Childhood sensation Nazario was born in
Ponce, Puerto Rico, to Domingo Nazario and Gudelia Figueroa. She has two older brothers (Tito and Alberto) and a younger brother (Frank, a.k.a. Pancho). Ednita showed inclinations to music even when small. A family anecdote tells that when she was 2 and shopping with her mother, she wandered away, and her mother found her singing on top of boxes to an enthusiastic crowd of laughing, clapping shoppers. When she was six, she attended a baseball game in Ponce with her brothers. While she was playing with her brother's glove, the batter hit the ball toward her. She held the glove up for protection, and the ball landed squarely in it. The crowd went wild, including
Alfred D. Herger, one of Puerto Rico's top record producers, who was seated near the family. When he asked her if she wanted to be a baseball player, she replied ''"No, I'm going to be a singer."'' He asked her to sing something for him, and she responded with an impressive rendition of a local
salsa hit that left both the producer and the applauding crowd astonished. Two months later, Herger visited the Nazario household with a recording contract. After initial reluctance, the family signed the contract. At 6, Ednita recorded her first song: "Mi Amor Lolipop," a Spanish version of
"My Boy Lollipop". In 1966, at age 11, Nazario made her radio debut. During this time Nazario signed subsequent
record deals, first with local label
Borinquen, then
Ariola, and finally
Padosa. During this time, she matured her style to one that was more pop/rock oriented. She also cemented her place as a touring force in
Latin-America.
In the 1990s In 1989 Nazario released
Fuerza De Gravedad (Force of Gravity). Perhaps helped by her recent marriage and motherhood, the album showed more focused lyrics and a more mature singer. The album included a duet with
Air Supply singer
Russell Hitchcock. Her following album "
Lo Que Son Las Cosas" (What A Way For Things To Be) in 1991 included a Spanish version of a song made famous by Italian singer
Eros Ramazzotti. The album also contained other compositions from her Argentinian ex-husband Luis Angel. After her breakup from her husband, Nazario refocused her career and released
Metamorfosis in 1992, following it with presentations in some of the most prestigious halls of the island. In 1993 she sold out a concert at the
Roberto Clemente Coliseum which was released as an
album the following year. After another album, she starred an impressive run of 13 shows at the
Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center of San Juan, following
Yolandita Monge's record of 12 consecutive shows. In 1994 she released one of her most acclaimed albums to date:
Pasiones (Passions). In 1996 she released
Espíritu Libre (Free Spirit), which went triple platinum soon after being released. On the heels of it, she sold out the
Hiram Bithorn Stadium on a show that was broadcast via Internet. In 1998 she was cast for the lead role in
Paul Simon's
Broadway musical,
The Capeman, sharing the stage with
Rubén Blades and
Marc Anthony. She won the Theatre World Award for her performance as "Esmeralda Agrón". She was nominated for a 1998 Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.
1999–2012 In 1999 Nazario resurged in music, with
Corazón (Sweetheart). The album, produced and directed by
Dräco Rosa, went platinum in just a week. The album also got her several awards and two
Billboard nominations. In 2001, after signing a new
record deal with
Sony Music, she released
Sin Límite (Limitless), which featured fellow singer and songwriter
Tommy Torres as producer. In 2002 she fulfilled one of her dreams by transforming the
Luis A. Ferré Performing Arts Center into a recording studio and inviting 300 friends to share with her two nights of an
acoustic concert. The concert was released in two separate albums:
Acústico I & II (Unplugged Vol 1 & 2). The presentation included a duo with
Beto Cuevas, lead singer of the Latin-American band
La Ley. Next year, with
Tommy Torres again producing, Nazario released
Por Tí (Because of You). The album featured collaborations with
Ricky Martin and
Luis Fonsi. The supporting concert broke all attendance records in Puerto Rico. She followed with
Apasionada (Passionate), also produced by Torres. This included collaborations with composer Claudia Brandt,
Sin Bandera's
Noel Schajris, and
Luis Fonsi. In December 2007 Nazario released her album "
Real" produced by producer Armando Avila (
La 5ª Estación) and Graeme Pleeth (
Sonique). The album was recorded in London, Nashville, Mexico City and Miami, and debuted at number 1 in Billboard's Top Latin Albums and Top Latin Pop Albums, selling over 18,000 copies the first week. On July 2, 2008, Nazario filmed a music video for "No" along Natalia Jiménez of
La 5ª Estación. Nazario was one of several artists selected to perform in "KQ Live Concert" on September 27, 2008. Organized by KQ 105 FM, the event included several artists from Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries. Nazario's new album "
Soy" (I Am) was released on October 27, 2009. Nazario has worked with
Tommy Torres, Sebastian Krys and
Claudia Brant.On September 2 Nazario posted a 30-second clip of the first single titled "
Sin Querer" (Without wanting to), which received positive reviews. "
Sin Querer" (Without wanting to) was released on radio stations and via Nazario's MySpace page on September 24, 2009. It was released on October 6 on iTunes. Three more singles were released from this album. "Confesados" (Confessed) was the second single and was released January 11, 2010. "La Fuerza De Un Te Quiero" (The Strength of an I Love You), the third single, was released April 5, 2010. The last single of the album, "Se Que Voy A Reir" (I Know I Will Laugh) was released July 19, of that same year. On January 16, 2012, Ednita released her lead single "Para El Peor Amante" (For The Worst Lover), for her 22nd album was released. Her 22nd album, titled Desnuda (Naked) was released March 27 of that year. From this album, the songs "Voy" (Going), La Pasion Tiene Memoria" (The Passion Has A Memory), and "Alergica Al Amor" (Alergic To Love) were released as singles following the album's released. Ednita did a set of concerts in Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot where her daughter, Caro Lina, made her first musical appearance. Caro Lina debuted her single "Dangerous" through online digital market months later.
2013–2017: El Corazón Decide and Una Vida On October 22 of 2013, Ednita released her 23rd album, titled "El Corazón Decide" (The Heart Decides). The album was recorded in Miami and London; and contains songs from international artists like Pedro Capó, Leonel García and Kany Garcia, who composed the first single from the album "La Más Fuerte" (The Stronger One). The album follows the same musical and lyrical formula of her last previous recordings. Nazario released 4 more singles from El Corazon Decide. "A Mi No" (Not Me) was released January 10 of 2014. That same year she released the third and fourth single of the album. She released "Llorar Por Ti" (Cry For You) and "Asi Es La Vida Sin Ti" (That's Life Without You) on April 24 and September 24 respectably. "Empezar a Vivir" (Starting to Live) was the fifth and last single of the album and was released on January 14, 2015. In October 2015, Ednita released her new single "Eras Uno Mas" ([You] Were Just One More) became the lead single for her 24th studio album, titled "Una Vida" (One Life). Later, on January 22, 2016, Nazario released the song "Ya no me duele tanto" (It Doesn't Hurt Me That Much Now) as the second single. The third single of the album titled "Ni una lágrima(Bandolero)" was released on April 7, 2017. The album "Una Vida" was released on April 28, 2017. That year (2017), Ednita released her first autobiography, also titled Una Vida. The autobiographical book was released on the 25 of April. On July 21, 2017, "Adiós" was released as the fourth single of the album "Una Vida". ==Honors==