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La La
If there are any doubters about the influence of the Internet on the changing landscape of the music industry, the story of singer-songwriter LaLa Romero will change their minds. Born, Casey Romero, LaLa’s fate was to be anything but a pop music star or, at least conventional wisdom said so. After all, a girl from the largely Latino neighborhoods of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley with talent might impress a few friends and family, but who outside the neighborhood would ever hear her?
LaLa’s passion for music started at an early age, she discovered songwriting while trying to carve out her individual identity in a house with 4 younger sisters. “Growing up in a big crazy family, music was all that I had that was mine! MY thoughts, MY feelings MY songs… there was no other place for me to express my dreams & frustrations.” That expression grew into a career aspiration. By 12 years old, LaLa had decided she wanted to be a recording artist and she was determined to work hard and make her dreams come true. By the time she graduated high school she was poised to take the world by storm. Unfortunately things didn’t fall into place overnight. Many quickly recognized her appeal: she was beautiful, talented, and interesting, but they tried to make her fit a model that just wasn’t her. “I've been in girl groups & had solo deals where I was constantly being misunderstood- deemed the token ‘spicy’ Latina. There's not a lot of dimension to that girl, and I knew to get my point across and be fully understood I was going to have to break down doors.
In 2006 LaLa took control of the fate of her career and brought her music directly to people -- She built her MySpace page, and the music fans came in droves! Their endorsement of LaLa’s unique, Latin-infused Urban/Pop, which she refers to as “Pretty Brown Sound,” was so swift and passionate that it caught the attention of influential west coast radio stations. Julio G downloaded the song “Lalala” from Myspace and started playing it on KDAY. Soon after, KPWR-Power 106 (L.A.), XMOR (San Diego), KSEQ (Fresno), and KCAQ (Oxnard/Ventura), were all playing the record- all this without the guidance or support from a manager or record label.
The next year, Priority Records founder Bryan Turner signed the songstress to a management and production deal with his company Melee Entertainment. From Turner, LaLa learned the ins and outs of Priority Records precedent setting "street-based" formula of underground marketing- and her fan base soared. Her first music video “Homegurlz,” topped the charts on MTV Tr3s’ show MiTRL, beating Juanes, RBD and Rihanna for the #1 spot, and enthusiastic fan support forced radio stations in the southwest region to take notice and play her record. Her next single, “Sprung On A Thug,” also received major market radio play, and was her 2nd video to reach the #1 spot on MTV Tr3s’ Mi TRL.
And, LaLa continues to grow in myspace popularity. Almost 5,000 new “friends” join her movement each month. #1 on the MySpace Latin chart, she currently has more than 4.3 million profile views, more than 140,000 friends and more than 7.7 million total plays of her music.
Even more special than statistics is the close – or rather, “interactive” – relationship she has with her fans. They leave comments on her page to “show love”, share personal life stories or simply visit the page to hear new music or read LaLa’s blog. She consistently consults with them to select her singles, choose music videos concepts, and vote on everything from their favorite outfit, haircut, and nail color, to the “thug” to be featured in the “Sprung On a Thug” video. “My career is an "US" thing!! My fans are my A&R, they launched my career right off Myspace and I’m doing this for US & they know it and appreciate it.”
The recently released video for the song ‘Sadgirl’ is due in part to the overwhelming reaction from fans. The brutally autobiographical track about growing up in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley and trying to make her music dream a reality, quickly became a fan favorite. “I never intended for ‘Sadgirl’ to be a single- ” LaLa says, “but my fans wanted it.” Every girl in the video is a fan from her MySpace page, and the locations show real places from her life, such as the apartments she grew up in, her elementary school, her bus stop, and her block.
LaLa’s perspective and her connection to the voice of her fans are at the center of her appeal. “I write songs based on my experiences- real things that I’ve lived or seen”. It’s that kind of lyrical authenticity that she brings to her songwriting that has created such intense loyalty among her fans.
Her writing prowess and success also lead her to an exclusive worldwide, multi-album publishing deal with peermusic, the world’s largest independent music publishing company in 2008. Soon after, she was listed as the # 1 Artist to watch in the 2008 Latino Intelligence Report.
LaLa left Melee Entertainment in 2009 with the opportunity to join forces with Laney Stewart, accomplished music producer and executive, responsible for discovering and developing The-Dream who has since written such songs as “Umbrella” (Rhianna), “Touch My Body” (Mariah Carey), “Just Fine (Mary J Blidge) and “Single Ladies” (Beyonce) among others. Still breaking down doors, LaLa along with Stewart, is crafting her first solo album.
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Homegurlz
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La La
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Sprung on a Thug (featuring The Game)
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La La
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