When Valerie DeLaCruz was growing up, her family and friends were certain she would become an artist. Her obvious ability in the visual arts made it seem clear that would be her calling. Well, Valerie has in fact become an artist--a musical artist. "I love drawing," says Valerie. "It's as natural as breathing to me. But so is singing, and nothing gives me the feeling of joy I get when I'm singing."

Valerie was performing her own music as early as age 15, when she opened for Johnny Rivers. As a teenager she played guitar and sang in several acoustic harmony acts, and worked as a solo performer as well. Valerie then put her guitar away for a while and fronted a series of bands. One of the first groups she sang in fired her for "lack of stage presence." But by the time she played a cocktail party prior to a Liza Minnelli show years later, Valerie had learned her lesson well. "It's not enough simply to have a good voice, or to have your material down cold," she explains. "You've got to have something you can com