Monge

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Biography
[edit]Early life and family
Yolandita Monge, was born as Yolanda Rosa Monge Betancourt in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico on September 16, 1955. She is the daughter of Iris Delia Betancourt and Hector Monge. She lived the first seven years of her life in New York City and then came back to Puerto Rico. In the beginning of the 70s, she metthe Uruguayan Alfredo Lorenzo, in New York, and married him on November 13, 1975. They had a daughter, Noelia, but the marriage ended. In 1983, she married Venezuelan singer Balbino, whom she met in Buga, Colombia, and is the father of second daughter Paola. Years later they divorced. On December 31, 1989, Yolandita married Puerto Rican producer and Ex- Vice-President of SBS Radio BroadcastStations in Puerto Rico., Topy Mamery, who is her manager and father to her only son Imanol.
[edit]Early career
Monge started out by winning a radio contest in 1966 (at the age of eleven). Later on, she made her TV debut on Luis Vigoreaux's show, Luis Vigoreaux Presenta. She had a regular section in that show. In 1968, she signed with record label Patty Records, which released her first album,named Puerto Rico's Poignant... Powerful... Incomparable....
It was "El Estornudo" ("The Sneeze"), and her cover of Italian hit "Vida"' ("Life"), that made her a national star after she released her first album. At that young age, Yolandita would perform with legendary Argentinian singer Libertad Lamarque and then sing at the Festival De La Canción Nueva York (New York Song Festival). Soon, she foundanother job on TV, this time on Tommy Muñiz's show, El Show Del Mediodía.
She followed up with some other hits in Puerto Rico, but then she moved to Mexico, where she signed with TECA records and had hits such as "Vete de Aqui" ("Get Out of Here"), "Dos Caminos Diferentes" ("Two Different Ways"), "Por qué Papá?" ("Why, Dad?") and "La Voz Del Silencio" ("The Voice of Silence").
[edit]Internationalbreakthrough
1975 was a big year for Monge because she released a song named "Cierra Los Ojos" ("Close Your Eyes"), which earned her wild fame in such South American countries as Colombia, Chile,Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, Argentina and in the Dominican Republic. Yolandita was now an international star.
Soon after, she would be signed by Coco Records of New York, and her career kept going on asteady rise internationally. She sang at the Carnegie Hall and was backed up by her artistic godmother, legendary Argentinian singer and actress, Libertad Lamarque.
[edit]International success: 1980s
In 1980, international label CBS Records International, (now Sony Discos), then Julio Iglesias' label, signed her up into their line-up. Tanto Amor (So much love) composed by Lou Briel, was the firsthit song of that album named Fantasia produced by Pepe Luis Soto. She then released another album Historia de Amour which included many top hits. In 1983, she won the Buga Festival, inBuga, Colombia with a song that she wrote her self called Sí (Yes).
Monge went into a stride in the middle 1980s, when she released what possibly is one of her greatest album ever: Luz de Luna (Moonlight). This albumincluded her classics "Te Veo Pasar" (I See You Walk By), "Señor Del Pasado" (Man from the Past), and "El Poder del Amor", which was a cover of the popular song "The Power of Love" (most familiar in the Céline Dion version). With this album, she became the first Puerto Rican female singer to earn a gold record.
She came back with the production of Laberinto de Amor (Labyrinth of Love), whichearned her another gold album and later went platinum. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award, years before the Latin Grammy was created. In this album, she sang the best Spanish version of "On My Own" ("Solo Yo") which is a song from the soundtrack of the famous Broadway musical Les Misérables. Yolandita was a household name. This album earned her a Grammy nomination in the Best Latin Pop...