Blanca Elaine Reyes (born February 10, 1986), who goes by the mononym Blanca, is a Puerto Rican-born American

Contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...

singer-songwriter. Until 2013, she was a member of

Group 1 Crew Group 1 Crew was an American Christian hip hop band signed to Fervent Records and Warner Bros. Records. They made their debut with the hit song "Can't Go On" on WOW Hits 2007. Soon after they released their first EP ''I have a dream'' (2006 ...

. She is now a solo artist. She released her debut EP on January 13, 2015, '' Who I Am EP'', with

Word Records Word Records is a Christian faith-based entertainment company based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Curb Records, and is a part of Word Entertainment. It is distributed by Warner Records (the former Warner Bros. Records). History In 1 ...

and her first studio album, '' Blanca'', on May 4, 2015.

Early life

Blanca was born Blanca Elaine Reyes, in Puerto Rico on February 10, 1986. Her father was into drugs and alcohol until he had an encounter with Jesus, which caused him to start leading his family in the ways of Christ.

Music career

Blanca was a member of Group 1 Crew from its inception until 2013, when she began her solo career. She collaborated with the group

Building 429 Building 429 is an American Christian rock band from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Their name is derived from a Biblical passage known as Ephesians 4:29, which, in the New International Version of the Bible, reads as follows: "Do not let any u ...

for the song "Press On" which charted at position 7 on the Billboard

Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's flagship songs ...

chart, and stayed on the chart for 26 weeks. She also collaborated on songs in Spanish, such as the introduction of the album ''

Más Mas, Más or MAS may refer to: Film and TV * Más y Menos, fictional superhero characters, from the Teen Titans animated television series * "Más" (''Breaking Bad''), a season three episode of ''Breaking Bad'' Songs * ''Más'' (album), by Span ...

'' by

Redimi2 Redimi2 (born Willy González Cruz; June 3, 1979) is a Dominican Christian music rapper and songwriter. González began releasing music in 1999 as a part of Redimi2 Squad, alongside his brother JG. After all members besides González left the grou ...

and

Funky Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mid ...

. Blanca's debut album titled ''Blanca'' was released on May 4, 2015, on

. Her first solo single, "Who I Am", ranked number one on the ''Billboard''

Christian Airplay Christian Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since June 21, 2003. This chart lists the 50 most-listened-to records played on multiple Christian radio stations across the country as monitored by N ...

chart and number 27 on the annual chart. Her second release as a solo artist, Who I Am EP, was released on January 13, 2015, also via Word Records, and was placed on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and

Hot Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's flagship songs ...

charts. Blanca's solo career continued with the release of the album ''Shattered'' in 2018, which was subsequently re-released entirely in Spanish as ''Quebrantado'', featuring

and Tye Tribbett, again entering the Billboard Christian Airplay chart. In 2019, she was part of the main cast of the Bogotá Gospel event, sharing the stage with artists such as

Alex Zurdo Alexis Vélez Alberio, also known as Alex Zurdo, is a Puerto Rican Christian music rapper and songwriter. He has almost a dozen musical productions, and has been awarded the GMA Dove Award and Arpa Awards, having also been nominated for a Lat ...

Danilo Montero Danilo Montero (born 1 November 1962) is a Costa Rican contemporary Christian music singer, author, and pastor, who currently serves as pastor of Lakewood Church's Spanish-speaking congregation. Biography Born on 1 November 1962, in San Jose, ...

, and others, in addition to being awarded at the Tecla awards as ''Best Musician Creating Content on Social Networks.'' Cultivating her Latin roots, in 2020 she announced her second EP in Spanish titled ''Renovada'', handling singles mostly in Spanish and collaborations with

Christine D'Clario Christine D'Clario (September 7, 1982) is an American Christian music singer, songwriter and worship leader, who plays contemporary worship music primarily for a Spanish-speaking audience. She has released seven albums: six in the Spanish-langua ...

Gawvi Gabriel Alberto Azucena who goes by the stage name GAWVI, formerly G-Styles, is an American Christian hip hop artist and music producer, formerly for Reach Records. He was born on September 23, 1988 in the Bronx, New York. He has released three ...

, "Papi Song" with Genio, in honor of her father Toñito Reyes, who was a Christian salsero in Puerto Rico, and others.

Personal life

On January 21, 2013, Blanca announced that she and her husband, Ben Callahan of Group 1 Crew, were expecting their first child. She had a son, named London, in July 2013. On December 1, 2020, Blanca announced that she and her husband would be divorcing, after two years of separation.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Album appearances

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blanca Living people American performers of Christian music Converts to Christianity Puerto Rican Christians 21st-century Puerto Rican women singers Singers from Florida People from Orlando, Florida Songwriters from Florida 1986 births Word Records artists