Lisa Lisa

Lisa Velez (born January 15, 1966), better known by her stage name Lisa Lisa, is an American singer. She rose to fame in the 1980s as one-third of the band Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam.

Early life Velez was born in January 1966 in Hell's Kitchen in New York City as the youngest of ten to a religious mother, who supported the family by babysitting, and an absentee father. Of Puerto Rican descent, Velez learned to speak Spanish at home and English in school. She sang in her church choir, at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, along with her six sisters, and was an A student at Julia Richman High School on the Upper East Side. At Sacred Heart she studied alongside several future members of the Irish-American criminal organization, the Westies. In school she was also part of a traveling singing group that sang Motown hits and songs from old Broadway musicals.

Career Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam was founded when Velez successfully auditioned for the Brooklyn production team Full Force. She met drummer Mike Hughes at Funhouse, a Manhattan underage club that she frequented to be discovered. She described the atmosphere as, "a young place, no liquor served in that place at all, so I kinda liked it. I used to dance a lot, but I was always aware of where I was turning, so I would watch and find out who's who, where's where." Hughes spotted her, finding her attractive, and asked her to audition for the production team. She took the subway to a house in Brooklyn, her first trip to the borough, without her protective older brother, who later became her bodyguard. which included the moderate club hit "When I Fell in Love" (which was remixed by Junior Vasquez) and the notable single "Skip to My Lu", which hit No. 38 on the R&B chart. She resurfaced circa 2001 on the Nickelodeon series Taina, in which she played the title character's mother. In June 2008, Lisa Lisa presented an award at the BET Awards, sparking interest that she may be planning a comeback.

In 2009, she released Life 'n Love, an album of new material on Mass Appeal Entertainment featuring the single "Can't Wait" with guest rapper Pitbull. The album features a cover version of the song "Stand" which was originally performed by Taylor Dayne on her 1998 album Naked without You. In March 2014, she appeared with Stevie B., TKA, Sa-Fire, and others at the eighth annual Forever Freestyle showcase at the Lehman College Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx.

In June 2019, Lisa Lisa signed with Snoop Dogg's Army, part of the Snoop Dogg Entertainment Company.

In February 2025, Lifetime premiered the biopic of Lisa Lisa, Can You Feel The Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story, starring Lisa Lisa as her own mother.

Personal life Lisa turned down the role of “Lisa” in the movie Coming to America, offered to her by Eddie Murphy.

Velez was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma while on tour when she was 21. She underwent chemotherapy during the tour and kept her diagnosis and treatment private from her bandmates and family.

Discography

Studio albums Title Album details LL77 Release: January 25, 1994 Formats: LP, CD Label: Pendulum Life 'n Love Release: July 14, 2009 Formats: CD, digital download Label: Mass Appeal

Singles + List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Year Peak chart positions Album USBub. USR&B NLD UK "Skip to My Lu" 1993 5 38 — 16 42 34 LL77 "When I Fell in Love" 1994 — 96 28 — — — "Can't Wait"(feat. Pitbull) 2009 — — — — — — Life 'n Love "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Filmography Television Year Title Role Notes 2001–02 Taina Gloria Elana Morales Main role 2003 Law & Order Lucy Mireles Episode: "Smoke" 2020 5th Borough Ester Movie 2025 Can You Feel The Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story Main role Movie