All the way from "La Isla Del Encanto" - Puerto Rico, to the good ol' U.S. of A, comes Astrid with her debut album Don't Worry, the first female artist from the exploding indie label, Street Life Worldwide Entertainment Group. Urban and pop music by Latin artists has exploded around the globe, but before we go any further, Astrid wants to set the record straight.
"No - I'm not another J-Lo, or Shakira, or Christina
Aguilar. Not to knock what they're doing, but just
listen to my album and my lyrics and you'll feel
where I'm coming from."
In contrast to many singers today, Astrid has something to say. This 18-year-old native of Puerto Rico comes from a musical family, but Astrid soon realized that the incredible power of music is steered by the lyrics.
"Everybody's always saying something. Every song on
the radio is actually preaching something, whether
we want to admit it or not. I'm all down for
partying and having a good time, but I don't just
want people to feel my music. Everybody's got
problems and struggles they go through in life.
I've been through a lot, and I believe I can not
only entertain people, but at the same time, also
help them with their struggles and hurts through my
music. That is my fulfillment."
Just as fire forges steel, struggles learned from makes one stronger and wiser. Astrid is a living example of this truth. The young talented beauty has overcome depression, suicide and family breakdowns at a young age, and is now undeniably destined for stardom. At the age of thirteen, in Houston, TX, she began singing in church services hosted by the often controversial, but always effective hustler-turned-evangelist known as Levi. Levi had a vision to create a new kind of music, a music that would bring peace to the hearts of young men and women living the "street life". So he started up Street Life Worldwide Entertainment Group, and Astrid, only fifteen at the time, became one of the first acts signed to the label. There was no doubt to Astrid that Street Life was the right label home for her.
"Our visions are the same. For an artist like me,
with my message, it could be hard to find a label
that would let me do what I need to do. I can't
deny that God is the reason for my past and future
success, and the reason that I even lived to see
my eighteenth birthday, and I want to tell people
that, because I believe it will help them. But at
the same time, I'm not the kind of person to be
preachy all the time."
Astrid's music defies categorization, but for the past two years, even without an album released, she has been using her gift to bring smiles to the faces of people in both the highest and lowest places. She has performed in clubs, churches, schools, jails, "bootcamps", carshows, blockparties, professional parties, business mixers, the list goes on.
"But my favorite place to sing is in the streets
and at jails and bootcamps - places where people
are going through some real struggles. When I see
a struggling single mom or a straight up hardcore
thug break down crying from hearing me sing, and
tell me that they've found what they've been
looking for - that's what makes it all worth it
for me. That's why I do this."
With a production team lead by platinum selling producer Crazy C, Astrid's melodic and soulful voice stretches across the spectrum, gently riding the rhythms of ballads and, at other times, singing hard-edged vocals over hip hop beats. So whether you're thuggin' in the streets or praisin' in the church, do yourself a favor. Don't sleep on Astrid's debut album, Don't Worry. Happy listening.
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