Lola Monroe
| Lola Monroe | |
|---|---|
.png) Monroe in 2023 | |
| Born |
Lola María Monroe July 24, 1985 Castle Hill, New York City, New York, United States |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Lola Tucker |
| Ethnicity | Puerto Rican |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 2014–present |
| Works | |
| Home town | The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
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| Awards | Full list |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | USNation |
| Genres |
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| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels | |
Lola María Tucker (née Monroe; born July 24, 1985), known by her maiden name, is an American actress, dancer and singer. She became interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, to the dismay of her Puerto Rican parents, who believed that it was an unrealistic career route for a Hispanic. Monroe ventured into the music industry in 2015 with her debut studio album, In the Zone; she also ventured into the acting industry as Ernestine in Trek Wars (2016).
Early life
Lola María Monroe was born on July 24, 1985, in the Castle Hill neighborhood of The Bronx, New York, to Puerto Rican parents Camila (née Portillo) and George Monroe. She has an older sister, Joelle, and a younger sister, Jocelyn, a real estate broker. George worked the night shift at the Guardian Insurance Company, before becoming a computer technician at the firm, while Camila was a homemaker. When Monroe was born, the family was living in a small apartment. After a few years of struggles, the family were able to purchase a two-story house, which was considered a big deal for the relatively low-class family At the age of five, Lopez began taking singing and dancing lessons, though her parents stressed the importance of work ethic and being able to speak English, and they encouraged their three daughters to put on performances at home; singing and dancing in front of each other and their friends so that they would stay "out of trouble". Monroe spent her entire academic career in Catholic schools, finishing at Preston High School. In school, Monroe did gymnastics, ran track on a national level and was a member of the school's softball team. She excelled athletically rather than academically, competing in national track championships.
While attending her final year of high school, Monroe realized that she wanted to become a "famous movie star". To please her parents, though, she enrolled in Baruch College, only to drop out after one semester. She told her parents about her dream of becoming a movie star, but they insisted that it was a "really stupid" idea and that "no Latinos did that". The differences in opinions led Monroe to move out of their family home and into an apartment in Manhattan. During this period, Monroe performed in regional productions of the musicals Jesus Christ Superstar and Oklahoma!. From there, she continued to audition for film roles, however, no profitable results every came of her persistence. In 2009, Monroe decided to shift lanes and make her attempt at a music career. Teaming up with underground New York music producers, she began to compose demo CD's and submit them to record labels. In 2011, Monroe was approached by Music Nation Label Group Inc to potentially join their roster and begin production on her first album; by mid-2012, the potential deal fell through and Monroe was back at at the start.
Career
2014–2016: Breakthrough with In the Zone and feature film debut
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In February 2014, Monroe caught her big break by holding meetings with Elite Music Group and was immediately signed to a multi-album deal with subdivision label Ensemble Entertainment, where production on her debut album began. Working with famed brother-producers Killabeatz and Joakim, Monroe began the initial process of recording her debut. In early 2015, Elite announced plans to release Monroe's debut later that year; said-plans were slightly delayed following a change in leadership at the company. Monroe's debut single, "On a Night Like This", was released in May 2015, as she began to ready her first album. The following month, Monroe's debut album In the Zone was released and debuted at number seven on the Billboard Albums Chart. The album also spawned two subsequent singles — "High on Life" and "Edge of Desire" — the former of which featured guest vocals from music producer Sean Perry, becoming the producer's first-ever feature on a song.
In June 2015, Monroe's attempt to venture into the acting career came into fruition; she was announced as the newly-created Ernestine in the Star Wars and Star Trek film crossover event, Trek Wars. Later that year, Monroe signed a four-picture deal with Movie Nation Productions, with production on her first film Unexpectedly in Love in the deal beginning production in January 2016. On April 9, 2016. while attending the opening night of Damita Jo's residency show, Monroe confirmed she was beginning work on her second album. On the matter of whether she preferred music or acting, Monroe stated: "I love singing; I love dancing; I love acting — I wouldn’t say that I love one more than the other." In June 2016, during the promotional campaign for Trek Wars, Monroe confirmed she was hoping to release new music by October of that year. Monroe released her new single, "You Can't Hold Me Down", in December 2016 domestically and the following month nationwide.
2017–2020: LOLA, continued film success and Through the Lens
Monroe's second studio album, Lola was released on January 24, 2017, with her next feature film — the aforementioned Unexpectedly in Love — following a few days later on January 27. Both releases hit the top of their retrospective charts, making Monroe the first-ever individual to top the music and film charts in the industry's history. In March 2017, Variety announced she had been cast as the lead role in Snapped; the following December, while attending the fifth annual MovieNation Awards, Monroe announced she would be re-releasing the Lola project, with a mixture of new songs and newly-remixed tracks from the original release; in addition, she announced her next film project, Chambermaid, opposite Ralph Fiennes. On February 6, 2018, "Playa Games" was released as the first single from Lola 2.0, which released the following week, on February 13. Monroe's third studio album, Through the Lens was released in November 2018. The album's lead single "All 'bout That Life," was later described by MTV News of her most iconic single. The following year, Monroe starred opposite Ralph Finnes in the romantic comedy Made in New York
2021–present: Revival, return to film, Reflejo and departure from Ensemble
Personal life
From March 2, 2012, to January 2013, Monroe was married to restaurateur Enrique Felipe. In 2015, she entered into a brief relationship with music producer J. Roc, however, the union ended within a matter of months. In July 2016, Us Weekly reported that Monroe was dating entertainer Josiah Tucker. In 2018, Monroe announced that the romance had ended; in 2020, the couple reconciled.
Artistry
Musical style
Dance and stage
Public image
Legacy and cultural influence
List of works
Studio albums
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Feature films
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