Corina Katt Ayala, known mononymously as Corina, is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She released her self-titled album on Atco Records in 1991, and charted a string of dance hits in the U.S. between 1989 and 1997. The highest charting of these was the summer 1991 hit "

Temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

", which peaked at No. 6 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Biography

Early life

Corina Katt Ayala was born to Puerto Rican parents in

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fif ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and raised in

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...

. In her teens, she became Miss Hispanic America and became runner-up for Miss Puerto Rico. Ayala spent years of formal training in ballet, voice, and theatre before landing a contract with

Cutting Records Cutting is the separation or opening of a physical object, into two or more portions, through the application of an acutely directed force. Implements commonly used for cutting are the knife and saw, or in medicine and science the scalpel and ...

, going under the name "Corina".

Music career

Corina released her debut single "Out of Control" in 1987. A year later, her second single "Give Me Back My Heart" peaked at No. 26 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts. In 1991, Corina released her self-titled debut album through Atco Records. The lead single, "

" became her biggest hit, peaking at No. 6 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Corina toured the U.S. as a support act for

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...

, and

Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch was an American hip-hop group formed in 1991 by Mark Wahlberg (alias Marky Mark), Scott Gee, Hector the Booty Inspector, DJ-T, and Ashey Ace. The group's best known song is "Good Vibrations", which made it to number ...

Acting career

Corina made some guest starring roles on ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...

'', ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

'', '' As the World Turns'', '' New York Undercover'', and '' Cosby''. She also starred alongside

Marc Anthony Marco Antonio Muñiz Rivera (born September 16, 1968), known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. A three-time Grammy Award and six-time Latin Gra ...

in the 1990 film ''East Side Story''. She was selected by director

Tim Robbins Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film ''The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and has won an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards for his role ...

to portray

Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...

in the 1999 film '' Cradle Will Rock''. Corina also wrote, produced, and starred in the one-woman shows ''Fear & All of Me'' and ''Voices in My Head''. She also wrote, directed, and starred in the sitcom pilot ''Latin in America''. More recently, Corina created the web series ''Lupita Says'' on her

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Corina Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers American actresses of Puerto Rican descent American dance musicians American freestyle musicians American Latin pop singers American musicians of Puerto Rican descent American women pop singers American women singer-songwriters Atco Records artists Dance-pop musicians Hispanic and Latino American actresses Hispanic and Latino American musicians Hispanic and Latino American women singers Singers from New York City Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Spanish-language singers of the United States Women in Latin music