Beatriz Luengo

Beatriz Luengo González (born 23 December 1982) is a Spanish musician, composer, actress, dancer, singer and entrepreneur based in Miami. She gained international recognition by portraying Lola Fernández in the Antena 3 series One Step Forward (Spanish: Un paso adelante) and its spin–off musical group UPA Dance. Consisting of Luengo, Pablo Puyol, Miguel Ángel Muñoz, Mónica Cruz and Silvia Marty, UPA Dance released one studio album, UPA Dance, which reached number one at the Spanish Albums Chart and sold over 1.1 million units in Spain and France.

Following the ending of Un paso adelante, Luengo launched a solo career and released her debut studio album Mi generación in 2005, followed by BL (2006), Carrousel (2008) and Bela y sus moskitas muertas (2011). She also co–wrote the song "Más fuerte" for Cucu Diamantes and earned a Latin Grammy Award nomination for Best Alternative Song in 2009. In 2007 Beatriz Luengo won an EBBA Award.

Early life and career

Beatriz Luengo was born in Madrid in December 1982. The daughter of Angelines and Juan, she grew up and lived in the district of Hortaleza. In her free time, she played on the district basketball team.

When she was six years old she began to be interested in show business, after seeing a TV broadcast of the musical film Cabaret starring Liza Minnelli, who became a role model. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dance, where she studied ballet, jazz dance, Funky and flamenco.

When she was ten, she formed a musical group called Tatu with two childhood friends. They recorded a CD but the record label went out of business and their debut album was not released. Disappointed, Luengo gave up attending casting calls. After months, she successfully auditioned as a dancer for the Rita and Miliki Circus.