Valeria Andrews

Valeria Andrews (born 1980), better known as Valeria, is an Australian dance pop singer-songwriter and actress, best known for her role in the film Just Married. She released her debut album, titled Freshly Squeezed in February 2009 on iTunes, Amazon MP3, and Rhapsody, among others.

Biography

Valeria was born in Sydney, Australia. She has made a name for herself ever since her featured role in the film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit; along with Whoopi Goldberg, she co-wrote the song "Pay Attention" for the film's soundtrack. She also appeared on two other movie soundtracks‚ "Rhythm of the Night" for Moulin Rouge and "Ooh La La" for Legally Blonde. Her breakthrough dance single "Girl I Told Ya" made its splash on the hit TV series Gossip Girl.

Her best-known movie role was the amorous Wendy in Just Married, alongside Ashton Kutcher. Valeria's other acting credits include the PBS series American Family, co-hosting a whole season of Next Big Star with Ed McMahon, and more recently the ABC sitcoms Freddie and The George Lopez Show.

Valeria's real-life story is the stuff of old Hollywood movies. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, her father was Australian and her mother is from Montevideo, Uruguay. Valeria began singing at the age of three, busking during the days while competing in talent contests at night, before moving on to appear in Falstaff at the Sydney Opera House and later starring in the lead role of Annie.

Eleven year old Valeria and her father boarded a plane to Hollywood two nights after Annie closed. They got a tiny apartment in Hollywood and hit the Venice boardwalk every weekend with a boom-box and a coffee can to sing for their supper. Valeria remembers, "We worked everyday, whether it was cold-calling or circling the open-call ads and convinced ourselves that I was close to hitting it big," she laughs. She played naval bases for the USO, and eventually was signed to Motown Records as part of a girl group at age 14. Afterward she co-wrote and recorded songs for Poison Ivy 2 and for a time traveled back and forth to Kyoto, Japan to sing six nights a week, four shows a night, so she could produce a demo back in Los Angeles. The resulting package made the major label rounds and after much negotiation, Interscope Records mogul Jimmy Iovine edged out the others and Valeria's recording career was underway.

"I’ve released my first album ! 'FRESHLY SQUEEZED' is out (2/10/2009), and my own label stamp’s going on it, Pink Lips Records. Alleluia !" exclaims Valeria (available on iTunes, Amazon MP3, and Rhapsody, among others). This energetic pop record features the work of famed producers Dave Aude, Space Cowboy, and Maddscientist, and its appeal is reminiscent of Pussycat Dolls, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry.

Valeria's inspiration came from putting up a MySpace page (myspace.com/valeria). "For the first time, I was in direct contact with people who have made up dance routines to my soundtrack songs or have practiced 'Pay Attention' in their singing classes," she laughs. "Their MySpace pages are full of girly fun and positive energy, and that's what inspired me to put together Freshly Squeezed.

Freshly Squeezed

Andrews' debut studio album, Freshly Squeezed was originally set to be released through Interscope but Valeria decided to move the project to a new label (Pink Lips). The album was a digital release; it was released onto Amazon download on the 28th of January and on iTunes on the 10th February. It was also released on Rhapsody, Napster, eMusic, GroupieTunes, Lala, Shockhound and Amie Street.

Track list

1. "Bubblegum" 2:34
2. "Lola" 2:44
3. "Rich And Famous" 3:31
4. "2 Camcorders And A Microphone" 4:45
5. "Dancin' Shoes" 3:41
6. "That Motion" 3:08
7. "Been So Long" 4.00
8. "Lights, Camera, Action" 2:30
9. "I Got A Boyfriend" 3:57
10. "Hot 4 U" 3:26
11. "Azucar" 3:48
12. "Dance Boogie" 3:17

Promotion

• 'Girl I Told Ya' was featured on the popular series Gossip Girl.
• 'Rich and Famous' also appeared on reality TV series' The Hills and Paris Hilton's My New BFF.

Discography

Albums

Freshly Squeezed (2009)

Soundtracks

• Gossip Girl   (The CW)
• Moulin Rouge   (Interscope)
• Legally Blonde   (A&M Records)
• Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit   (Hollywood)

Filmography

External links

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