Amanda Perez

Amanda Perez was born to a musical Fort Wayne, Indiana family in the early '80s. By the age of 4, she had begun to sing for her own amusement. But it was the popular Latino group, the Sombra Chicana USA, comprised of her uncles and cousins, that really inspired her to pursue music. She picked up the drums and keyboards by ear, and learned many a pop tune from the radio. At 11, she formed her own group with some schoolmates called the Sombra Chicana Chiquitos. They would play, to great effect, during the intermissions of her relatives' band, thus initiating Amanda's knack for stealing the show.

Encouraged by her early accomplishments, Perez joined the choirs of her junior high and high schools. Meanwhile, she was being heavily influenced by her brother's hardcore rap tastes, including DJ Quik, and her sister's R&B collection. She learned how to operate her uncle's recording studio, and produced her own five-song demo. Then, in 1999, she made a big splash by taking home the "Female Junior Vocalist of the Year" award at the Black Expo in Indianapolis.

Following that success, Perez became a local star. She did all she could to support her musical ambitions, working for her parents' trucking company and even selling drugs for a spell, which she regrets.

But her good fortune would be cemented in 2001 when Mike Q., a fixture at Powerhouse Entertainment, came to Fort Wayne to sign a rock band. When this endeavor fell through, he asked his hotel clerk for the name of the hottest local talent. Fortuitously, the clerk was Amanda's sister-in-law, and she passed him the demo. After being blown away by it on the plane home, Mike Q. immediately booked a flight back to Fort Wayne in search of Amanda; or so the story goes.

Amanda signed with Powerhouse Records in March of 2001. Her debut record, Where You At?, showcased the diversity of her talents. Aside from writing all of the tracks and contributing to the production, she rapped with attitude and blew away listeners with her crooning R&B voice. The record made some noise in the urban and dance music communities, and its success prompted Amanda to -- what else? -- make another record.