Ivy Queen Details

There is only one significant female reggaeton rapper, Ivy Queen" – New York Times

For more than a decade, she has reigned as the woman who forged an entire genre, enriched the soundscape of Latin music and launched a musical movement to international success. Now, Her Majesty the diva, Ivy Queen, is back – with Sentimiento under the Univision Music Group label.

This extraordinary release of 12 new songs shares thoughts that reflect the emotions of a passionate heart. The first cut, "Que Lloren," was written by Ivy Queen herself.

Reggaeton was born in the streets, a tantalizing blend of hip hop, rap and reggae, and first made a splash on the music scene in the nightclubs of Puerto Rico, permeated with the hopes and dreams of all those who aspire to more. Born as Martha Ivelisse Pesante on March 4, 1972 in the Puerto Rican town of Añasco, and educated in New York, Ivy Queen succeeded in capturing the sentiment of oppressed youths struggling to make it, via her urban music.

By 1998, Ivy had conquered fans all over Puerto Rico and Latin America, and had released the hit album "The Original Rude Girl,"' which included the duet "In The Zone" with Wyclef Jean, co-founder of The Fugees; this production reflected the original artistic vision of Ivy and earned her an even greater number of fans around the world. From the United States to Mexico and Spain, from Panama to the Dominican Republic, Ivy became the female leader of her genre as well as a spokesperson for female power, and became known as the Queen of Reggaeton.

After her move to New York in 2000, Ivy continued seeking out new collaborations and experimented in the interest of broadening the scope of her music, working on various interesting productions. PepsiCo named her the musical spokesperson for Mountain Dew. In 2001 and 2002, she appeared in compilations of smash hits such as Boricuas NY, DJ Nelson's: The Flow, Kilates and The Majestic. In 2003 she launched Diva, after five years of no albums. Diva was a veritable compendium of her artistic passion, femininity, and culture. She followed it up in 2004 with Diva Platinum Edition, with pieces she wrote and co-produced herself.

As a singer, Ivy is in powerful command, always with an astonishingly tough, strong stage presence