Nydia Caro (born June 7, 1948) is a Puerto Rican singer.

Early years

Caro was born in New York City to parents from

Rincón, Puerto Rico Rincón () is a popular beach town and municipality of Puerto Rico founded in 1771 by Don Luis de Añasco, who previously founded Añasco in 1733. It is located in the Western Coastal Valley, west of Añasco and Aguada. Rincón is spread over ...

, initiated her career in the arts at a very young age while living in New York. She attended James Monroe H.S. where she graduated in 1964. After completing high school she enrolled in the New York School of Performing Arts in singing, dancing, and acting classes.

Music and Acting career

Caro made her debut in show business acting at an

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

television show and in 1964 released a Christmas-themed single on the

Roulette Records Roulette Records was an American record company and label founded in 1957 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Kahl, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed ...

label, "Ask Me What I Want for Christmas" (Roulette R-4588). In 1967, shortly after her father died, she moved to Puerto Rico and released her first

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

titled ''Dimelo tu''. She has released 20 internationally acclaimed albums and CDs ever since. Caro enrolled at the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and ...

in literature to enhance her Spanish skills. Nevertheless, she was hired immediately to co-host a popular

teen Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

show by channel 2 ("Show

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...

"). The decade of the 1970s was very successful for Nydia Caro. In 1970, she won the "Festival de la Canción" in

Ibagué Ibagué () (referred to as San Bonifacio de Ibagué del Valle de las Lanzas during the Spanish period) is the capital of Tolima, one of the 32 departments that make up the Republic of Colombia. The city is located in the center of the country ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

, with the songs "Hermano tengo frío", composed by Karmen Mercado, the niece of famed actor and

astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...

Walter Mercado Walter Mercado Salinas (9 March 1932 – 2 November 2019), also known by his stage name Shanti Ananda, was a Puerto Rican astrologer, actor, dancer, and writer, best known as a television personality for his shows as an astrologer. His astrolo ...

, and "Pongo el Mundo en las Manos de un Niño" composed by Raoul Gonzalez. In 1972, she went to Tokyo, Japan, where she sang

La Borinqueña "" (from the native name of Puerto Rico, ''Borinquen'' or ''Boriquen''), ) is the official anthem of Puerto Rico. After Puerto Rico became known as "The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico" in 1952, the first elected governor, Luis Muñoz Marín, sig ...

before the world Heavyweight

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

championship fight between

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champi ...

and José Roman. '' Ring En Español'' remarked that her singing of the Puerto Rican national anthem probably lasted longer than the fight itself. That same year, she made an appearance on ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

'' with fellow Puerto Rican entertainers

Raúl Juliá Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After ...

and

Sonia Manzano Sonia Manzano (born 1950) is an American actress, screenwriter, author, singer and songwriter. She is best known for playing Maria on ''Sesame Street'' from 1971 to 2015. She received a Lifetime Achievement Daytime Emmy Award in 2016. Her mem ...

. In 1973, she won one of the first awards in the prestigious "Festival de

Benidorm Benidorm is a town and municipality in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Benidorm has been a tourist destination within Spain since 1925, when its port was extended and the first hotel ...

" in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

, Spain, with the song "Vete Ya", composed by

Julio Iglesias Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva (; born 23 September 1943) is a Spanish singer, songwriter and former professional footballer. Iglesias is recognized as the most commercially successful Spanish singer in the world and one of the top record ...

for her. In 1974, she won the equally prestigious third edition of the Festival OTI representing her country in

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has ...

, Mexico, with the song "Hoy canto por cantar". The song, composed by Caro and Riccardo Cerratto, caused some controversy in Puerto Rico for being the "anti-protest" song in that decade. Despite that, the song helped Caro further extend her popularity built on prior hit songs such as "Cuéntale", "Duerme", "Charly", "Copos de nieve" and "No Pudo Ser". She also hosted her own television program, ''El Show de Nydia Caro'' on Puerto Rican television. Moreover, her reputation was helped by strong concert performances in prestigious venues; such as, Club Caribe and Club Tropicoro in San Juan,

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...

, the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...

in New York and many others around the world in countries throughout South America, Spain, Australia, Mexico, and Japan. Besides Puerto Rico, Caro's relevance as a cultural icon is strongest in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

, a country in which she has performed regularly since her 1974 appearance at the

Viña del Mar International Song Festival , image = , caption =Overture to the closing night of LI Viña del Mar International Song Festival (2010) , location =Viña del Mar, Chile , years_active =1960-present , founders = , dates =3rd week of February , ...

