Her life experiences drive the passion within her music; setting it apart from others. In 1996 as she opened for Natalie Merchant, Sting, Michael Bolton, Zucchero, Supertramp and Alanis Morissette, her debut album On Nights Like This, exploded in Latin America and in the U.S. Spanish market. Four of its songs climbed to top positions on radio charts everywhere, and her first single, Suddenly/De Repente, climbed the English as well as Spanish pop charts simultaneously.
As Soraya headlined throughout Europe and Latin America, she shared a song inspired by her mother who died of breast cancer, On Nights Like This/En Esta Noche, with her audiences. Breast cancer was a disease that had also taken her Colombian grandmother more than 35 years ago; a time when the mere mention of the word 'cancer' paralyzed people with shame and fear, and women were not empowered to take control of their own breast health.
Sensing the powerful impact she could have educating women about their own breast health, Soraya joined forces with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in 1999 as their Latin spokesperson. She used appearances to endorse her 2000 emotionally honest album, I'm Yours/Cuerpo y Alma, as well as promote breast cancer awareness and education.
However, her messages hit too close to home in June of that same year, when Soraya, an avid runner, found a lump in her own breast. Her doctor confirmed her worst fears. She was immediately diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer.
"Cancer? I could not even imagine it," said Soraya. "I was so young and healthy. However, I discovered that I was the oldest woman in my doctor's office to be diagnosed with breast cancer that week."
"When I was diagnosed, I knew the chemotherapy was going to be very intense. I had no choice. I canceled everything. My band and I were leaving for a two-year tour that week. Our bags were packed. I quickly made a two-minute video telling my supporters that I had been diagnosed with breast cancer and that we would not be going on tour. Within a week, I received more than 6,000 letters on my web site. I never intended to be so public with my disease, but when I started reading the letters and saw how people reacted in such a personal way, I knew I had to continue sharing my story."
Within three weeks of beginning treatment, everything changed for Soraya. Her hair fell out, her energy lagged. However, she says she was amazed at how basic it all became. Life became a simple existence. Her music helped her get out of bed each morning and served to motivate her throughout treatment. Even more devastating, that same month, her aunt in Colombia also died from breast cancer.
As a third generation breast cancer patient, Soraya realized that despite being the daughter, granddaughter, and niece of women that died of breast cancer, women in her family's native country were not taught how to perform breast self exams. Knowing that there were still many women, especially those in Hispanic and African-American communities where more women die of the disease, that should hear the messages that could save their lives, Soraya made a decision.
"I never set out to be an activist," she said. "I knew it would be hard to go through my treatments publicly, but once I started seeing the impact I could have, and how they were using my story in other countries to educate women, I knew it was important to embrace what was happening to me, take the strength from it and help others. Especially in the Hispanic culture, you look at a doctor as someone you don't question. But it is important for women to know that they have to respect themselves and take responsibility for their own lives. If you are a woman over the age of 20, you need to have the self-esteem to check yourself for breast cancer."
Soraya has always been driven by her strong passions. At the young age of five, she picked up the guitar and was instantly obsessed, drawing inspiration from both her Latin musical roots and the Lebanese heritage from her mother's side of the family. At nine, she mastered classical violin and continued to pursue her love of music in the coffee houses in college while she honed her storytelling instincts with a stint as an English literature major.
After college Soraya sent some of her Spanish and English demos to record companies. Polygram was just launching their Latin division, and they were looking for a talented singer/songwriter. Her first album, En Esta Noche/On Nights Like This, was the debut record for Polygram Latino U.S/Island Records in 1996.
Though the past two years have been filled with aggressive cancer treatments, her music and her supporters have kept her strong through the difficult days. In addition to performing and promoting her album "Cuerpo y Alma" she has been co-writing with talented composers including Gary Burr, Carole King, Troy Verges and Stephanie Bentley. She also completely reworked I'm Yours with oud and violin master Simon Shaheen, an opportunity that's started her on an exploration of her Arabic roots and allowed her music to appear on Desert Roses and Arabian Rhythms album, released by Mondo Melodia.
But her most important messages are heard when she speaks to women about her personal experience with breast cancer. During the past two years she has taken her message to US cities on behalf of the Komen Foundation. She has also traveled to Puerto Rico to speak on behalf of the American Cancer Society, and to Costa Rica, where she walked with first lady Lorena Claire and learned that now no young woman from Costa Rica will graduate from high school without knowing how to do a breast self exam.
Hearing of these advances for young women is what keeps Soraya strong and inspires her to share her messages with other women in the Hispanic community. Treatment free since February, and in her first public appearance to promote breast cancer awareness and detection messages for the underserved minority groups of Texas, she is teaming up with The Procter & Gamble Company and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in an integrated multicultural Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. Soraya is filming a music video and recording an exclusive inspirational bilingual CD of her survivor-inspired song, No One Else, that will be distributed in a kit exclusively through the purchase of select P&G products in participating retail outlets in Texas during October's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and April's Minority Cancer Awareness Week. This "Awareness is Love" kit includes a bilingual breast self-examination card, breast health facts and myths, as well as Soraya's inspirational music video and song remix.
For more information regarding Soraya visit www.Soraya.com, and for information on the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, visit www.komen.org.
