Ivy Queen
Martha Ivelisse Pesante Rodríguez (born March 4, 1972), known professionally as Ivy Queen, is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper, songwriter, and actress. She is considered one of the pioneers of the reggaeton genre, commonly referred to as the Queen of Reggaeton.
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Pesante and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.
Ivy Queen
- The Queen of Reggaeton
- La Diva
- La Caballota
- La Potra
- La Cocorota
- La Mama de los Pollitos
- Singer
- rapper
- songwriter
- actress
1995–present
-
Xavier Sánchez(m. 2012)
- Sony Discos (1997–99)
- Real (2003–04)
- Universal Latino (2004)
- Univision (2005–08)
- Drama (2007–12)
- Machete (2010–12)
- Siente (2012–present)
- Ivy Queen Musa Sound (2012–present)
Ivy Queen began her career as a member of the otherwise all-male collective The Noise in San Juan, Puerto Rico.[1] There, she performed her first song "Somos Raperos Pero No Delincuentes" (We are Rappers, Not Delinquents). Ivy Queen went solo in 1996, and released her debut studio album En Mi Imperio (In My Empire) which was quickly picked up by Sony Discos for distribution in 1997.
She later released The Original Rude Girl, her second studio album for Sony label, which spawned the hit single "In the Zone". However, Ivy Queen did not rise to fame until she moved to an independent record label to release her third studio album, Diva in 2003. Ivy Queen's albums Diva, Flashback, and Sentimiento have all been awarded Gold and Platinum record status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her seventh studio album Drama Queen was released in 2010, and spawned a top ten single "La Vida es Así". It was followed by the Grammy Award-nominated Musa in 2012. Ivy Queen's recordings often include themes of female empowerment, socio-political issues, infidelity, and relationships.
Ivy Queen is one of the wealthiest reggaeton artists and had a net worth of $10 million in 2017.[2] She is also the host of the Spotify original podcast Loud, where she talks about the history of reggaeton and features prominent Latin artists.[3] The 10-episode podcast debuted August 4, 2021 on Spotify, with episodes released weekly on Wednesdays.[4]
Early life[edit]
Ivy Queen was born in Añasco, Puerto Rico.[5] When she was young, Queen's parents moved to New York, where she was raised. She did not finish high school, reaching eleventh grade in the mainland United States,[6] and studied music at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.[7]
Musical career[edit]
1995–99: The Noise, En Mi Imperio and The Original Rude Girl[edit]
When she was 18, Ivy Queen moved to San Juan, where she met rapper and producer DJ Negro. In 1995, Queen joined an all-male Puerto Rican group called the Noise, at the invitation of DJ Negro. The group became part of the emerging reggaeton scene. DJ Negro began producing a series of CDs centered around the Noise. Ivy Queen made her first appearance on the fifth installment of the CD series on a track called "Somos Raperos Pero No Delincuentes". She became tired of the violent and sexual themes often used in reggaeton, and wished to write about a wider variety of subjects.[8]
DJ Negro convinced Queen to go solo, and in 1997 she recorded her first solo album, En Mi Imperio—which featured the hit single "Como Mujer"—for Sony Discos. In 1998, Queen launched her second album, The Original Rude Girl—which featured Don Chezina, Alex D'Castro, and Domingo Quiñones—and worked with Wyclef Jean on her debut single "In the Zone".[9] The album is bilingual and features hip hop music, a departure from the reggaeton featured on her debut album.[10] The Original Rude Girl was commercially unsuccessful but "In The Zone" charted at number 38 on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40.[11][12][13]
In 1999, after a lack of commercial success with her first two studio albums, Sony dropped Queen and she took a break from her musical career.[13] In 2001 and 2002, Queen's music began appearing on reggaeton compilation albums, spawning hits like "Quiero Bailar" from The Majestic 2 and "Quiero Saber[14]" from Kilates. With songs like "Quiero Bailar", Ivy Queen represented women "In a movement that took off commercially [and dominantly was led by men] with aggressively lyrics and a "doggiestyle perreo dance". Ivy Queen established herself as reggaeton's no-nonsense female conscience. (Her anthem "Quiero Baliar" warned her dance partner not to misinterpret those moves.)".[15] In 2003, Queen and her then-husband Gran Omar signed with independent, Miami-based label Real Music, established by Jorge Guadalupe and Anthony Pérez.[13] They appeared on the label's first album Jams Vol. 1. Queen frequently appeared and performed on the reggaeton television show "The Roof", which featured urban music and lifestyle, and was produced by Pérez.[13][16]
1999–2004: Diva and Real[edit]
