Miami, FL. (Top40 Charts/
Selena Serrano Official Website) - It has been a large underground hit with Jamaican Dancehall selectors internationally and has been garnering prime airtime on major radio stations across the country. Enough so, to land her on the charts as an independent artist. What's even funnier is that she is a Puerto Rican girl doing what most Jamaican artists do. "We figured we needed a new and interesting way to get people's attention and break into the industry."
Well, if attention is what she wanted than attention is what she is getting and she seems ready for the undertaking. Singing R&B since she was a toddler, Selena moved to South Florida six years ago with one goal in mind: to take the Miami scene by storm. After the 9/11 tragedy, she made a critical decision to move from Denver, Colorado to fully pursue her dream. Ever since, she has been songwriting for local artists and popular resident producers like Diaz Brothers and Jim Jonsin, teaching voice lessons, and singing backgrounds for major record label artists who come to record in sunny Miami.
Time and time again, collaborators would ask her why she wasn't an artist. "After pursuing it for years I had become jaded and began to question my abilities. I almost started to settle for remaining in the background". After regaining her confidence level, she made the leap with the help of mixing engineer/manager Nikolas Marzouca, who convinced her that she should once again step to the forefront where she belongs.
"When we began recording my solo project, it was such a rush to finally be able to write and record the music that was true to my heart, but we had to brainstorm a way to market it." The local scene in Miami is completely over run with Southern rappers and has no real market for R&B singers. "It's sometimes difficult to find anywhere to perform". Pulling from his Jamaican heritage, Nikolas suggested Selena sing Jamaican style dubplates, where Selena would rewrite all her originals in a sound boy style specifically for DJ's to play.
The idea worked. They sent it off to DJ friends they were familiar with and eventually to radio DJ's to get their feedback. The DJ's loved it and began requesting remixes of popular songs, so they could easily blend this into their sets on the mix shows.
The Bronx, NY born and Colorado raised Selena, says she is "poised to become a crossover powerhouse in the industry. I think I have enough experience and maturity under my belt now that I can write and sing my songs with more emotion while being able to navigate the industry with better business savvy. I'm having a lot of fun right now and I hope that when people hear my music they can feel the same way."
