Nayobe

Born Nayobe Catalina Gomez and raised in the Bronx, New York, the young singer was introduced to the world of entertainment via an appearance in an off-Broadway production of The Wiz, understudying for Lena Horne. At the tender age of fourteen, Nayobe was discovered singing at Skate Fever, a Bronx roller-skating rink owned by Sal Abbatiello, who also owned and operated several Bronx nightclubs. At Abbatiello's urging, Nayobe entered and won Skate Fever's talent contest week after week, until she nabbed the grand prize: a recording contract with Abbatiello's fledgling record label Fever Records. Teamed with producer Andy 'Panda' Tripoli, Nayobe recorded 'Please Don't Go', arguably the first Latin freestyle song ever recorded, which quickly gained airplay in nightclubs in New York and Miami, garnering the ingénue her first established hit. Her cameo appearance in the film Krush Groove (1985) offered fans their first opportunity to actually see Nayobe perform a bit of 'Please Don't Go'. The follow-up singles 'Second Chance For Love', and 'Good Things Come To Those Who Wait' were equally as successful and solidified Nayobe's standing as one of the innovators of the Latin hip-hop or freestyle movement. Following the success of Nayobe's singles, she was signed to WTG/Epic Records for whom she recorded 'It's Too Late' for the soundtrack of the film _Twins (1988)_, and an album, Promise Me, that featured collaborations with such producers as Teddy Riley and David Morales and spawned the hits 'I Love The Way You Love Me', and 'I'll Be Around'. The success of Promise Me in Japan found the singer touring the Far East to promote the record and to greet her fans. With the demise of WTG Records, Nayobe found herself label-less and in search of another avenue for her career. Enter Sony Latin with a new recording contract and the release of Dame Un Poco Mas, a Latin pop album that featured the bilingual hit 'Let's Party Tonight', which was helmed by famed producer Tony Moran. The single and accompanying video received airplay on Spanish language radio stations and nightclubs across the United States. In 1997, Nayobe's voice was used for Salma Hayek's onscreen musical performance in the film 54 (1998). Nayobe's self-titled second Spanish language album was released on Parcha/Platano Records in 2000, and showcased the singer flexing her muscle in the Salsa arena, joining contemporaries Marc Anthony, India and Brenda K. Starr in taking her existing fans along for the ride, yet gaining many new fans along the way. 2001 found Nayobe back in the studio working with an array of established producers, readying her first long-awaited album of English material since Promise Me. Nayobe's fans won't be disappointed with the pulsating dance beats of her latest recordings. This diva has done it all, from dance to rhythm and blues to salsa, and with her next release is poised to come full circle with an album of pop, dance and R&B songs to sate all of her many fans.