. She has appeared in Chilean

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...

s and has spent regular seasons living in the country. In 1998, Caro released her album ''De amores luminosos'' to critical acclaim. The album was produced by the renowned Chilean producer Joakin Bello. It features musical themes such as the song "Buscando Mis Amores", from the poems of Santa Teresa de Jesus,

Fray Luis de León Fray or Frays or The Fray may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities *Fray, a phenomenon in Terry Pratchett's '' The Carpet People'' *Fray, the main character in the video games: **''Fray in Magical Adventure'' **''Fray CD' ...

and San Juan de la Cruz. It blends musical instruments native to distant countries; such as, Tibet and India, together with instruments from Puerto Rico and South America. The effort sets her apart from other artists in Puerto Rico, as the first exponent of "alternative" or "new age" music, and was named as one of the 20 best recordings in 1999 by Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular in Puerto Rico.

Image

Caro has a reputation for her lasting beauty, her complexion has very few expression lines and gives the general public the impression of her not aging with time (Caro became a grandmother in 2004). She claims she has had no plastic surgery and affirms her lasting youthful appearance is a result of minimizing exposure to sun as much as possible. At one time she was the spokesperson for

Oil of Olay Olay, previously Oil of Olay, Oil of Olaz, Oil of Ulan or Oil of Ulay, is an American skin care brand owned by Procter & Gamble. For the 2009 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, Olay accounted for an estimated $2.8 billion of P&G's revenue. Ear ...

products in Puerto Rico. Caro also has a reputation for being "classy", or elegantly sophisticated. She parodied this image by appearing in an advertisement campaign run by the

Banco Popular de Puerto Rico Popular, Inc., doing business as Banco Popular in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and as Popular Bank in the mainland United States, is a financial services conglomerate that has operated in Puerto Rico for over 125 years and in the mainland ...

, where she reportedly sells her house to Puerto Rican rapper

Tego Calderón Tegui Calderón Rosario (born February 1, 1972) is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer and actor. He began his musical career in 1996 (as Tego Tec) and was supported by the famous Puerto Rican rapper Eddie Dee, who invited him on his second studio albu ...

, the contrast in their public images played upon for comic effect. Another Puerto Rican rapper, Residente from Calle 13, remarks about Caro's lasting sex appeal (rather graphically) on the band's song ''"La Era de la Copiaera"'' ("The Age of -Copycat- Copying").

Film

In 2000, she made her

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

debut, playing "Isabelle" in '' Under Suspicion'', starring

Gene Hackman Eugene Allen Hackman (born January 30, 1930) is an American retired actor and former novelist. In a career that has spanned more than six decades, Hackman has won two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Award, two BAFTAs ...

and

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...

Personal life

Caro married Spanish producer ''Gabriel Suau'' and they had two children, Christian (currently a film director) and Gabriela. The couple divorced after a few years of marriage, but remain on good terms. During her marriage, she continued her professional singing career, releasing over 20 albums to date. In 2019, Caro officiated the wedding of two homosexual close friends of hers and said it was one of the most meaningful things she's ever done.

Discography

* ''Dímelo tú'' (1967) * ''Los Durísimos y yo'' (1969) * ''Hermano, tengo frío'' (1970) * ''Grandes Éxitos - Volumen Uno'' (1973) * ''Cuéntale'' (1973) * ''Grandes Éxitos - Volumen Dos'' (1974) * ''Hoy canto por cantar'' (1974) * ''Contigo fui mujer'' (1975) * ''Palabras de amor'' (1976) * ''El amor entre tú y yo'' (1977) * ''Oye, guitarra mía'' (1977) * ''Arlequín'' (1978) * ''Suavemente/Sugar Me'' (1978) * ''Isadora/Keep On Movin'12"'' (1978) * ''A quién vas a seducir'' (1979) * ''Intimidades'' (1982) * ''Prepárate'' (1983) * ''Papá de domingos'' (1984) * ''Soledad'' (1985) * '' Hija de la Luna'' (1988) * ''Para valientes nada más'' (1991) * ''De amores luminosos'' (1998) * ''Las noches de Nydia'' (2003) * ''Bienvenidos'' (2003) * ''Claroscuro'' (2012) ;Collaborations * ''Cantaré, cantarás/Hermanos del Tercer Mundo'' (1985) * ''Somos el prójimo/Aristada puertorriquena'' (1985) * ''Al compás de un sentimiento, Así canta Puerto Rico'' (1991) * ''Ocho puertas'' (2003)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caro, Nydia 1950 births Living people American musicians of Puerto Rican descent Spanish-language singers of the United States Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School alumni