Yolandita Monge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yolandita Monge
Yolandita Monge at her TV show De Mujeres
Born	Yolanda Rosa Monge Betancourt (1955-09-16) September 16, 1955 (age 69) Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico
Occupation	Singer actress television presenter talk show host
Years active	1968–present
Spouse(s)	Carlos 'Topy' Mamery ​ ​ (m. 1989; died 2014)​
Children	3, Noelia Paola and Imanol.
Musical career
Genres	Latin pop
Instruments	Vocals mezzo-soprano
Labels	YM Music (present) ARDC Music Division (2017–2018) Southhill Production Corp (2015) Musical Productions (1990–2016) Orosound Records (2013) Roma Entertainment (2012) Universal Music Latino (2008) Univision Music (2006–2007) Ole Music (2005) Warner Music Latina (2002) BMG U.S. Latin (1999–2001) WEA-Latina (1992–1998) CBS Records (1980–1991) Discofon Records (1979) Coco Records (1975–1978) Tecca Records (1974) AudioVox Records (1973) Patty Records (1969–1972)

Yolanda Rosa Monge Betancourt (born September 16, 1955), known as Yolandita Monge, is a famous singer, actress, and TV star from Puerto Rico. She has been making music since she was a teenager. Yolandita has released 27 studio albums and two live albums. She also has many collections of her greatest hits.

Yolandita Monge: Her Life Story

Growing Up and Family Life

Yolandita Monge was born in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, on September 16, 1955. Her parents are Iris Delia Betancourt and Héctor Monge. She lived in New York City for her first seven years. Then, she moved back to Puerto Rico.

In 1975, she married Alfredo Lorenzo and they had a daughter named Noelia. Later, she married Venezuelan singer Balbino in 1983. They had a daughter named Paola González. On December 31, 1989, Yolandita married her manager, Carlos "Topy" Mamery. In 1991, they had a son named Imanol Mamery.

How Her Music Career Started

Yolandita has a very strong and flexible singing voice. She started her career by winning a radio singing contest in 1966 when she was just eleven years old. Even at a young age, she sang with deep feelings, like much older and more experienced singers.

Producer Julio Alers discovered Yolandita. She then made her TV debut on Luis Vigoreaux's show, Luis Vigoreaux Presenta. She had her own regular part on that show. In 1968, she signed with Patty Records and released her first album, Puerto Rico's Poignant... Powerful... Incomparable....

Songs like "El Estornudo" and her cover of the Italian hit "Vida" made her a national star. She even performed with the legendary Argentinian singer Libertad Lamarque. Soon, she got another TV job on Tommy Muñiz's show, El Show Del Mediodía.

She had more hits in Puerto Rico. Then, she moved to Mexico and signed with Teca Records. There, she had popular songs like "Vete de Aqui" and "Dos Caminos Diferentes".

Becoming an International Star

The year 1975 was very important for Yolandita. She released a song called "Cierra Los Ojos" ("Close Your Eyes"). This song became a huge hit in many South American countries like Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, and Argentina. It was also popular in the Dominican Republic. Yolandita was now known around the world!

Soon after, she signed with Coco Records in New York. Her career continued to grow internationally. She sang at Carnegie Hall and was supported by her mentor, the famous Argentinian singer and actress, Libertad Lamarque.

Big Success in the 1980s

In 1980, the international record company CBS Records International (now Sony Discos) signed her. Her first hit from that album, Fantasia, was "Tanto Amor". She then released another album, Historia de Amour, which had many popular songs. In 1983, she won the Buga Festival in Buga, Colombia, with her own song called Sí (Yes).

Her next album, Sueños (1983), helped her become one of the most important and best-selling female singers in Puerto Rico. This album changed her music style and image. She started singing more Latin pop songs, but still kept her unique way of performing.

Yolandita continued her success in the mid-1980s. She released Luz de Luna (Moonlight), which many consider one of her best albums ever. It included classic songs like "Te Veo Pasar" and "El Poder del Amor" (a cover of "The Power of Love"). With this album, she became the first Puerto Rican female singer to earn a gold record. This means she sold a lot of copies!

She then released Laberinto de Amor (Labyrinth of Love), which also sold very well, earning her another gold album and later a platinum one. This album was even nominated for a Grammy Award! She sang a Spanish version of "On My Own" from the musical Les Misérables. Yolandita was a very well-known name. She was the first Puerto Rican female singer to be nominated for a Grammy Music Award.

