Safire

Born Wilma Cosme in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Safire moved to East Harlem with her family as a child and spend her childhood years singing in school and church. By age 16 she was on her way to realizing that goal by paying for vocal lessons with an after-school job.

Safire’s recording career began with a successful audition for an independent label, Cutting Records, which was seeking a young girl to sing a 12 inch single they planned to release. “Don’t Break My Heart” was released by Cutting Records in 1986 and Safire was soon on the leading edge of the emerging dance music dubbed “Latin Hip Hop”.

Safire’s second single, “Let Me Be The One”, set her apart from her peers in another respect: she co-wrote the song. The single was released in 1987 and won immediate support in clubs around New York, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Texas, making Safire a national artist in the dance music.

With two successful singles under their belts, Safire and Cutting Records signed with Mercury/Polygram Records for the release of her debut LP in July of 1988. The first single, “Boy I’ve Been Told”, written by music superstar Marc Anthony, was released as a 12 inch, and proved to be a raging success at all dance oriented stations, hitting #1 in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Miami. It also reached #3 on Billboards 12 inch sales chart and remains one of the strongest recurrents at radio stations across the country. With the support of Polygram, Safire confirmed her position as a legitimate national artist with strong star power. Her live performances were consistently sold out and her name became synonymous with Latin Hip Hop and Freestyle music.

The next single, “Thinking of You”, brought about more dramatic changes in the development of her career as the Safire-penned ballad crossed over into the pop market. The single went top 10 on almost every chart and truly brought her into the worldwide limelight. The song was a very personal song written in memory of one of her strongest supporters, her uncle, Mario Santiago, who passed away from AIDS in 1986. “Thinking of You” recalled the emotions that ran through her mind as she made the initial steps without his support.

1989 saw Safire’s achievements recognized as she won the New York Music Awards for Best R&B Debut Artist. Her success continued in 1990, when she received New York Music Awards for Best R&B single for “Thinking of You”, and for Best Latin Female Vocalist and an ASCAP Award for “Thinking of You”, as it was cited as one of the year’s most played titles on the radio.

In 1996 she explored a new path as she rekindled her ties to traditional Latin music in the form of Salsa and effortless blended it with the infectious sounds of Hip Hop, the end result being a groundbreaking album. “Atrevida” boasted many of the worlds’ most talented musicians in the realm of Salsa.

Safire is back! After a recording break of almost six years, she is ready to rock the stages. “Don’t Break My Heart”, is the first single from her forthcoming Album, “BRINGING BACK THE GROOVE”. How can we forget that hooky radio smash that put her on the map! Now with the incredible production and remixes by Tony Moran and Kenny Diaz, the Queen of Dance brings to her fans a reconstructed version of her smashing hit.