Soluna: "Out of This World!"

Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira and Christina Aguilera, what do all of these entertainers have in common? They are Latin pop stars. And it's time for them to move over because Soluna is coming to take over their territory! Christina "T" Lopez, America Olivio, Jessica Castellanos, and Aurora Rodriguez make up the Latin pop group Soluna (a combination of the Spanish words for sun and moon). These four talented and beautiful ladies are here to show off their talents to the world and prove that it takes more than a pretty face and good choreography to make it in showbiz. Their debut album, " For All Time" was released on May 14th, which includes songs in both English and Spanish to give you a taste of how versatile this album is. With ballads like the title track "For All Time" and "Luna Mia" and dance songs like "Monday Mi Amor" this album is sure to be a hit. The album has wide variety of songs that everyone can enjoy. "The heart of our record is pop, flavored with different spices, such as Latin and R&B," said Olivio.

One of the key factors to the versatility of the album may be that the group itself is a melting pot of different Latin cultures. "We were all born and raised in the U.S. but in addition to being American we are Chilean, Colombian, Mexican, and Puerto Rican among other things," states Castellanos. Which means each girl can bring her own flavor to the record and give you a blend of Latin pop that you have never heard before. But one thing that is the same for all girls is their love for music that started at a very young age. Each girl had early vocal schooling in church, to help mold her into the star that she is today. For Aurora Rodriguez her passion for music came from her father, who was a singer in a group called The Kings Five. She carried and nurtured that passion to The California Institute of The Arts (CalArts) where she studied voice. But she only stayed there for two years before transferring to UCLA where she majored in musicology. It wasn't long before she met her future band mate, America Olivio, in the Latin Jazz Ensemble.

Olivio grew up singing in the community theater and her father also played a big part in her success. " My dad also sang. He wrote country-western songs and I sang backup. I have tapes from when I was four years old singing with him." Little did she know that those tapes were just practice for the star that she would soon become. Olivio left CalArts for New York where she graduated form The Juilliard School. This was when a mutual friend introduced her and Rodriguez to Jessica Castellanos. The three hit it off immediately and soon discovered that when they sang together. They were a force to be reckoned with. But unlike Rodriguez and Olivio, Castellanos didn't have the same singing background. " My family couldn't afford singing lessons, so I just listened to as much music as I could and learned form that." But nonetheless, the three were a winning combination. So now we have three members, where does the fourth fit in?

Well, Christina Lopez found her way into the group a different way. "My dad was managing a small auto body shop. One day this producer stopped in, He saw my picture on my dad's desk and my dad told him I snag. The producer said I should give him a call. So I called, and I sang 'Amazing Grace' over the phone. When I was done, he gave me Jessica's number and that was that." The four met up and couldn't believe the musical talent that they possessed together.

They were no longer just four girls singing together they were Soluna. "We chose Soluna because it suggests the contrast of the sun and the moon. The sun is full fire and sassiness, while the moon is romantic, soft and sweet. Our music is like that, alternating between power and vulnerability." And to acquire the brazen, lively sound that appears on the album, the girls enlisted the help of many A-list producers. Steve Morales, Tim and Bob, Josh and Brian, Thunderpuss 2000, Tim Miner and the band Ozomatli are just some of the people who worked on their album. The girls also had a hand in co-writing five tracks on the record. "Overall, the album is very eclectic because in addition to what we wrote, we sought out a real variety of songs," says Rodriguez. "Each producer and writer we worked with brought something special to the album."

This album is a great mix of Latin-American music. Guaranteed to get every part of your body moving. Soluna is here on a mission and hopes that you can take the ride with them all the way to the top. And they also hope to have serious longevity in pop music, a category of music that is known to chew you up and spit you out if you don't have what it takes. But pop music means different things to different people. To Soluna it means an experience that can never be forgotten whether it's a rise to the top or a slow and steady fall to the bottom. " What I love most about pop music is that it reminds me of a person or an experience. We hope we can give that to people. In 10 years, we want someone to hear one of the songs from this album and say, 'I remember singing along to this when I was with my boyfriend,' and have that feeling again. We hope our songs have that kind of connection with people. We want to give them good memories," states Rodriguez. And we hope that the girls of Soluna have good memories too. Their album, "For All Time", is in stores now.

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