Leslie Grace has a new recording contract…
The 20-year-old Dominican-American singer, the youngest female to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Latin charts, has signed a recording deal with Sony Music U.S. Latin.
Under the new deal, Grace – who scored two No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart before she was 19 years old –will release an EP of new material likely in June. A first single will hit radio in May.
Grace, who was previously signed to Top Stop Music, the label launched by producer Sergio George (and also the first home of Prince Royce), tells Billboard in an exclusive interview that her new material will follow the bachata/pop vein of her previous fare.
“It will be very infused with lots of R&B and it’s infused with my roots, which are bachata,” says Grace, who speaks and sings in both English and Spanish. “We have a song called ‘Crazy Crazy’ and the introduction is very R&B and it has drums in there. But when the verse starts, it goes straight to bachata. It’s the two worlds I come from.”
Grace was born in New York City to Dominican parents and was raised straddling both cultures, much like Romeo Santos and Prince Royce.
She came to prominence with her debut single, a bilingual cover of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” which reached No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart in 2012. Grace released two albums on Top Stop, but going to Sony, she says, will allow her to take her music to other markets.
“A big focus is opening new markets for Leslie,” adds Sony Music U.S. Latin president Nir Seroussi, noting that Grace is also “very appealing” to brands.
Working with her, adds Seroussi, “is like a dream come true.”