Valeria Andrews

Valeria Andrews, (born 15 March 1980) better known as Valeria, is an Australian dance-pop singer-songwriter and actress, best known for her role in the film Just Married. She released her debut album, titled Freshly Squeezed in February 2009 on iTunes, Amazon MP3, and Rhapsody, among others.

Valeria was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. Her father was Australian and her mother is from Uruguay. Her parents married within two weeks of meeting, and due to the language barrier, divorced soon after. Valeria began singing at the age of three, by way of street performance, busking during the days and competing in talent contests at night. She eventually landed a role in Falstaff at the Sydney Opera House, and subsequently took on the title role in Annie with Sydney Youth Musical Theatre formally Hornsby.

Valeria Andrews' first movie acting role was in the film Sister Act 2 (1993). She also co-wrote the song "Pay Attention" for that film's soundtrack. Valeria recorded two other songs featured in major motion picture soundtracks: "Rhythm of the Night" for Moulin Rouge! (2001) and "Ooh La La" for Legally Blonde (2001). Her dance single "Girl I Told Ya" featuring Aria Crescendo was heard on the television series Gossip Girl (2007). The video for "Girl I Told Ya", an hommage to Marie Antoinette, was shot on location in Hungary by director Marc Webb.

Valeria's best-known movie role is her portrayal of the amorous Wendy alongside Ashton Kutcher in Just Married (2003). Her other acting credits include a recurring role in the PBS series American Family (2002). She co-hosted an entire season of Next Big Star (2001), a talent competition show featuring Ed McMahon. More recently, Valeria guest-starred on the ABC sitcoms Freddie (2005) and George Lopez (2004).

Two nights after the production of Annie came to a close, eleven-year-old Valeria and her father headed for America. They rented a single apartment near Hollywood and Vine, and for the next five years they hit the iconic Venice boardwalk every weekend. Armed only with a boom-box and an empty coffee can for contributions from passers by, she sang for her dinner. In those early years, she played the lead in Alan & Marilyn Bergman's Santa Monica Coast Playhouse musical revue How Do You Keep the Music Playing ?, performed to packed bases at the USO, and at the age of 14 signed with Motown Records as a member of a girl group.

Her teen years were marred with struggle as she ran away from home and her father was deported. Valeria became a ward of the court, and rented rooms in homes until she was 18. Gaining work when she could, she co-wrote and recorded songs for New Line Cinema's Poison Ivy 2 (1996). She travelled to Kyoto, Japan, singing six nights a week at four shows a night in order to raise the money to produce a demo package back home in Los Angeles and market it to various record companies in the hopes of a contract. The resulting six-minute EPK made the rounds of the major labels and months later she signed with Interscope Records mogul Jimmy Iovine and Warner Chappell Publishing.

Andrews' debut studio album, Freshly Squeezed was originally set to be released through Interscope but she decided to move the project to a new label, Pink Lips. Instead, it was released onto Amazon.com download on 28 January 2009 and on iTunes on 10 February 2009. The record features the work of producers Dave Audé, Space Cowboy, and Madd Scientist and collaborators include Lady Gaga.

Track list

1. "Bubblegum" 2:34
2. "Lola" 2:44
3. "Rich And Famous" 3:31
4. "2 Camcorders And A Microphone" 4:45
5. "Dancin' Shoes" 3:41
6. "That Motion" 3:08
7. "Been So Long" 4.00
8. "Lights, Camera, Action" 2:30
9. "I Got A Boyfriend" 3:57
10. "Hot 4 U" 3:26
11. "Azucar" 3:48
12. "Dance Boogie" 3:17

• "Rich and Famous" appeared on reality TV series The Hills and Paris Hilton's My New BFF

Albums

Freshly Squeezed (2009)

Soundtracks

• Gossip Girl   (The CW) - "Girl I Told Ya feat. Aria"
• Moulin Rouge   (Interscope)
• Legally Blonde   (A&M Records)
• Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit   (Hollywood)