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Brenda K. Starr
Brenda K. Starr in 1984
Background information
Birth name	Brenda Joy Kaplan
Born	(1966-10-14) October 14, 1966 (age 58)
Origin	New York City
Genres	R&B pop dance salsa freestyle
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1985–present
Labels	MCA Epic Parcha Platano Sony Boss Entertainment
Website	www.brendakstarr.com

Brenda Joy Kaplan (born October 14, 1966), 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.

Early life

Starr was born as Brenda Joy Kaplan to a Jewish-American father, organist Harvey Kaplan (also known as Harvey Kaye of the 1960s band the Spiral Starecase) and a Puerto Rican mother who was Catholic.

Career

In the early 1980s, through a chance meeting with Harry Belafonte, Starr landed a role in his 1984 hip hop film, Beat Street; she appeared in it, as herself, as a singer at an open-microphone audition. Starr's appearance in the movie garnered attention, leading to a recording contract on Mirage Records, through Arthur Baker, who enlisted the help of two production teams (Lotti Golden and Richard Scher, and Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers) to complete Starr's debut album, I Want Your Love. The lead single, "Pickin' Up Pieces", written by Arthur Baker and Lotti Golden, was a local club sensation and national hit, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Charts and on the Dance Singles Sales Chart. "Pickin' Up Pieces" also peaked at No. 83 on the R&B Hip Hop Billboard Charts.

Starr's eponymous sophomore LP, which she released in 1987 on the MCA Records label before it became part of the present-day Universal Music Group, included what is considered her signature song, the power ballad "I Still Believe", which peaked at No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, becoming Starr's first and only top 20 single on the Hot 100. In 1998, Mariah Carey covered the song as a tribute to her "mentrix;" Carey's version peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the RIAA. The album peaked at No. 58 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Starr's other top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 was "What You See Is What You Get" (which peaked at No. 24 and at No. 6 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play).

Two of Starr's songs have been included on motion-picture soundtracks; "Sweet Surrender" was included in the soundtrack for the 1988 teen film License to Drive, starring Corey Haim & Corey Feldman, and "Sata" was on the soundtrack for the 1990 film Lambada. During the late 1980s, Mariah Carey sang background vocals for Starr, and Starr helped Carey secure a recording contract by giving a demo tape of hers to Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola at a party. After being dropped from Sony/Columbia Records for lackluster sales of her third album, By Heart, Starr worked odd jobs to support herself and her family.

Starr learned Spanish to help rejuvenate her career, successfully reinventing herself as a salsa, tropical and Latin pop artist. After the release of her cover of "Herida" (from the Chilean singer Myriam Hernández), which peaked at No. 14 on the Latin Pop Airplay and at No. 1 on the Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay chart, she continued her success with a string of popular albums and chart hits.

Starr was also a disc jockey at MIX 102.7, WNEW-FM, where she presented a request program titled "Under the Stars" from 9 pm to midnight on Sunday nights before the station changed formats. "Tu Eres", the lead single from her seventh album, Atrevete a Olvidarme, earned her a nomination from the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2006.

Personal life

Starr is married to Chris Petrone and has three daughters and a son. Her two eldest daughters, Kayla Festa and Tori Festa are from a previous relationship with Brazilian-born New Jersey native, Joao (John) Festa, while her current husband fathered her other two children: Chris Petrone Jr. and American Idol finalist (Season 15) Gianna Isabella. Gianna made it to the top 10 in American Idol's 15th and final season on the FOX broadcast network in 2016.

Awards and recognitions

• 1997: Lo Nuestro Awards: Nominated: Tropical/Salsa Female Artist of the Year.
• 2002: Latin Grammy Awards: Nominated: Best Salsa Album for Temptation.
• 2002: Latin Grammy Awards: Nominated: Best Salsa Single for "Por Ese Hombre".
• 2006: Billboard Latin Music Awards: Nominated: Best Salsa Single for "Tu Eres".

Discography

Albums

Singles

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

See also

• List of Puerto Ricans

References

1. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
2. ^ Vicki Ruíz, Virginia Sánchez (2006). Latinas in the United States: a historical encyclopedia, Volume 1. Indiana University Press. p. 655. ISBN 0-253-34681-9.
3. "Brenda K. Starr – Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular | San Juan, Puerto Rico".
4. ^ "Brenda K. Starr - Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
5. ^ "Brenda K. Starr - Chart History: Dance Singles Sales". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
6. ^ "Brenda K. Starr - Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
7. ^ "Brenda K. Starr - Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
8. ^ "Brenda K. Starr - Chart History: Latin Pop Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
9. ^ "Brenda K. Starr - Chart History: Tropical Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
10. Angermiller, Michele. "'American Idol': Watch Brenda K. Starr's Daughter, Gianna, Audition in Philadelphia". billboard.com. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
11. "Premios a Lo Mejor De La Música Latina". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Casa Editorial El Tiempo S.A. April 8, 1997. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
12. "Brenda K. Starr - Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
13. "Brenda K. Starr - Chart History: Top Latin Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
14. "Brenda K. Starr - Chart History: Tropical Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
15. "Brenda K. Starr - Chart History: Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
16. ^ "Brenda K. Starr - Chart History: Hot Latin Songs". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2022.

External links

• Brenda K. Starr on MySpace
• Brenda K. Starr at IMDb
• Brenda – features hit song "I Still Believe"

• 1966 births
• Living people
• American women singer-songwriters
• American house musicians
• American musicians of Puerto Rican descent
• American people of Italian descent
• American freestyle musicians
• Jewish American musicians
• Singers from New York City
• American salsa musicians
• American women pop singers
• Spanish-language singers of the United States
• Hispanic and Latino American women singers
• 21st-century American Jews
• Women in Latin music
• Singer-songwriters from New York (state)
• 21st-century American women