Judy Torres (born June 13, 1968 in

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 ...

, New York City) is an American

freestyle music Freestyle music, also called Latin freestyle or Latin hip-hop ''(sic)'' is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in the New York metropolitan area and Philadelphia, primarily among Hispanic Americans and Italian Americans in the 1980s. I ...

artist and

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

singer.

Early life and career

Growing up in the Bronx, Torres was the oldest of five siblings. She attended St. Thomas Aquinas, and the all girls only Aquinas High School. Torres scored club hits with songs such as "Please Stay Tonight," "Come into My Arms," "Love Story," "I Love You, Will You Love Me," and her first single "No Reason to Cry." A love-themed freestyle written by Mickey Garcia, "No Reason to Cry" peaked at #30 on the ''

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 Dance Charts. Her debut album, ''Love Story'', which was released in 1989 on

Profile Records Profile Records was one of the earliest hip hop labels. As well as hip-hop they released disco, dance, and electro records. History In 1980, Cory Robbins, who was 23 at the time and had worked briefly for MCA, wanted to start a record label. ...

, is a freestyle collection, which included Ken Cedar-penned "Weakness of the Body", which was originally recorded by a teenage Mariah Carey. Her second album, ''My Soul'', was released in 1992 and received good reviews by critics and fans alike. The album features such hits as attitudinal song "Every Little Lie," which tells a tale of an unfaithful man who, instead of ending the relationship amicably, decides to lead her on and she confronts him about it. Torres previously had a regular Sunday night Freestyle show on New York's popular radio station

WKTU WKTU (103.5 FM) is a rhythmic adult contemporary formatted radio station licensed to Lake Success, New York, a suburb of New York City. WKTU is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios in the former AT&T Building in the Tribeca neighbo ...

103.5 named "Freestyle Free for All." She is currently on-air at KTU from 3 pm to 8 pm on Sundays; she has been a performer and on-air personality at KTU for over 17 years. In 2001, Torres scored a club hit with the sentimental love song "Back in Your Arms Again." It peaked at #7 on the

Hot Dance Music/Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

chart, her highest charting single yet. It was also featured in a remix version on the popular compilation series ''White Party''. In 2004, she released her debut single on the label

Robbins Entertainment Robbins Entertainment is an American dance music record label. It is owned by Cory Robbins and has released music by Cascada, such as their hit single " Everytime We Touch". It is also the company responsible for the ''Dance Party Like It's....'' ...

that was titled "The Air I Breathe," which featured freestyle artist Collage. It is a

Hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...

song produced by A-List producer

Tony Moran Anthony "Tony" Moran is a DJ, record producer, remixer, singer and songwriter known for remixing popular songs. In 2007, he hit number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart twice with " Walk Away" featuring Kristine W and "Kee ...

. The single performed modestly on the charts, making the Top 40 of the

, peaking about No. 30. It was around this time at a live performance at the Manhattan venue The Star Lounge in

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

when New York City freestyle promoter and host Steve Sylvester introduced and officially dubbed Judy the ‘Queen Of Freestyle’, a moniker that has endured as her legacy in the freestyle genre. In late 2005, Judy released the single " Faithfully." The song received airplay at dance stations. It is a cover of a 1983 hit by the band

Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

. The single soon peaked at No. 1 as one of the requested songs on

. Other Rhythmic/Dance format radio stations in the U.S. added the single from New York to their playlists. In August 2007, Torres returned to her

Freestyle music Freestyle music, also called Latin freestyle or Latin hip-hop ''(sic)'' is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in the New York metropolitan area and Philadelphia, primarily among Hispanic Americans and Italian Americans in the 1980s. I ...

roots with the single "I Don't." The song is a cover of

Danielle Peck Danielle Marie Peck (born September 14, 1978) is an American country music artist. Signed to the independent Big Machine Records label in 2005, Peck released her self-titled debut album, which produced the Top 30 country hits "I Don't", " Findin ...

's Top 30 country hit written by Clay Mills/Peck/Burton Collins. In November 2008, Judy released "Hell, No," an anthem for abused women. Judy Torres appears in the 2012 film ''Elliot Loves'', in which she plays the role of Aunt Nani. On March 18, 2018, Torres announced her one-woman off Broadway debut, ''No Reason To Cry'', with performances scheduled for June 22 and 23 in New York City. Both initial performances sold out in under an hour resulting in a third show added. The third show scheduled for June 24, 2018 also sold out in under an hour. On April 20, 2018, four additional show dates were announced for July 4–7 in New York City.

Discography

*''Love Story'' – 1989, Profile/Arista/BMG Records *''My Soul'' – 1992, Profile/Arista/BMG Records *''Greatest Hits'' – 2002, Empire Musicwerks/Universal Records

Singles

*"No Reason To Cry" (1996 remix #16) (#30 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

) *"Come into My Arms" (#19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Songs) *"Love Story" (#47 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Songs) *"Love You, Will You Love Me" (1989) *"Please Stay Tonight" (1989) *"Missing Part" (1990) *"I Love You For All Seasons"(1992) *"Every Little Lie" (1993) *"Holding On" (1996) *"Back in Your Arms Again" (1999) *"The Air I Breathe" (2004) *"Faithfully" (2005) (#6 Billboard

Dance/Mix Show Airplay Dance/Mix Show Airplay (formerly Hot Dance Airplay) is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. History The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic d ...

) *"I Don't" (2007) *"Hell No" (2008) (#43 ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Songs) *"Stay" (2010) * "Beautiful Life" (2012)

References

External links

Official websiteDiscogs entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Judy 1968 births Living people American dance musicians American DJs Profile Records artists American women singers American radio personalities American freestyle musicians American musicians of Puerto Rican descent People from the Bronx Singers from New York City

Early life and career

Discography

Singles

See also

References

External links