Jamie Irene Pineda (born September 27, 1988) is an American
pop singer-songwriter and former model. In late 2007, Pineda signed on to be the front woman of the international pop music project
Sweetbox
Sweetbox is a German based pop music project formed in 1995 by executive producer Heiko Schmidt and music producer Roberto "Geo" Rosan. Throughout the years Sweetbox has had several lead singers including Kimberly Kearney, Dacia Bridges, Tina H ...
staying with the group until 2012. In 2013, she took part in
third season of the American music competition series ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
''.
Early life
Pineda is of
Mexican descent and grew up in
Fall River Mills, California
Fall River Mills, colloquially referred to as Fall River, is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Shasta County, California, United States. Its population is 616 as of the 2020 census, up from 573 from the 2010 census.
Pro ...
with eight brothers and sisters. Growing up, she played guitar and piano in the church choir while also singing in the school choir. When she was 14, she was offered a contract after an executive heard her singing on the balcony of her grandmother's restaurant. However, her family said she was much too young and they passed on the opportunity.
When she was 15, Jamie stood in line to audition for ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' but was 20 days too young to compete.
Among her credits, she has performed at a halftime show for the
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...
game. She has stated before that some of her influences are
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
,
Selena
Selena Quintanilla Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Called the " Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mex ...
,
Etta James and
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
.
[Jamie Pineda from Sweetbox Interview – YouTube]
/ref>
Sweetbox
After her town raised money for Pineda to move to Los Angeles, she made the move and found herself modeling for an agency to make ends meet, while trying to make it as a musician. In August 2007, the agency informed Jamie about the international pop project Sweetbox
Sweetbox is a German based pop music project formed in 1995 by executive producer Heiko Schmidt and music producer Roberto "Geo" Rosan. Throughout the years Sweetbox has had several lead singers including Kimberly Kearney, Dacia Bridges, Tina H ...
looking for a new singer after the last singer, Jade Villalon
Jade Valerie Villalon (born August 12, 1980), also known by her project and stage name Jade Valerie, is an American pop singer, songwriter, and actress. From 1999 to 2007, she was the vocalist and lyricist of Sweetbox, releasing five original al ...
, left to embark on a solo career. Taking the chance, she auditioned and impressed executive producer Heiko Schmidt. The next day, the then 18-year-old did some test recordings for Heiko in the studio of Bernd Burgdorf. She signed on soon thereafter to become the new front woman of the project.
The Next Generation
The same month, Pineda got to work and began traveling around the globe to places including Stockholm, Gothenburg, New York City and London. While having songs written for her as the new face of Sweetbox, Pineda also co-wrote tracks with Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad (born 28 March 1968) is a Los Angeles-based German music producer/songwriter, best known for co-writing John Legend's biggest hit, " All of Me," the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and produc ...
, Georgie Dennis and Derek Bramble. Seeing that they worked so well together, Bramble was chosen as the producer for the album, taking over the spot Geo left vacant after he and Jade Villalon left the project.
In May 2008, Derek and Pineda got to work on the album, entitled ''The Next Generation
Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to:
Publications and literature
* ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company
* Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...
''. The duo recorded the album in Los Angeles, California with the help of mix engineer Rob Chiarelli, Derek's longtime partner.
The album's debut single, "We Can Work It Out
"We Can Work It Out" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It was first issued as a double A-side single with "Day Tripper" in December 1965. It also appeared on the 1966 US release '' Yesterd ...
", was released in April 2009 to Japan and reached No. 4 on iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
Pop charts and eventually reached No. 27 of the Japan ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Two more singles, " Crash Landed" and " Everything is Nothing", were released from the album.
The album was released to Japan under the Warner Music Japan
Warner Music Group's labels include the following.
Flagship labels
*Atlantic Records
*Elektra Records
*Parlophone Records
*Warner Records
Atlantic Records Group
* 1st & 15th Entertainment
* Nipsey Hussle, All Money In
* Mike Caren, Artist Par ...
label in June 2009 and in Korea under the Sony BMG
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
label in November 2009.[Sweetbox / スウィートボックス|ニュース|Warner Music Japan]
/ref> Pineda promoted the album in Japan in May and June 2009 by visiting radio stations and performing at various events, including the FRESHNESS Warner event which showcased Warner Japan's hottest talent. In July 2009 the album was released via iTunes worldwide. It was the first Sweetbox release in North America since the debut album from the project in 1998.
The album was well received in Japan and had success in Korea. It peaked in the top 10 on several charts for both countries, including No. 4 on the Oricon International Charts and No. 1 on several Korean charts.
