A successful Colombian music star, she had two number-one songs on Billboard's Latin Pop Airplay charts. She won a 2004 Latin Grammy Award for the self titled album "Soraya" as "Best Album by Songwriter", which she produced, and a 2005 Latin Grammy Awards nomination for "Female Pop Vocal Album" for her album El Otro Lado de Mí (literally "The Other Side of Me"). She was the opening act for the 2005 Billboard Latin Music Awards. Her career spanned ten years, and she recorded five albums.
She was born Soraya Raquel Lamilla Cuevas in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, a year after her father, mother, and brother moved to the United States from their native Colombia. The family moved back to Colombia when she was a baby, but when Soraya was eight years old, they returned to New Jersey. "Soraya" is a very common name in the Middle East, and its meaning can be translated "rich" or "princess". Soraya's maternal side of the family was Lebanese Christians who emigrated from Lebanon to Colombia. Soraya's mother, Yamila Gharib Cuevas, had been a housewife in Colombia. Soraya's father, Gregorio, worked for an exporting company in Colombia; in the U.S., life was hard for the family, so to make ends meet, he worked three or four jobs.
Soraya first became interested in music at the age of five when she heard her uncle playing music in Colombia. Her uncle played "Pueblito Viejo", a Colombian traditional folk song using an instrument called the tiple, which is a kind of guitar with triple strings. Her parents bought her a guitar, which she taught herself how to play. She became proficient in classical violin, and her first 'public' performance was at Carnegie Hall in New York City as a member of the N.Y.C. Youth Philharmonic. She was valedictorian of her class at Point Pleasant Boro High School, where she began writing her own music.
Soraya was only twelve years old when her mother was first diagnosed with breast cancer; she was eighteen when her mother had a recurrence and twenty-two when her mother died, in 1992. Soraya had said that her sense of responsibility increased because she needed to take care of her mother and do all of the chores around the house. She would also go to the doctor's office with her mother; together they did breast-cancer research and participated in the Race for the Cure.
Soraya attended Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she studied English literature, French philosophy, and women's studies. Initially, Soraya worried she might be too shy to play before big crowds, but she eventually triumphed over her fear and realized her tremendous talent as a live performer when she played to rapt audiences at coffee houses and rallies around the sprawling Rutgers campus. She worked as a flight attendant before starting her music career.
Soraya obtained a record contract with Polygram Records/Island Records in 1996. Her first album, released simultaneously in both English and Spanish was titled "On Nights Like This / En Esta Noche". Both versions received positive critical acclaim and enabled her to tour in the U.S., Latin America, and Europe, as a guest performer in concerts for famous musicians such as Natalie Merchant, Zucchero, Sting, Michael Bolton, and Alanis Morissette.
Her songs climbed to the top of the charts just about everywhere in Latin American, European, and U.S.' Hispanic markets. Her first single "Suddenly/De Repente" reached #1 in Billboard Latin Pop listings, with the English version receiving some mainstream Adult Contemporary airplay. Her second album, Torre de Marfil / Wall of Smiles, titled after a song co-written with her idol Carole King was released in late 1997, and helped her attain worldwide recognition.
Unfortunately, in 2000, she was diagnosed with Stage III Breast Cancer, shortly after the release of her third album "Cuerpo y Alma / I'm Yours" — just days before she was about to tour and promote it. She took time off to fight this deadful disease.
Feeling healthy and in remission, Soraya returned to the music scene in 2003 with the release of her fourth and self-titled album "Soraya". The songs reflected her struggles, beliefs, and love for life. She composed, produced, and arranged this Latin Grammy winner for "Best Album by a Singer-Songwriter" and once again - Soraya was at the top.
She created one more successful album - "El Otro Lado de Mí", before she finally succumbed to the disease in 2006.
Soraya died of breast cancer on May 10, 2006, aged 37. She was first diagnosed in 2000, at the age of 31, after finding a lump while conducting a routine self-examination. She was diagnosed at Stage III and had a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction as well as radiation therapy and chemotherapy. In addition to her own death, Soraya lost her mother, a grandmother, and a maternal aunt to breast cancer.
Breast cancer advocateSoraya was a breast cancer advocate for support and education, especially of Hispanic women. Soraya became the first Latin spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, touring the Americas to raise awareness. During September and October, she took a break from her music career to focus on breast awareness.
