Viera was born in Río Piedras, San Juan. Both her parents moved to New York City soon after her birth, settling in the South Bronx area of the city. Initially, they lived with Viera's grandmother, a woman who served as an important influence on Viera's life.[2] Viera began singing as a young girl, even taking opera training for a brief time.[3] Her stage name, La India, was given to her by her grandmother because of her dark features and long, straight, black hair.[4] La India describes herself as a feminist, having witnessed domestic violence from her father.[5]
Career
1985: Early career
In 1985, when Caballero was 16 years old, she joined the Latin freestyle group TKA, a fact not widely known. Credited as "Linda," she appeared in the group photo on the back cover of TKA's second single, "Come Get My Love." She left shortly thereafter.[6]
Caballero signed a record contract with Reprise/Warner Bros. Records, who planned to market her as the Latin version of Madonna (who recorded for sister label Sire Records).[7] India's debut album was titled Breaking Night. Three singles were released (“Dancing on the Fire,” “Right from the Start,” and “The Lover Who Rocks You All Night”), which all became big hits in the dance clubs. She also added her vocals to the Jellybean-produced single "Mirage". After recording the album, Caballero decided that she didn't want to take that route in her career.[4][6] She decided to switch to salsa because she believed that she needed to "cross over to [her] people."[3]
1992–1994: First salsa album
An important event took place when she accompanied her husband "Little" Louie Vega to a studio session. Salsa bandleader Eddie Palmieri happened to visit the studio, and was impressed with Caballero when he heard her singing. In 1992, Palmieri produced Caballero's first Spanish-language salsa album Llego La India via Eddie Palmieri (The India has Arrived via Eddie Palmieri),[3][8] which was acclaimed as one of the best salsa albums of the year. From then on, Caballero became known to all as La India.[6] India received a Lo Nuestro Award nomination in 1993 for Best Female Performer, Tropical/Salsa.[9]
In 1994 La India, together with Louie Vega, recorded the house-music single "Love and Happiness" (Yemaya y Ochún), which paid tribute to Santería (a syncretic religion based in the Caribbean). This up-beat track was played heavily in dance clubs internationally. La India's involvement with Santería drew much criticism. Sergio George produced La India's 1994 album Dicen Que Soy, a 2× gold-certified Billboard hit that added to her legend in the Latin-American music realm.[3] The album also included her cover of Cuba’s Adalberto Alvarez Y Su Son’s hit song "Vivir Lo Nuestro[10]," featuring a duet with Marc Anthony. Later this same year, Combinación Perfecta was released.[4]
You may listen to La India sing "Jazzin" with Tito Puente here
In 1996, La India worked with Tito Puente on Jazzin, an English-language album of swing classics with a Latin twist, on RMM Records. That same year she contributed the song "Banderas" to the album titled Voces Unidas (United Voices), a multi-artist tribute to the 1996 Summer Olympics. She also released India: Mega Mix that same year before divorcing Vega. La India sang a duet titled "La Voz de la Experiencia" (The Voice of Experience) with Celia Cruz, the late Queen of Salsa.[3] It was then that Cruz gave Caballero her longer name: La India, the Princess of Salsa. In 1997, La India recorded "Sobre el Fuego" (Over the Fire) with Puerto Rican salsa singer Kevin Ceballo as backup vocalist. The song was nominated for Best Latin Tropical Performance Grammy Award. In 1998, she won an ACE Award.[6]
On May 31, 1998, La India performed two sold-out concerts at the Luis A. Ferre Performing Arts Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She returned to the United States, and television network UPN aired one of her shows. With training provided by New York's famed choreographer Sara D'Arce India was also able to perform concerts in New York's Madison Square Garden and in El Festival de la Calle Ocho in Miami, Florida. In September 1999, La India released her album Sola, which earned positive reviews for the single Sola and for covers of two hits by the late Cuban sensation La Lupe, Que Te Pedi and Si Vuelves Tu.[4]
On February 5, 2000, a full-page ad in Billboard Magazine congratulated La India for her second Grammy Award nomination. In March 2000, she was featured in Vibe Magazine. On November 26, 2003, La India released Latin Songbird: Mi Alma y Corazón.[3] The album's lead single "Sedúceme" became a hit on the Latin charts, and topped the U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Tracks for several weeks. This romantic salsa hit single was La India's first number-one song. Latin Songbird brought her a new fan base with many awards and nominations, including two Latin Grammy nominations for Best Salsa Album and Best Tropical Song in 2003, and her third Grammy Award nomination for Best Salsa Album in 2004.[11]
In 2005, La India participated in the musical presentation Selena ¡VIVE!, a tribute to the late Tejano sensation Selena Quintanilla-Perez. In 2006, La India released the album Soy Diferente, which contained two songs that became award-winning hits. The 2007 Annual Latin Billboard Awards honored La India with Best Tropical Album of the Year Female for "Soy Diferente" (I Am Different), and Latin Dance Club Play Track of the Year for "Solamente Una Noche" (Just for One Night). In 2007, La India collaborated with Latin sensation Gloria Estefan in a duet titled "90 Millas."[11]
La India released her ninth studio album in 2010. La India mentioned to the Associated Press, "I am reinventing myself ... changing my physical image. La India will return to become a Barbie. But more than that, I feel like a new woman because I have been blessed with many beautiful things. After many years, I have my family with me, and I am not separated from my mother, in which I suffered greatly. I have her in my life, and that brings inner peace that I haven't had in a long time."