In 2003, Ivy Queen released Diva, her third studio album.[8] It spawned hit singles including "Quiero Bailar". The album is considered to have been important for exposing reggaeton to a mainstream audience in 2004.[17] After the success of the album—which was certified platinum by the RIAA, Ivy Queen released a platinum edition of Diva in 2004.[18] The platinum edition was nominated for "Reggaeton Album of the Year" at the 2005 Billboard Latin Music Awards.[19] "Quiero Bailar", the album's lead single, became the first Spanish-language track to reach number one on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart of Miami's WPOW—an American radio station that does not usually play Spanish music.[20]
Queen's fourth studio album, Real, was originally planned to be her first full-length English language album after she received contract offers from several record labels—including Sony. Queen said that it was a good opportunity to reach other markets, and in particular the competitive market of English rap.[20] Sony's offer to record an English-language album came after they noticed that her previous Sony albums were being heard in London, thanks to the success of Diva. The album included collaborations with artists including Fat Joe, La India, Héctor Delgado, and Getto & Gastam. American hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz produced the track "Soldados".[20] The album was released on November 16, 2004, and spawneed the Top 10 single "Dile" which was nominated for "Tropical Airplay Track of the Year, Female".[19]
2005–07: Flashback and Sentimiento[edit]
In 2005, Ivy Queen partnered with José Guadalupe—co-founder of Perfect Image Records—to form the record label Filtro Musik.[21] Later that year, Univision Records signed Filtro Musik to promote Ivy Queen's fifth studio album Flashback (2005). This ensured that the album was positioned in Latin and mainstream accounts that would normally not carry Latin product.[22][23] Queen's first compilation album The Best of Ivy Queen, consisting of tracks from Diva and Real, was released the same year. On October 29, 2005, she released Flashback, which contained the singles "Cuéntale", "Libertad", and "Te He Querido, Te He Llorado". At the 2006 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Flashback was nominated for "Reggaeton Album of the Year" for a second consecutive year.[24] The following year, Ivy Queen, and Gran Omar presented the reggaeton and hip hop compilation album Cosa Nostra: Hip Hop. She later appeared on the Spanish-language recording of the Star-Spangled Banner, "Nuestro Himno".[25] She then received the first Premio Juventud "Diva Award", which honored Queen for her musical career.[26]
In April 2007, Ivy Queen released her sixth studio album entitled Sentimiento. She began working on the album in 2006 after Cosa Nostra became a commercial failure.[27] As a part of her evolution in reggaetón, Sentimiento includes "solo turns" instead of duets with guest artists.[28] The solo tracks include; "Pobre Corazón" by Divino, "Manaña Al Despertar" by Baby Rasta and Noriega—none of which feature Queen's vocals. She said she wanted to give a 180-degree turn to what people think of reggaetón.[28] She said, "[m]any think reggaetón is just nice rhythms to dance to. And they forget there are song-writers and composers, who, like everyone else, also suffer and aspire in love ... Love is what makes us write things, what keeps us alive. If we did not have love, we would have nothing".[28] The album spawned a Top 10 hit "Que Lloren" and the moderately successful singles "En Que Fallamos" and "Sentimientos". At the Latin Grammy Awards of 2007, Calle 13 won the Best Urban Music Album award for their album Residente o Visitante[29]
Queen's Sentimiento was nominated in the same category.[30]
Calle 13's 2008 album "Los de Atrás Vienen Conmigo" included a song entitled "Que Lloren" which criticized Queen and asked her "to cut herself with a razor".[31] She responded stating "I'm the queen of this genre, a genre that contains male rappers such as Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel and Tego Calderón who respect me a lot for an idiot to have my name in his mouth."[32] After Calle 13 had won various awards in the urban music category, Queen called the duo to let them know publicly how she felt about them.[33] She was unhappy because despite the abundance of awards and nominees, only Calle 13 received awards explaining "they dedicated the night to Calle 13."[34] The duo called Queen a hypocrite.[33]
Musical style[edit]
Musical style[edit]
Queen's musical style is classified as reggaeton—an urban genre with roots in Latin and Caribbean music.[63] However, Queen also performs in several other genres including hip hop, salsa, merengue, and bachata. Yoselín Acevedo of People en Español said that "'Cosas De La Vida'—which isn't her first bachata song, shows that other than being the 'Queen of Reggaeton' she can also easily convert herself into the 'Queen of Bachata'.[64] Queen has also recorded salsa tracks, beginning in 2005 with "Amiga No Pienses" and "Yo Lamento", and in 2007 with "Si Eres Tú" which she recorded in a "big-band Salsa" style.[65] She worked with salsa singers La India on "Cuando Hieres A Una Mujer" and Víctoria Sanabría on "No Te Quiero".
