Hispanic Lifestyle Magazine, September 2005
Karina Nuvo
Hitting the High Notes … A Cubana’s Amazing Musical Journey
By Richard D. Sandoval
When Hispanic Lifestyle sat down to interview Ms. Karina Nuvo at the Cuban inspired restaurant, Coco Palms in Pomona, California, she brought along her mother Gloria and newborn son Cristian. Not the quite the entourage one would expect of an entertainer that is about hit the big time in the recording industry.
I first met Karina when she performed at the Inland Empire Hispanic Image Awards in October of 2004. That evening, she literally blew away the crowd with a performance of her original song CUBA . This stunning Latina captivated the crowd with energy, grace and style. The amazing part of the evening, is that she was 6 months pregnant at the time.
During our conversion with Karina, she spoke about her singing career and her own miracle baby. We started by asking how she discovered her talent and some of the artists that she has worked with?
KN: Everything I do is not traditional or not the way it’s supposed to be. I have opened for Al Jarreau. I have done major, major events, worked with amazing artists, and I’m not on a label. I have no idea. I haven’t been signed. I have a record. I get interviewed, thank God. People pass on the word to other people and they just continue to promote me and help me due to just that they believe in me. And that’s huge for me, and I really appreciate that.
HLM: How did your singing career begin?
KN: It was in Miami, and it was a karaoke machine thing. I didn’t grow up singing. I would lip-sync. I would put shows together and I would lip-sync, but never sing. I really didn’t know I could, to be honest. I’m kind of a late bloomer. I was at some fair in Miami and I started singing in a tape and, hmm, you know? From then on (I) got together with radio people over there, the radio stations, did some songs, did some shows, and then moved out here.
HLM: Can we hear your music on the radio?
KN: Just WLOQ in Orlando, Florida received my CD, and then they started playing my songs while I was about nine months pregnant. All of a sudden, apparently people were responding, which is the power of radio and music. It’s so important to put new artists on the radio.
HLM: Is it getting easier for Latin artists to get noticed by major record labels?
KN: No. It doesn’t matter. Unless you’re on American Idol, lately it seems, or a reality show, when you’re a new artist, it is unbelievably difficult. It doesn’t matter if you’re the most amazing singer in the world. You have to have a team behind you. Even with a team behind you, it’s incredibly difficult. So you have to kind of build your base, and get a fan base. That’s what’s going on right now in Orlando, Florida. I have a fan base here in Los Angeles. I’m from Miami.
HLM: What happened when you came to California?
KN: When I moved out here to pursue my career, I was diagnosed with endometriosis. For those who don’t know what that is, it happens to millions of women around the world. Basically, it takes over your uterus and ovaries. I have to be as honest as possible about this. It’s a growth that happens, and usually keeps women from becoming pregnant, which shockingly, I did become pregnant.
HLM: How common is the disease?
KN: I believe one out of four women have it. They are misdiagnosed constantly, which is one thing that I hope to touch on. They are told that it’s just, take a couple Tylenols. You’ll be OK. It’s not that. It can cause infertility.
HLM: How are you feeling since the birth of your son?
KN: It’s great. I mean, I feel good. I’m recovering from the birth, because it was a C-section. It’s wonderful. It’s life-changing.
HLM: Will you be performing soon in Southern California?
KN: Well, I certainly hope so. We’re working on it. Last year I had a lot of shows, and I had to stop, (because of the pregnancy,) so I have to kind of start all over. I mean, when you have a baby, it kind of throws you off a little bit.
Keep updated on the activites of Karina by visiting her website www.karinanuvo.com . This interview and an exclusive live performance can be seen on our television program Hispanic Lifestyle. HLM