Born Amelia Vega Polanco in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, today surprises us with a swaying fluctuation of rhythms executed with dexterity and passion define Amelia Vega’s musical debut album , “Agua Dulce”.
The young Dominican’s vocal and interpretive capacity is an unfolding homage to her Caribbean roots. The melodies are dominated by Afro-Antillean percussion, to the intensity and romanticism that define her as a female pop/ballad artist.Her beauty was what introduced her to the world. From Asia to the Southern Cone, Amelia Vega left a trail of fans to follow worldwide, not only for her beauty but for her charisma and humanity by identifying with social causes which touched her heart. The world had seen her, now all they had to do was hear her.
Her album "Agua Dulce” captures the essence of Amelia with a collection of sounds and nuances that allow the listener to get to know her a little more intimately. Her vulnerability and romanticism are made palpable with tracks like “Sorpréndeme”, composed by Gianmarco and "Tocame la Tambora” which shows the complexity of the rhythms of Bachata. "Todo Lo Que Sube Baja" unleashes a sensuality not seen before by Amelia and the melody promises to be a success a clubs worldwide. "La Tambora”, sung in Spanglish is an ode to her beloved Dominican Republic and her hit single “Pasa un Segundito” is an innovative fusion of Dominican and Colombian rhythms with a very sexy result. "Smog” reflects her passionate concern for the state our environment is in. Amelia Vega is reveals her songwriting skills with “Por Ti”, the song that inspired her to record her album.Amelia Vega looked to Grammy award winning composer and producer Archi Peña, whose composed hits for artists like Shakira and Paulina Rubio, among many others, to capture and shape the young singer for the album which was recorded in Miami, Dominican Republic and New York. The album was produced by SuperNova Entertainment. Music has always been constant in Amelia’s true passion in life. Although she’s traveled around the world with the title of the most beautiful woman in the Universe, Amelia Vega has always considered herself a singer. This record gave her the opportunity to show that she is not only a beautiful woman who sings, but also that she is a beautiful singer.Amelia’s ultimate goal was singing, and although her uncle, Juan Luis Guerra, had always been and is her musical guide and inspiration, she was determined to achieve this on her own merit. When she was very young she could see that modeling would be a good trampoline into the singing world so she bounced between the runway and singing and dancing lessons.
Everyone wanted to see her follow in her mother’s footsteps, Patricia Polanco, Miss Dominican Republic World 1980. Amelia decided that the beauty pageantry circuit would greatly benefit her with exposure and in 2002, she won the crown of her island. In June of 2003 she won the title of Miss Universe, the first and only Dominican woman ever to win the title. She traveled to more than 40 different countries around the world with the organization promoting her cause of HIV/AIDS prevention and supporting institutions such as the Global Health Council, and amFAR. She currently contributes to "Go Red for Women", awareness for early detection of breast cancer in women and is active in global and environmental charities and awareness.
After handing in her crown down to her successor, opportunities continued to present themselves to the tall brunette. She starred in the movies “The Lost City”, directed by Andy Garcia and “Homie Spumoni” with Whoopi Goldberg. She took part in the Soap Opera “Amor Descarado”, the video “Mi Coranzito” by Aventura and graced the cover of the only Miss Universe book titled “Universal Beauty”. Her delicate and naturally beautiful features were the face of CoverGirl cosmetics for four years. Also, her entrepreneurial side surfaced when she opened two boutiques, Essence by Amelia Vega in Miami.
Amelia Vega assumed and executed her new ventures with a lot of time and dedication, but they were distractions for the singer. The death of her uncle Mario Polanco showed her how fragile life could be and gave her the strength to fulfill her destiny.
The time it took to make the album isn’t looked back on with regret; on the contrary, she recognizes that the experiences fueled the process. "It would not have been the same record if I had done it at 19. Now I feel more respect for music, it’s more than my passion; today I have more reason to make music. From day to night I got to know the world. I needed time to digest and process these experiences, to understand my music, to understand myself. "
"The record will speak for all my emotions, the pride I carry of where I come from and what I am. I’m sharing something that has always been in me, with the hope that music fans will receive it with the same affection that I embraced it with”.
Today Amelia lives in Boston, MA with her husband Al Horford and her son and Daughter Ean & Alía Horford.