On February 23, 2010, La India's hit single "Estupida" was released on iTunes. The single was a cover of the 2009 Italian version "Stupida" by Alessandra Amoroso. La India's ninth studio album, Unica, was released June 1, 2010.
In 2011, La India continued to release new music. She performed a duet with Issac Delgado titled "Que No Se Te Olvide." In 2011, La India released a new house track titled "Tacalacateo," on which she worked with Italian DJ Peppe Citarella. "Tacalacateo" peaked at #13 on Billboard's dance music chart.
In 2012, La India performed as part of UNITY: The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson, along with other Latin artists such as Tito Nieves and Kevin Ceballo.[13]
In 2014, La India once again signed with the record label Top Stop Music, also joining the Salsa Giants project with Sergio George. La India released her tenth studio salsa album "Intensamente Con Canciones de Juan Gabriel" on Top Stop Music in 2015. It includes duets and solo pieces by both artists. This album was number one on Billboard's tropical chart for a consecutive four weeks. One song in particular, "Ahora Que Te Vas" quickly rose to number one on Billboard's tropical chart. With this song, La India became the Latino woman with the most-ever number ones, a record previously held by Gloria Estefan.[14]
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked La India at number 113 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[15]
Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso, known as Celia Cruz, was a Cuban singer and one of the most popular Latin artists of the 20th century. Cruz rose to fame in Cuba during the 1950s as a singer of guarachas, earning the nickname "La Guarachera de Cuba". In the following decades, she became known internationally as the "Queen of Salsa" due to her contributions to Latin music. She had sold over 10 million copies, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists.
Marco Antonio Muñiz, known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. A four-time Grammy Award, eight-time Latin Grammy Award and twenty-nine-time Lo Nuestro Awards winner, he has sold more than 12 million albums worldwide.
Eddie Palmieri is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive.
Gilberto Santa Rosa Cortés, nicknamed "El Caballero de la Salsa", is a Puerto Rican bandleader and singer of salsa and bolero. He is a six-time Grammy Award winner and has sold over three million records in the United States and Puerto Rico. Santa Rosa also starred in a comedy.
Brenda Joy Kaplan, known by her stage name Brenda K. Starr, is an American singer and songwriter. She is well known originally in R&B, dance and pop but now mostly in salsa-based music. She is also well known for her 1980s work with freestyle music.
Tony Vega Cesar, known professionally as Tony Vega is a Puerto Rican salsa singer.
Julio César "Tito" Rojas López, also known as "El Gallo Salsero", was a Puerto Rican salsa singer and songwriter.
Jorge Manuel López, also known as Giro Lopez, is a Puerto Rican salsa musician. Giro began his career as part of the boy band of Puerto Rico called Los Chicos. Two singles by "Giro" Jorge López, "Si Tu Supieras" and "Mi Forma de Sentir", reached #1 on the Latin Tropical Airplay. In 1995, Giro received a Lo Nuestro award for "New Tropical Singer of the Year" and in 1996 also was nominated for Best Male Tropical Singer of the Year. He won a Gold Record at the New Jersey OTT Awards, presented by Billboard magazine.