In 1988, her album Vivencias sold millions of copies. Yolandita believes this is the most important album of her career. It had songs like "Acariciame" and "Este Amor Que Hay Que Callar". She became the first Puerto Rican singer to win a gold, platinum, and double platinum record.

Billboard magazine called Yolandita "The best-selling Latin artist of the year" in 1988. This was because she was the first Puerto Rican female artist to sell millions of records. She was also called "The most important Latin singer of the decade" (1980–1990). NBC even traveled to Puerto Rico to interview her, comparing her to Madonna.

Yolandita in the 1990s

After the huge success of Vivencias, Yolandita changed her music style. In 1990, she released Portfolio, with help from Venezuelan singer Ricardo Montaner. With this album, she performed nine sold-out concerts at Puerto Rico's Centro de Bellas Artes, setting a new sales record. She also performed at Madison Square Garden. During her concerts, Yolandita was one of the first artists to use a wireless headset microphone. This allowed her to dance while singing!

After more than ten years with Sony Latin, Yolandita signed a big contract with WEA-Latina. Her first album with them was Cara de Ángel. It included hits like "Sobreviviré" and "Viviré Sin Tí". In May 1992, Yolandita set another record at the Performing Arts Center of Puerto Rico. She sold out 12 concerts for the same tour, breaking her own record. Also in 1992, Spanish Tenor, Plácido Domingo, invited Yolandita to be part of a special album honoring the artist Goya. Yolandita also released her first Christmas album in 1992, called Mi Mejor Regalo.

In 1994, she became the first Puerto Rican female to get commercial deals with Pepe Jeans London and Diet Pepsi. That year, Monge released Fiebre de Luna and changed her image again. The album had hit songs like "A Pesar del Tiempo". She teamed up with singer Ricardo Montaner for a concert. They earned a Guinness World Records for being the first singers to perform 3 concerts in 3 different cities (Mayagüez, Ponce, and San Juan) all on the same day! They did this by using a helicopter. It was called El Suceso (The Event).

In 1995, Yolandita released her self-titled album Yolandita (1995). She changed her look again, with long hair and a belly ring. Soon after, Monge moved to Colombia to act in a telenovela (a type of soap opera) with Puerto Rican actor Osvaldo Ríos. In 1996, the Puerto Rican Senate honored Yolandita for her long career as a singer and actress. She also won two major Latin music awards: Premios Lo Nuestro and Premios Tu Música.

In 1997, Yolandita released Mi Encuentro, which included bomba and plena, traditional Puerto Rican music styles. The album was a hit and showed that she could sing any kind of music. In 1999, she returned to her signature strong ballads with the album Siento. The album was certified gold and included hits like "Dime" and "Arriesgaré la Piel".

From 2000 to Today

In late 2000, Yolandita released her second live album, Yolandita En Vivo, recorded in Puerto Rico. It had many of her early hits and a duet with her second daughter, Paola González.

Yolandita took a break and returned with Sexto Sentido in 2002. This album included a song with her oldest daughter, singer Noelia. This album was produced by Colombian producer Kike Santander and was certified gold. After this, she took a longer break from recording to act more.

In 2004, she hosted her TV show for Telemundo called De Mujeres (Of Women). On this show, she did funny skits and interviewed local and international stars. She also sang duets with many famous artists like Julieta Venegas, Luis Fonsi, and Gilberto Santa Rosa.

After five years without a new album, Monge released Demasiado Fuerte on June 5, 2007. It immediately became number one on the Billboard Latin Pop Albums chart. This made her return to music one of the biggest comebacks in Latin music! The album included hits like "Y Todavia" and the title track, "Demasiado Fuerte". Both songs were remixed in reggaeton style and became popular on urban radio stations. In November 2007, Yolandita returned to Centro de Bellas Artes with five sold-out concerts to support the album.

On October 6, 2008, Monge released the single "Mala". On November 22, 2008, she released the album Mala. This album had a song called "Oportunidad Perdida" with Víctor Manuelle. The song "Mala" was also remixed in reggaeton style with Ivy Queen.

Yolandita also recorded a remix single with reggaeton artist Tito el Bambino called "El Amor". This song used her own hit from the 80s. The song reached the No. 1 spot on the Hot Latin Songs Billboard Chart.

On September 11, 2010, Yolandita performed at Coliseo de Puerto Rico in the concert 20 Años de Vivencias. This celebrated the twenty-year anniversary of her famous album Vivencias. She sang most of her hits from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, as well as her newer songs. In April 2011, Yolandita returned to Centro de Bellas Artes for a special sold-out concert with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Puerto Rico. All the songs were performed acoustically.