In order to encourage other women like herself, Soraya wrote and recorded "No One Else/Por Ser Quien Soy", a song that reflects her experience in fighting breast cancer. Both tracks can be downloaded on her official website. All proceeds benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
"I know there are many questions without answers, and that hope doesn't leave with me, and above all, that my mission does not end with my physical story" were Soraya's last words to her fans and the media before her passing.
Avalanche
Soraya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wondering what wrong did I do
Was it something I said
Or did my silence haunt you
Never meant for you to question
Didn't intend to enrage
You say I've got a way with words
You say I always run to them
Tonight I feel abandoned
By the muse of my heart
Tear by tear
I feel us tearing apart
Like an avalanche
This love is falling
Crushing you and I
Will there be survivors
When the storm is over
Someone left to cry.
Do you ever remember
What it was once like
How you would move every mountain
Just to be by my side
Now I feel that I must struggle
Just to get into your mind
Can't you hear me I'm hanging
Won't you let me in tonight
Like an avalanche
This love is falling
Crushing you and I
Will there be survivors
When the storm is over
Someone left to cry
Tonight I feel abandoned
By the muse of my heart
Tear by tear I feel us tearing apart
Like an avalanche
This love is falling
Crushing you and I
Will there be survivors
When the storm is over
Someone left to cry
In "Avalanche", Soraya reflects on the breakdown of a relationship and the feeling of being abandoned. She is stuck in a cycle of wondering what went wrong, questioning her own actions, and feeling powerless to fix things. Soraya acknowledges her gift of words that could have been used to bridge the gap between her and her partner but instead has caused more distance. She feels betrayed by the muse of her heart, as it seems to have left her at a time when she needed it the most.
As the song progresses, Soraya compares the crumbling relationship to an avalanche that is tearing them apart. She wonders if there will be any survivors once the storm has passed. The imagery of an avalanche is powerful, creating a sense of destruction and loss of control that is difficult to escape from. Soraya also looks back on the early days of the relationship, where her partner would move mountains to be with her. Now, she feels she must fight to get through to them, as if they have closed themselves off.
Overall, "Avalanche" is a heartfelt ballad that expresses the pain and confusion of a relationship break down. The lyrics are poignant, the melody is haunting, and the use of the avalanche metaphor adds an extra layer of meaning to the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I have spent too many nights
I've spent countless nights thinking about what I did wrong.
Wondering what wrong did I do
I'm constantly wondering what I did to cause the problems between us.
Was it something I said
Did I say something that hurt you?
Or did my silence haunt you
Maybe it was my lack of words that caused us to drift apart.
Never meant for you to question
I didn't want to make you question our relationship.
Didn't intend to enrage
My actions weren't meant to make you angry.
You say I've got a way with words
You think I have a talent for expressing myself.
You say I always run to them
You say I resort to words to express myself instead of actions.
Tonight I feel abandoned
Tonight, I feel like you've given up on us.
By the muse of my heart
By the one who inspired my creativity and love.
Tear by tear
Bit by bit, our relationship is falling apart.
I feel us tearing apart
I feel like we're drifting away from each other.
Like an avalanche
Our love is faltering and crushing us like an avalanche.
Crushing you and I
Our problems are affecting us both.
Will there be survivors
Will our love survive this crisis?
When the storm is over
When things settle down and we've worked through our issues.
Someone left to cry.
Will one of us be left to mourn the loss of our love?
Do you ever remember
Do you ever think back to the good times we had?
What it was once like
What our love was like before everything fell apart.
How you would move every mountain
You used to do anything for our love.
Just to be by my side
You always wanted to be close to me.
Now I feel that I must struggle
Now I feel like I have to fight to keep our relationship alive.
Just to get into your mind
Just to understand what you're thinking and feeling.
Can't you hear me I'm hanging
Can't you tell how desperate I am to save our love?
Won't you let me in tonight
Can't we work through our issues tonight?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SORAYA LAMILLA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Franco J
Me encanta esta canción!!! Como pa´agarrarse de la guitarra y tocarla a todo pulmón!!! Tiene un ritmo muy especial
vpaz1980
linda...melodia, con toque contry
GorgonBull35
I finally remembered who sang this song and what the title was. I only remembered the notes and pitches previously.
xXsolYsolXx
recuerdos :)))))
newentu
2019!!