Mi Tierra is the third studio album by Cuban-American recording artist Gloria Estefan, released on June 22, 1993, by Epic Records. Produced by husband Emilio Estefan, it is a Spanish-language album and pays homage to her Cuban roots. The album features Cuban musical genres, including boleros, danzón and son music. Recorded at Crescent Moon Studios in Miami, Florida, Mi Tierra features notable Latin musicians such as Tito Puente, Arturo Sandoval, Cachao López, Chamin Correa and Paquito D'Rivera.
The 1st Annual Latin Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles at the Staples Center on Wednesday, September 13, 2000. The big winners were Luis Miguel, Santana and Maná with 3 awards; Juan Luis Guerra, Shakira, Fito Páez and Emilio Estefan Jr. received 2 awards each.
"Da la Vuelta" is a song written by Emilio Estefan and Kike Santander and performed by American singer Marc Anthony. Produced by Anthony, Estefan, and Ángel "Cucco" Peña, it is a salsa track which deals with the singer letting go of his former lover. It is one of the three Spanish-language songs to be included on Anthony's 1999 self-titled album and was released as a promotional single in the same year.
Dicen Que Soy is the third studio album by Puerto Rican recording artist La India released on September 20, 1994, by RMM Records. The album was produced by American musician Sergio George, who chose the songs for India to record with an emphasis on feminism to suit with her voice. The production mixes salsa music with other rhythms such as funk and timba. Five singles were released from the record with "Nunca Voy a Olvidarte" and "Ese Hombre" topping the Billboard Tropical Songs chart.
Regalo del Alma is the final studio album recorded by Cuban salsa recording artist Celia Cruz, released posthumously on 29 July 2003 by Sony Music Latin, following Cruz's death from brain cancer on July 16, 2003. It is Cruz's seventieth album.
"El Amor" is a song by Puerto Rican singer Tito El Bambino. It was composed by Tito and Joan Ortiz and released on February 9, 2009, as the second single from his third studio album, El Patrón (2009). The song blends the sounds of Latin pop with cumbia and merengue. A regional Mexican and a salsa version were recorded and included on the special edition of the album.
Unica ("unique") is the ninth studio album by Puerto Rican singer La India, released on June 1, 2010 on the Top Stop Music label founded by grammy winner Sergio George. It features the song Estupida, which was released as a single in both ballad and salsa versions, and was her 7th #1 hit on the Tropical Billboard Charts, making her the female with the most #1 hits on the chart. The album's release party was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Gaitanes is a duo of producers, composers and singers formed by Ricardo and Alberto Gaitán. The duo originates from Panama and have been active since 1989, releasing albums, singles and musical collaborations as well as winning various awards and nominations.
The 8th Lo Nuestro Awards ceremony, presented by Univision honoring the best Latin music of 1995 and 1996 took place on May 9, 1996, at a live presentation held at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida. The ceremony was broadcast in the United States and Latin America by Univision.
"Quimbara" is a song performed by Cuban recording artist Celia Cruz and Dominican recording artist Johnny Pacheco. The song written by 20 year old Junior Cepeda from Puerto Rico, was released as the lead single from Cruz and Pacheco's joint studio album Celia & Johnny (1974).
Salsa Big Band is the fourth studio album by Rubén Blades and Roberto Delgado & Orquesta, released on 29 April 2017 by Rubén Blades Productions. After the release of Son de Panamá in 2015, also recorded with Delgado & Orquesta, Blades decided to record another album with them, on which included eleven songs. He had previously recorded nine on the songs, and two were covers of songs written by Luis Demetrio and Rene Touzet. Delgado was the producer for the álbum. Blades' principal inspiration for the album was his admiration for the work of Puerto Ricans performers such as Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez and Willie Rosario, and the big band sounds of the 1950's.
"Mi Mayor Venganza" is a song by Puerto Rican singer La India from her fifth studio album, Sobre el Fuego (1997). The song was written by Rodolfo Barreras and produced by Isidro Infante, and released as the album's second single in 1997 by RMM Records. It is a salsa song, in which La India tells the woman to keep the man who cheated on the artist out of revenge.
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