Diamond Veil
Pineda started writing for the second album in June 2009, right after her first album release. Through the official Sweetbox website, she had been asking fans what they would like to see on the album. In September 2009, Pineda traveled to Sweden and started working with previous writers on the album. Pineda took a more hands-on role with the writing of this album and has stated she keeps a notebook with her at all times for inspiration. In a November 2009 interview, she stated that with this writing process she has a lot to write about and more emotions were coming out with the writing.
In January 2010, Heiko Schmidt announced that Pineda had finished writing for the album and that the second release from Pineda would be recorded in the coming months and would be released in the second quarter of 2010. He stated that the new album would feature "more uptempo and high energetic songs" than the project's previous release. In February 2010, Pineda traveled to Sweden once again and continued writing and recording. There, she once again collaborated with Didrik and Sebastian Thott, who co-wrote on Pineda's first studio album.
That May it was announced via Pineda's Twitter that the album would be released in September 2010.Twitter / jamiepineda: hey guys! just to answer some
/ref>
However, with lack of promotion and information the album was released on iTunes and Amazon on May 18, 2011. The cover art of the album is different from the Japanese version. The album has kept its original name ''Diamond Veil
''Diamond Veil'' is the eighth studio album by Sweetbox with Jamie Pineda's second studio album. It was released on May 25, 2011, in Japan, and on June 3, 2011, in Korea. It includes 15 new songs written by Jamie Pineda, Sebastian Thott and many o ...
'' from the beginning of recording. The album is more upbeat and dance-oriented than the previous effort with Pineda due to that being the main criticism of the last album ''The Next Generation''.
Pineda posted two videos on Warner Japan's YouTube page talking about songs on ''Diamond Veil''.
On July 12, the deluxe version of Diamond Veil was released digitally, containing all the tracks found on the physical version. This version contains new artwork using a photo from ''The Next Generation'' as a new photo shoot was not done.
Departure from Sweetbox
After the release of ''Diamond Veil'', Pineda left the group. While she had been somewhat open about not being pleased with how her career with Sweetbox went, it is unclear on what terms she left.
Her background vocals were used for the song "Stolen" on the 2008 album ''I Am
I Am or I'm may refer to:
Language and literature
* " I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name
** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible
* "I Am" (p ...
'' by the German girl group Monrose
Monrose was a German pop girl group, first established in November 2006. Formed on the fifth installment of the German adaption of the international television talent show ''Popstars'', the trio consisted of singers Mandy Capristo, Senna Gamm ...
. Pineda had recorded the song while in Sweden in 2007 but the song was given to Monrose for their third album.
''The X Factor''
In 2013, she auditioned to third season of the American music competition series ''The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
''. She was one of Final 40 named, and one of ten finalists in the Girls category mentored by Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...
, but failed to make it to the live shows.
In the newly introduced "four-chair challenge" broadcast on October 2, 2013, she sang "Don't Speak
"Don't Speak" is a song by American rock band No Doubt from their third studio album, ''Tragic Kingdom'' (1995). It was released as the third single from ''Tragic Kingdom'' in the United States on April 15, 1996, by Interscope Records. Lead ...
", a hit from No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, they ...
and was put in chair as appreciation. However she failed to make it to the Final 16 (final 4 of girls) at the end of the process, when Lovato switched her preferring the performance of Ellona Santiago over hers.
Personal life
Pineda is married to Juan Manuel Venegas and resides in Redding, California
Redding is the economic and cultural capital of the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California and the county seat of Shasta County. Redding lies along the Sacramento River, north of Sacramento, and south of California's northern border wi ...
with her two dogs, and children.
Discography
Albums
* The Next Generation
Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to:
Publications and literature
* ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company
* Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...
(2009)
* Diamond Veil
''Diamond Veil'' is the eighth studio album by Sweetbox with Jamie Pineda's second studio album. It was released on May 25, 2011, in Japan, and on June 3, 2011, in Korea. It includes 15 new songs written by Jamie Pineda, Sebastian Thott and many o ...
(2011)
Singles
* "We Can Work It Out" (2009)
*" Crash Landed" (2009)
*" Everything is Nothing" (2010)
*"Remember This Dance" (2011)
*"Minute By Minute" (2011)
*"I Know You're Not Alone" (2011)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pineda, Jamie
1988 births
Living people
21st-century American women singers
American women pop singers
American musicians of Mexican descent
Musicians from Glendale, California
People from Shasta County, California
Sweetbox members
The X Factor (American TV series) contestants
21st-century American singers
Hispanic and Latino American women singers