Yuridia

• Genre: Latin Pop

About

You might call her Mexico's Kelly Clarkson -- or perhaps more accurately its Chris Daughtry. Yuridia Gaxiola placed second on the musical reality show La Academia, but she has eclipsed her fellow contestants with a solo career that has moved units faster than almost any other singer in Mexican history. Released in 2006, when Yuridia was just 19 years old, La Voz de un Angel went diamond, and its follow-up, Habla el Corazon, has done nearly as well. The singer's reputation for punctuality -- or lack thereof -- notwithstanding, she handles herself well on ballads, reaching into the emotion of a song rather than simply relying on her voice's sheer firepower to get her through.

- Sarah Bardeen