In the early days of the urban music movement, when Puerto Rican reggaeton singers dominated the market, there were a handful of intrepid women who were never afraid to go head-to-head with their colleagues. Among them was La Sista, an Afro-Latina girl with a steely temperament and a powerful voice.
And although Maidel Amador Canales, La Sista’s real name, was emerging as one of the most promising Puerto Rican artists in the genre, her career was abruptly cut short when her former manager was arrested and sentenced to several years in prison (the artist did not offer details of her former manager’s crime). Maidel’s contract with him was also taken to jail, which meant that the singer-songwriter could not work for anyone else while that contract was in effect.
“That affected me musically and emotionally,” Maidel said during a visit to Los Angeles to promote “Ms Verza,” the EP that brings her back to the stage after a career hiatus of more than 15 years. “I was under contract and [mi representante] He never wanted to give me freedom […] That affected me because in the industry, moments are very key.”
The five-song EP includes the song “Mi oración,” the single she is currently promoting. It is a single that she wrote and that refers precisely to the situation she experienced that somehow sums up her entire story.
“All the betrayals, disappointments, hypocrisy,” he said. “It’s a fusion of urban music with merengue where I ask God to help me forgive those who have failed me and to help me ask for forgiveness from the people I have failed.”
During the time that Maidel was unable to continue her career, she had no choice but to resign herself and take on jobs like “any other girl from the neighborhood,” including teacher’s assistant and insurance agent. This was the activity in which she stood out the most; she traveled to conferences in places like Turkey and Lebanon.
“But when you have talent [para cantar]there are always people who tell you that talent cannot be lost,” he said.
Now freed from her contract and with a new management team, Maidel wants to make up for lost time, cautiously but fearlessly, as she did at the beginning of her career.
“I’m not afraid to experiment with other genres,” she said. “Although reggaeton was the genre that saw me grow up and it’s what I like, I also like romantic music, salsa, merengue; I have the talent to sing whatever I want.”
This EP is just the beginning of what he hopes will be a career that will last forever, to recapture his followers, so that “they see that I am back, that they listen to me, that I have the same essence but in 2024.”