Queen cites Celia Cruz, La Lupe, and other "classic Salsa singers" as inspirations for her style of hip-hop music.[66] Her main influence is Selena, to whom she pays tribute on her fifth studio album Flashback with a "reggaeton-ed up twist" on "Si Una Vez".[67][68] She also said she enjoyed the songs "Como La Flor" and "La Carcacha".[67] Queen told Ramiro Burr of the Houston Chronicle, "I admired Selena because she had that famous crossover success, but sadly she never got to enjoy it," she said.[69] According to Allmusic, she takes influences from Jennifer Lopez, Queen Latifah, Gloria Estefan, Madonna and Salt-N-Pepa.[70] Queen cites fellow American rapper Missy Elliott as an influence as well.[71]
Lyrics and messaging[edit]
Queen said that to stand out in the male-dominated world of reggaeton, she would have to deliver a strong point of view from a female perspective, saying, "God blessed me with a powerful voice. It is not feminine. It is not masculine. It is just a thick voice."[67] Queen also stated that her achievements are all due to the fact that she is an artist who, "always [has] something to say, something to contribute. [She] never came with empty rhythm or lyrics. [Men saw that] the girl that could write and sing and go to the platform and kill, as we say".[72] She created music people's bodies could move to but was consistent in standing her ground and standing for agency and women empowerment with lyric like in "Quiero Baliar" where she states "Yo quiero bailar/Tu quieres sudar/Y pegarte a mi/El cuerpo rozar/Yo te digo sí, tu me puedes provocar/Eso no quiere decir que pa' la cama voy". In these lyric she explicitly states she wants to dance, and her partner wants to sweat, and as long as she gives her partner the go ahead they can excite her, but this rapport should not be taken to imply sexual access or consent. According to Ivy, men commonly misinterpret consent to dance with sexual interest within reggaeton dance culture. Since beginning her career, Queen has wanted to create and compose songs "that have some kind of subject matter" so that people understand the concept and message.[73] Instead of the vulgar lyrics common in reggaeton, Queen prefers to sing about defending women while touching on themes of social political matters, homosexuality, racism, love and heartbreak. Queen says she writes songs that "put bad men in their places or stand up for the single mothers".[67] In "Que Lloren" she discusses romance from a woman's perspective while belittling the stereotype that men shouldn't cry or show emotions.[74] In "Quiero Bailar" she "berates a lover who thinks that just because they dance she is automatically going to bed with him."[75] "Mi Barrio" is a socio-political charged song which criticizes "the problems present in Añasco, Puerto Rico".[76] Queen compared the song to "Corazones" by Daddy Yankee from his album Barrio Fino.[76]
Philanthropy[edit]
Queen is a spokeswoman for the cancer charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure because her mother is a cancer survivor.[6] Queen was involved in a charity marathon run in Puerto Rico called "Carrera por una Cura" ("Run for a Cure"). The marathon in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in which celebrities such as Puerto Rican actress Adamari López, and Puerto Rican singer Kany Garcia among others, ran for the prevention and cure of cancer. The marathon was dedicated to Adamari López, who suffered from breast cancer in 2007.[107] In 2012, then-California governor Jerry Brown designated June 10 as "Ivy Queen day" in West Hollywood for her work advocating LGBT rights.[108] In 2021, Queen performed at the official Latino inaugural celebration for US president Joe Biden.[109]
Personal life[edit]
Ivy Queen was married to fellow reggaeton singer Omar Navarro, known by his stage name Gran Omar. They were divorced in 2005.[123] Queen said she never found Omar in the act of adultery, and said that if she had, she would be in La Vega Alta—a women's prison in Puerto Rico.[123] She also said she had not physically assaulted Omar's alleged mistress.[123] She stated they had not lived together for two months, citing the "extensive travels of her husband and his workload of being a producer" as causes of the end of the nine-year marriage.[123] A year after their separation, Omar said that Queen had tricked him, and that she owed him money from the sales and production of the album Cosa Nostra: Hip-Hop, which they presented together because of their obligations and contract with Univision.[27] Jorge Guadalupe—Ivy Queen's manager—invited Omar to take legal action. Guadalupe called Omar "someone who misses the money and the high-life" he had while he was married to Queen.[27] No legal action was taken, however.[27] Omar appeared on television station Telefutura's program Escándalo TV and accused Queen of being unfaithful in their marriage.[124] Queen however, denied the claims.[124]
Queen was in a relationship with DJ Urba from mid-2006 to the end of 2007. In 2010, after Queen invited American actor Vin Diesel to attend 2010 Premios Juventud, it was rumored they were in a relationship together. She told Escándalo TV that there was no romance between them and that they were just good friends.[125]
Ivy Queen has said she identifies with "Menor Que Yo"—a song where she was "talking about reality when she wrote it"—in her personal life.[126] She said the song is about what happens to a lot of women.[126] "I was talking about reality when I wrote it. About what happens to a lot of women. I think that there's no age requirement for two people who love each other. It's mostly about how people react when they see a mature woman who's with a younger man ... They think it's for money. They never think that there might be a connection, chemistry.[126] She later said "Sentimientos" was the song that best represented her at that time, saying, " ... if you think you can only conquer me if you're famous, rich and have an expensive car, you're wrong, because I'm a woman who needs affection, someone to open the door for me, to bring me flowers and sing to me."[126]
Queen does not drink alcohol.[127] She said that although she quit high school after fourth year (eleventh grade), she graduated from the academy "Street" with a Bachelor of Life and honors.[6] She said her vocabulary is "that of the street",[6] and that if she could do something other than singing she would go to college.[6]
Queen married Puerto Rican choreographer Xavier Sánchez in late 2012. She announced in June 2013 that the couple were expecting their first child.[128][129][130] Before becoming naturally pregnant, Queen adopted two Latino children.[131] She revealed her baby bump at the Calibash 2013 concert which was headlined by R&B singer Chris Brown.[132] The baby was born in November 2013.[133] In June 2016, Queen's father died of pulmonary cancer.[134]