In 2012, Yolandita was one of three judges on Idol Puerto Rico, along with her husband Carlos 'Topy' Mamery and Ricardo Montaner.

On November 13, 2012, Yolandita released her new album Más Para Dar. She wrote some of the lyrics herself. Yolandita returned to Coliseo de Puerto Rico for the "Más Para Dar Tour" on March 16, 2013. This tour visited cities in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Latin America.

On December 3, 2014, her husband and manager of over twenty years, Carlos 'Topy' Mamery, passed away. After this sad event, Yolandita took a break from public life for several months in 2015.

On September 20, 2015, Yolandita returned to the stage at Coliseo de Puerto Rico for "Latidos de mi Corazón". This concert was a tribute to her late husband. She sang some of her hits and her new digital song Sin Tí. Her children, Imanol and Paola, joined her on stage for two songs. On May 28, 2016, she performed this concert in New York for her fans there.

Yolandita recorded a jazz version of the song Cuando Vuelva A Tu Lado for Humberto Ramírez's album Bohemia Jazz, released in 2016. She also performed at the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

In May 2017, Yolandita teamed up with Lissette Alvarez for three sold-out concerts called "Emociones". They sang their most loved hits and duets together.

Yolandita returned to Centro de Bellas Artes for five sold-out shows of her new show "Por Tí" in late 2019 and early 2020. She sang all her greatest hits, including a new version of the 1989 hit "Por Ti". She also sang some songs without music, with the audience singing along.

Yolandita continues to perform in concerts and festivals in Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries today.

Yolandita: An Actress Too!

Yolandita Monge has also had a very successful acting career. She has acted in more than ten Spanish soap operas (telenovelas), as well as many theater plays and TV shows.

Some of the telenovelas she acted in include:

• Vida (Life)
• La Mentira (The Lie)
• Poquita Cosa (Small Thing)
• Escándalo (Scandal)
• Ave de Paso (Bird of Passage), where she played the main role and sang the theme song, "Nunca Te Diré Adiós".

She also acted in the original version of the famous Colombian soap opera, La Viuda de Blanco. This show was translated into more than 32 languages!

Yolandita's first theater play was La Visita de la Bestia, which is a Spanish version of Extremities. She received good reviews for her dramatic role. She also gained international recognition for playing the Greek opera singer, Maria Callas, in the Spanish version of the Tony Award-winning play Master Class in 2003. Critics were very impressed with her performance.

A year later, she played the main female role in the musical La Verdadera Historia de Pedro Navaja (The True Story of Pedro Navaja), alongside Gilberto Santa Rosa. She received good reviews for her role as Diana la Maromera (Diana the Juggler).

Yolandita's most recent acting role was in the Puerto Rican movie Mujeres sin Hombres (Women without Men) in 2006. In 2010, Yolandita starred in the first episode of the Telemundo TV Series called Extremos. In this show, she played twin sisters. Critics said that Yolandita is as intense and excellent as an actress as she is as a singer.

Awards and Recognitions

Here are some of the awards and honors Yolandita Monge has received:

• 1983: Won the Buga Song Festival for her song Sí.
• 1985: First Puerto Rican female singer to earn a Gold record.
• 1987: Nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album for Laberinto de Amor.
• 1988: Named "The best-selling Latin artist of the year" by Billboard Magazine.
• 1989: Nominated for Premio Lo Nuestro Best Female Ballad/Pop Singer.
• 1989: Won the Paoli Award for Best Video of The Year for "Por ti".
• 1989: First Puerto Rican female singer to earn a Platinum record.
• 1992: First artist to sell out 12 concerts of the same tour.
• 1995: Earned a Guinness World Record for being the first singer to perform 3 concerts in 3 different cities on the same day.
• 1996: Honored by the Puerto Rican Senate for her long career.
• 1997: Won the Tu Musica Award for her international reach.
• 2001: Received A Star in the Boulevard of Stars in Santo Domingo.
• 2003: Won an Award for her Acting Career from The PR Government Florida District.
• 2007: Received the Puerto Rican Pride Honor.
• 2008: Nominated for a Spanish GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding Music Artist.
• 2008: Nominated for a Billboard Latin Music Awards for Best Latin Pop Female Album for Demasiado Fuerte.

Selected Discography

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of Puerto Rican songwriters
• Music of Puerto Rico