Jamila Velazquez (born November 27, 1995) is an American singer and actress, best known for her recurring roles as Sarita in the ABC Family series '' Twisted'' (2013–2014) and as Laura Calleros on FOX's primetime musical-drama series ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' (2015–2016).

Early life

Velazquez was born in the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

borough of

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

to Dominican and Puerto Rican parents. She also has a younger sister named Jada Velazquez. Her younger sister and her parents reside in New York. Velazquez was raised in the Longwood-Hunts Point section of the South Bronx. She attended Catholic School, and was enrolled in acting class by the age of six. She began singing and performing in kindergarten. When she was eight years old she booked her first role in an off-Broadway play called "The End of You". When she was 11, she and her family moved to Rockland County, New York. She later enrolled in the Professional Performing Arts High School in Midtown Manhattan. She enrolled as a vocal major, but during her second year she switched to drama.

Career

Acting

Velazquez first appeared in a 2011 movie drama ''Come Home Raquel'', playing the lead role Raquel in 2011, a 13-year-old girl from Queens, New York. In 2012, she guest-starred in the TV series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' in season 14, episode 4, " Acceptable Loss" as a sex worker named Pilar Morenas. In 2015, she revived the role of Pilar Morenas in season 16, episode 15 "Undercover Mother" and season 16, episode 23 "Surrendering Noah". In 2022, she was brought back to play Maya Jimenez in season 23, episode 11 "Burning with Rage Forever." Velazquez joined the cast of the ABC Family's new series '' Twisted'' in 2013, as the role of Sarita. She is a supporting character in ''Twisted'', former best friend of main character Lacey Porter and murdered student Regina Crane. On August 3, 2015, it was announced that Velazquez was joining the cast as Latina girl Laura Calleros from Bronx, New York, on

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

's ''

'' Season 2. She is the lead singer in Lyon Dynasty's Latin-American girl group, Mirage a Trois. Laura was a recurring character through season 2, first appearing in the episode "Poor Yorick". Velazquez had a role in the comedy-drama series Orange is the New Black in June 2016. In 2017, she had a minor role in ''

Chicago P.D. The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the municipal law enforcement agency of the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois, under the jurisdiction of the City Council. It is the second-largest municipal police department in the United States, behind th ...

'' as Emily Vega in season 4, episode 11, "You Wish". In 2018, she appeared in her second movie, ''How the Light Gets In''. In 2019, she had a minor role in ''

The Blacklist ''The Blacklist'' is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. The show follows Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who voluntarily s ...

'' in season 6, episode 9, "Minister D (No. 99)". On January 1, 2020, Velazquez's new movie '' John Henry'' is set to be released. Velazquez appeared as Meche in Steven Spielberg's adaptation of ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play '' Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid ...

'', released on December 10, 2021. Filming commenced at the end of September in 2019.Ansel Elgort to Star in Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story'
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Music

Velazquez is described as a pop/rock ballad singer. She has a wide range of taste in music. Some of her influences include, Fiona Apple, Hole, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Pearl Jam, and Amanda Miguel, to name a few. Velazquez's first original composition, the alternative/pop-rock break-up song "Nothing Like You", was released January 23, 2015. A Spanish version titled "Nada Como Tu" followed.

Discography

Solo songs Empire Music

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Velazquez, Jamila 1995 births Living people Actresses from New York City American television actresses American singers of Dominican Republic descent American people of Puerto Rican descent Entertainers from the Bronx Hispanic and Latino American women singers Hispanic and Latino American actresses Singers from New York City