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Ivy Queen
Background information
Birth name	Martha Ivelisse Pesante
Also known as	The Queen of Reggaeton
Born	April 9, 1972 (1972-04-09) (age 36) Añasco, Puerto Rico
Origin	Puerto Rican
Genre(s)	Reggaetón
Occupation(s)	composer, singer
Years active	1994–present
Label(s)	Univision Music Group, Abby Records
Associated acts	DJ Negro

Ivy Queen (born March 4, 1972) is a Latin Grammy and Billboard Latin-nominated, Lo Nuestro Award-winner composer and singer most commonly known as "La Reina del Reggaeton" (The Queen of Reggaeton). She is among the few female artists in the reggaeton genre.

Early years

Ivy Queen (birth name: Martha Ivelisse Pesante) was born in Añasco, Puerto Rico. When she was young, Ivy Queen's parents moved to New York City where she was raised. Her parents returned to their hometown of Añasco, Puerto Rico for about 2 years when Ivy was in her teens. When she was 18, Ivy Queen moved to San Juan where she met rapper and producer, DJ Negro; who introduced her to a group called "The Noise", with whom she wrote and performed her first song "Somos Rapperos Pero No Delincuentes" (We're Rappers, But Not Delinquents). In 2008, she resumed his studies, intending to conclude her high school education. She stated that the reason behind this decision was to "deliver a message to young people".^[1]

Singing career

Soon, DJ Negro convinced Ivy Queen to go solo and in 1997, she made her debut with the recording of the album En Mi Imperio (In My Empire) for the Sony International Records label which sold over 100,000 copies.^{citation needed} In the same year she traveled to Panama where she presented as The Queen of Reggaeton in "The Battle of Rap". She also did some presentations in the Dominican Republic, which were all sold out and later that year, she participated in "The First National Festival of Rap and Reggae". There, Ivy Queen was proclaimed the "Rap Singer of the Year". Also, in 1997, Ivy was awarded the "Artista '97" award, naming her "The Peoples Favorite Rap Singer", by Artista magazine.

In 1998, Ivy Queen recorded her second album, for the Sony Label, titled Original Rude Girl which carried the following hit songs "Interlude in the Zone", "Que Sabes Tu" ("What Do You Know?") and "The King and the Queen". It sold more than her first album and was highly acclaimed. Ivy's third album Diva, was released in 2003. The songs were originally written by her and performed with the participation of various artists. Diva was so successful that an enhanced edition entitled Diva (Platinum Edition) was released in 2004. The update to the CD added several remixes of her most popular songs from the Diva album. Ivy Queen's fourth album Real followed quickly and was also released in 2004. The album had guest artists such as Hector "El Father", Mikey Perfecto, Fat Joe, and La India.

Ivy Queen fifth album was a compilation of her best work and added 4 previously unreleased songs. The album, called Flashback, was released in 2005. The Best of Ivy Queen was released in 2005 which also was a compilation of her best work. It is still unknown whether or not The Best of Ivy Queen was an official release. In March 2007, Ivy Queen released a new album titled Sentimiento. The album debuted at No. 4 on the Latin charts, making it her highest debut ever on the chart. The lead single of the album "Que Lloren" became a Top 10 hit, and the remix by Manny and Gil also became a top hit in many countries.

Some eulogies to her includes:

• The New York Times said: "Solo existe una rappera de reggaeton, Ivy Queen" ^[2]
• Revista Latina Magazine said: "Una de las mujeres latinas más importantes" ^[2]

Discography

Albums

EPs

• E5

Singles

• The song "In The Zone" features Wyclef Jean

References

See also

Puerto Rico portal

• List of famous Puerto Ricans