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.
Miento
Soraya Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En cada esquina de tu ser
Aun no es tan fácil
Empezar a comprender
Para ti fue algo obvio
Veo que en mi penal
Me cerraste como a un libro
Prometí no llorar
Sonreír para disimular
Pero en verdad cada vez
Que pienso en ti
Vuelvo a caer
Miento sin parar, miento al soñar
Miento con la fuerza de un tren al pasar
Miento por tus besos, miento en mi respirar
Miento para engañarme, miento para olvidar
El comienzo siempre dulce
Hay tanto por saborear
La despedida nos traiciona
Un corazón se queda atrás
Cuando llueve te hago falta
No me has podido reemplazar
Sigo fiel a la esperanza
Que un día la vida te hará regresar
Prometí no llorar
Sonreír para disimular
Pero en verdad cada vez
Que pienso en ti
Vuelvo a caer
Miento sin parar, miento al soñar
Miento con la fuerza de un tren al pasar
Miento por tus besos, miento en mi respirar
Miento para engañarme, miento para olvidar
Miento sin parar, miento al soñar
Miento con la fuerza de un tren al pasar
Miento por tus besos, miento en mi respirar
Miento para engañarme, miento para olvidar
Miento para olvidar
Soraya's song "Miento" is about the internal struggle of trying to let go of a past love that seems to have a hold on the singer. She describes how she knows this person more than anyone and how it's hard to comprehend that they are no longer together. The singer admits to lying to herself, constantly saying things that are not true, like pretending to be okay and putting on a smile while all she can think about is this person. She believes that lying to herself is the only way she can forget about this person and move on.
The song switches between past and present tense, creating the idea of the singer talking to her past love. She remembers how everything was so sweet at the beginning, and that there was so much to savor, but the goodbye ended up betraying them both, leaving the singer heartbroken. However, she still harbors hope that one day the person will come back, holding on to the belief that true love never really dies.
Line by Line Meaning
Y te conozco mas que nadie
I know you better than anyone else
En cada esquina de tu ser
In every corner of your being
Aun no es tan fácil
It's still not easy
Empezar a comprender
To start understanding
Para ti fue algo obvio
For you it was something obvious
Veo que en mi penal
I see that in my punishment
Me cerraste como a un libro
You closed me like a book
Te dije lo que querías escuchar
I told you what you wanted to hear
Prometí no llorar
I promised not to cry
Sonreír para disimular
To smile and pretend
Pero en verdad cada vez
But in truth every time
Que pienso en ti
I think of you
Vuelvo a caer
I fall again
Miento sin parar, miento al soñar
I lie non-stop, I lie while dreaming
Miento con la fuerza de un tren al pasar
I lie with the strength of a passing train
Miento por tus besos, miento en mi respirar
I lie for your kisses, I lie in my breathing
Miento para engañarme, miento para olvidar
I lie to deceive myself, I lie to forget
El comienzo siempre dulce
The beginning is always sweet
Hay tanto por saborear
There's so much to savor
La despedida nos traiciona
The farewell betrays us
Un corazón se queda atrás
A heart is left behind
Cuando llueve te hago falta
When it rains, I'm missing for you
No me has podido reemplazar
You haven't been able to replace me
Sigo fiel a la esperanza
I remain faithful to hope
Que un día la vida te hará regresar
That one day life will bring you back
Miento para olvidar
I lie to forget
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SORAYA LAMILLA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alpurofficial5289
Una Gran Cancion Gracias Soraya
@destierroofficial8060
2021 Y Me Encanta Todavia Gracias Soraya
@valeriaportillavergara358
Una hermosa canción y que cuenta su historia en relación a su cáncer que muchas veces tuvo que mentir para no demostrar la tristeza de aceptar este tipo de condición como la entiendo ahora que padezco de un cáncer y que está acción me da fuerza para seguir adelante
@soyelmertincantil569
Temazo