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Daphne Rubin-Vega
Biography
Most fans know Panamanian actress/singer Daphne Rubin-Vega for her role as Mimi, the free-thinking doomed lover in Broadway's Tony-winning musical Rent. Before the big-belting New York City resident was an actress, though, she took a pop-star turn in the all-girl band Pajama Party, which released two little-noticed albums, Can't Live Without It and Up All Night, on Atlantic and shot to the top of the dance charts with the single "Yo No Se" in the early '90s. Though those efforts offered a glimpse at what Rubin-Vega was capable of vocally, it was the way she kicked off her career -- by approaching David Bowie producer Arif Mardin as a starry-eyed teen and pleading with him to let her record a song on the soundtrack to the 1986 George Lucas film Labyrinth -- that spoke loudest of her star-quality presence and gift for turning the charm on high.

Rent, which came along in 1994 after Rubin-Vega's attempt to establish herself as a solo vocalist post-Pajama Party with several dance singles on the Maxi label, found her through her regular gigs at Caroline's Comedy Club alongside fellow members of the Latino theater troupe El Barrio, USA. After a series of impressive performances with that outfit, casting directors recruited her to audition.
Selected Discography