“This summer I went to hear Lucia Mendez. She’s so incredible. If you listen to rock in Spanish, you probably know her sexy voice in songs like “Corazon de Piedra” (Heart of Stone) and “Mi Vida Eres Tu” (You Are My Life).
I got right up front and took pictures too. I felt embarrassed about my camera, an orange throw-away one from Sav-On. When I saw all the other reporters with their professional cameras and video crews, I felt like a mouse among the elephants.
But as I watched Lucia perform, I forgot everything else. She looked like Ms. America 1996, with her sparkling hazel eyes set off by her violet sequined dress.
Her music really talks to me. She confronts controversial issues like rape, abortion, death, drugs and fame. I really love her song, “Morir Un Poco” (Die A Little), which was the theme song to her soap opera, Diana Salazar. It’s about a woman who is condemned to be burned. As she is taken to her death, she thinks of all the beautiful moments she could have shared with her fiance. It’s chilling!
After she sang I was determined to speak with her in person. I went to the person who was talking to all the press and told her I had an interview. She searched through all her papers and couldn’t find my name. But I told her all the stories I have written and how much I love the music industry, and I had a very sad expression. I also noticed that she was young and pretty. Then I talked to her supervisor, and they called a security escort for me, and took me backstage!
The 10 minutes I spent waiting for my interview with Lucia Mendez seemed like forever. I think it’s because she’s such a major Latina star, with 15 top ten hits in the “Hot Latin Tracks” category, plus her Spanish soap operas, plus being in the Hollywood Wax Museum. This September, she appears in her first Hollywood film, Confetti.
Finally her manager opened the door and I was in—interviewing a STAR! She told me about all her hit songs. She also told me about some of the people who have helped her along the way. Among them is Spanish songwriter and singer Camilo Sesto. After making four country music albums, she did a pop record with Sesto. “It was great. I had several hit singles. He’s my godfather. He baptized me into this field.”
She also got some help from Raul Velasco, who has a Jay Leno-style TV variety show. The first song she performed on his show was “Siempre Pensando En Tí” (Always Thinking of You). He later honored her seven times among the top 10 artists of the year.
She also told me that Italian fans loved her soap, “Colorina,” so much that they asked her to record two of its songs in Italian. Lucia is worldwide!
One of her personal favorite projects was the soap opera “Diana Salazar,” a story about a woman accused of being a witch 300 years ago. It’s full of cool special effects, and the songs are great too.
Then it was all over. I thanked her for the incredible opportunity to interview a living legend. Wow! I’ll never forget it.”
