How Can I Not Love You

Background:

“Sometimes we fall down, sometimes we’re all sad. I want to make music that lifts you up. I want to be an inspiration!” Joy Enriquez

A multiple-winner on “Star Search,” American singer and actress Joy Enriquez rose to fame with the success of the song “How Can I Not Love You” for the “Anna and the King” (1999) motion picture soundtrack, which nabbed two Golden Globe nominations. She furthered cemented her reputation as one of the most promising talents with the release of her self-titled debut album in 2001 on Arista Records, which went on to become a major hit among critics and listeners alike. Some songs released from the album, which featured production work by some of the biggest names in the music industry such as Babyface and the soon-to-be-husband Rodney Jerkin, include “Tell Me How You Feel” and “Shake Up The Party.” Her sophomore effort, “Atmosphere Of Heaven,” followed five years later in 2006, which marks an alteration in direction to a contemporary Christian sound. As an actress, Enriquez has appeared on the long-running TV series “7th Heaven” (2001-2002) and in the film “Chasing Papi” (2003). At the height of her success as a singer, she also landed the coveted gig of becoming the spokesmodel for L'Oreal.

Enriquez has been married to producer/songwriter Rodney Jerkins since 2004.

Whittier Native

Childhood and Family:

Joy Charity Enriquez was born in Whittier, California, on June 6, 1979. She was educated at the elite Orange County Performing Arts High School in California, where she considered music as her true passion.

On April 4, 2004, Joy tied the knot with her producer Rodney Jerkins. She has two dogs, a Labrador Retriever named “Jabez” and a Pekingnese named “Lyric.”

Tell Me How You Feel

Career:

Joy Enriquez has started singing since she was a child. At age 5, she charmed audiences with her solo performance at her kindergarten graduation. As a teenager, the gifted Latina singer made a name for herself as a promising star at the national television airwaves when she competed in the popular “Star Search” and won 11 straight weeks in the category of female vocalist. Subsequently, Enriquez was on her way pursuing a professional music career. She recalled, “In high school, I would perform regularly at the Mondrian Hotel in Beverly Hills, it sure beat my other job at Old Navy. But I guess it was my performances on 'Star Search' that showed me what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, to be on stage doing what I loved most, singing.”

A lifelong fan of Babyface, Enriquez had the ambition to sing for one of her mentors, the producer/artist Babyface. Therefore, when she was offered the chance to audition for a spot in a girl group the Grammy-award-winner was putting together, she accepted, despite the fact that she did not really want to be in a group. She made a demo of a half-English, half-Spanish, penned by her sister, for his LaFace label and the demo soon caught the attention of the LaFace A&R department. Within two hours, she had become one of the solo artists of Babyface and LA Reid at LaFace/Arista Records.

Enriquez's first major break arrived in 1997, when she was hired to sing a backup for the single “When You Believe,” a duet from Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton for the “Prince of Egypt” (1997) movie soundtrack. She gained even more notice when in 1999 she recorded the ballad “How Can I Not Love You” for the soundtrack of “Anna and the King” (1999), which starred Jodie Foster and international star Chow Yun-Fat. The soundtrack received two Golden Globe nominations.

In 2001, Enriquez found herself collaborating with Latin Pop superstar Carlos Ponce for the Disney animation “Lady and the Tramp II” soundtrack singing the all-time darling spaghetti kiss song “Bella Notte.” However, Enriquez did not release a debut album until September 2001 with “Joy Enriquez,” which included the first single “Tell Me How you Feel” and the song “ Shake Up The Party.” Co-produced by Babyface, along with many other highly convincing writers and producers like Rodney Jerkins, Beyonce Knowles, Fred Jerkins, and Soulshock & Karlin, the album was a critical and financial hit and its songs demonstrated her defined voice, youthful energy and soul with the insertion of a sweet R&B feel. Commenting about her album, she said, “Music is always changing, and I love the fact that on my album, a lot of sounds come together. It’s not based on a trend, and though there are Latin-type songs on there, it really reaches across the board musically.”

Two months after the release of her album, on November, Enriquez launched her career as an actress when she landed the recurring role of Joy Reyes on the critically acclaimed and top-rated TV show “7th Heaven,” which she played until April 2002. In one of the episodes, she appeared singing the song “Tell Me How You Feel.” In 2003, she made her film acting debut as Mary in the comedy “Chasing Papi,” starring Roselyn Sanchez and Sofía Vergara. In addition, Enriquez has appeared as herself in shows like Showtime's “Resurrection Blvd” and CBS's highly-rated soap “The Bold and the Beautiful” (both 2001).

Her singing career also has led to modeling gigs. In 2001, Enriquez began her affiliation with the prestigious brand L'Oreal as their spokesperson and appeared in their television and print campaigns during 2001-2002. In 2003, she even appeared in a major national campaign for their hair products. She also has been the spokesperson for the Candies Foundation, and featured in numerous magazines such as Elle Girl, Cosmo Girl, Glamour, Interview, Latin Girl, Vibe, Urban Latino Women's Wear Daily, and others.

On March 7, 2006, Enriquez made her return to music by releasing a second album called “Atmosphere of Heaven” on JoyfulChild, the independent label she co-founded with husband Rodney Jerkins. It spawned the single “Get To Know Him,” which like the rest of the album, shows a change in way to a contemporary Christian sound.

Awards:
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