 1981 Fiesta Con Los Vecinos (Party with Los Vecinos)
- 1982 Acabando (Kicking Some)
- 1983 Nostalgia (Nostalgia)
- 1983 Milly en Salsa (Milly into Salsa, with Luis "Perico" Ortiz)
- 1983 Avant Garde (Avant-garde)
- 1984 Esta Noche, Los Vecinos (Tonight, Los Vecinos!)
- 1985 Dinastía
- 1986 Special Delivery
- 1987 Etiqueta Negra (Black Tie Affair)
- 1988 Por Supuesto (Of Course)
- 1989 Ahora Es (Now's the Time)
- 1990 7+1= Vecinos
- 1991 Flying Solo
- 1993 Celebrando (Celebrating)
- 1995 Lo Mejor de Milly y los Vecinos (The Best of Milly y los Vecinos, a remix)
- 1995 En tus manos (In Your Hands)
Milly's Solo Albums
Milly has recorded many albums as a solo singer. She won Latin Grammy Awards for her albums Pienso asi, MQ, and Aquí Estoy Yo.
- 1997: Hasta siempre (Forever)
- 1998: Vive (Live)
- 2000: Tesoros de Mi Tierra (Treasures From My Land). This was her first time singing bachata.
- 2001: Milly, éxitos y más (Hits and More...)
- 2002: Pienso así... (This Is How I Think)
- 2005: MQ
- 2015: Solo Boleros La Milly una noche (Just Boleros Milly, one Night)
- 2016: Sólo Faltas Tú (You're The Only One Missing)
- 2016: Aquí Estoy Yo (Here I Am)
- 2019: Milly & Company
- 2022: Resistirá
See also
- List of people from the Dominican Republic
