Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristina Encarnacion
Hi Cristina, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born in Queens New York but raised under the heat of Hollywood Florida, ever since I watched my older sister perform on stage at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, I knew I wanted to be just like her and so I would do everything she did.
I started off by following my sister and joining a Championship winning Hip-Hop Dance group known as Popstarz, and we danced for various events around Florida.
We danced during Miami Heat Games back when the stadium was known as the AAA (American Airlines Arena) with Pitbull and we opened up for a Ciara concert as well.
Being a part of this group helped me get out of my shell and joining People Fair which was the performing arts program in middle school was where I discovered my talent for singing and acting.
As much as I loved performing on stage in musical theater numbers, after high school I did not know that I could continue and pursue that as a career, so I began studying nursing.
I always wanted to help people due to my empathic nature, but I quickly came to realize nursing has its disadvantages.
Unfortunately I could not handle the negative aspects of the Healthcare field like patients dying and it completely being out of ones control. So I expressed to my father that I was unhappy in that field and he asked me what I wanted to do, I told him I would love to continue acting and singing because that is what fueled me passionately.
With my fathers blessing, in 2012 my brother did some online research and found a local casting agency nearby which happened to be Marquee Casting run by Brad Davis. Brad was super lovely and referred us to a SAG-Franchised Talent Agency, Martin & Donalds, right in our hometown of Hollywood FL.
My brother set up an appointment for me with the Agency, I went in with a basic photo and performed a monologue that I had come up with days before, and they were impressed with my performance and decided to give me a shot.
They sent me on a trial casting, my first ever commercial casting for Hasbro Toys. It was for the toy Bop It Smash, and I booked one of the principal roles.
From that moment forward Martin & Donalds signed me and I knew that my life was going to be awesome.
To this day I am still signed to Martin & Donalds recently booking a commercial with them and every now and then auditioning for Brad Davis.
I spent years auditioning for commercials and booking many more prominent ads including a 5 Gum commercial for the MTV Awards with Austin Mahone, a couple of KFC spots one in Miami, another in Argentina, and a third in Ecuador, a Chevy commercial all in Spanish shot in Mexico, and a Walmart commercial with the queen herself Patti LaBelle.
With so many commercials under my belt and numerous extra roles in projects like, the films Pain & Gain, Ride Along 2, shows like, Ballers, Graceland, The Glades, and not having the best experience as far as treatment, I decided it was time for me to elevate and move on to lead and supporting roles.
After paying my dues for years, I started to turn down extra roles and only accept speaking or featured roles for projects. Shortly after I began booking roles. Today I find myself achieving one of my life goals which was to book a lead or supporting role in a prominent film that is expected to screen at one of the big Oscar qualifying film festivals.
I was able to book a lead role in a film that was sponsored by Netflix, and book multiple supporting roles, including one in a feature that was one of the first acquired by Tubi after being bought out by FOX.
I believe in living with intent by spending time doing what speaks to my heart, hoping to inspire other brown skin people that look like me to find their own courage to do the same, which is to not be afraid of themselves or their vulnerability because it can touch someone else and help them find their voice and pay it forward which is why I’ve committed my life to being a performer. I am proud of my journey thus far but I still have a long way to go.
Now on to my musical journey, I began singing and writing from a young age but my professional music career began in 2015, formerly under the stage name Cristina E.
My passion for music and inspiration from a TV Production class in High School, led me to create my own songs and treatments.
After the release of my first single ‘Recommitted’ under Cristina E, my confidence grew as an unprecedented opportunity presented itself and I joined a local Miami band as one of the 4 lead vocalists. Funny story I landed in this group by chance as they were looking for another lead vocalist to join and complete their 8 piece band.
I happened to fit the profile of being diverse, bilingual and easy on the eyes. What caught me off guard was that I was invited to watch them perform at a Blue Martini Lounge and was asked to jump on stage and sing a song on the spot.
I was very frightened, very nervous, and not confident in my ability to do it. However I rose to the challenge, jumped on stage, sang Beyonce, very loud, very off and my voice cracked a couple of times but I did what needed to be done.
They took that as my audition and despite the flaws in my performance they liked my personality, look, and potential so they officially added me to the group. With that bout of confidence they gave me, I began practicing vocal techniques so that I could get better and eventually I did and it was the best feeling ever.
Singing as a part of the group Lovechild, at different corporate events, galas, and wedding venues, prepared me for live stage performances.
Throughout my 4 year tenure as part of the band, I realized I did not find fulfillment with just performing cover songs of other artists. After a tough yet heartfelt decision to leave the group to pursue my own career as an independent artist, while finding and transitioning to a new Latin Afro Beat/Reggaeton sound, Cenca was born.
Cenca’s official debut happened on July 31st as one of the many prestigious artists invited to perform and present an award at the Premios Monitor Latino Awards in Medellin Colombia.
My first single titled, “Tequila” also made its debut along with the release of the music video on June 30th. Following Premios Monitor Latino, I have released my first EP titled CENCANTO.
This is the beginning of a new era for me as an artist and I can’t wait to see where I end up and how I evolve as an actress and singer 10 years from now. Hopefully I will be at peace and enjoying the little things in life.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Nothing really is ever smooth in life. I must admit I have it better than most people given that I have the support of my parents. Without my family I truly believe I would not be where I am today, my life may have taken a very different turn.
Although, I have come across many barriers in both my acting and singing career. The struggle with being Afro-Latina and not being seen as African American but also not being considered Latina has cost me several jobs.
It took me years to finally book projects where I have dialogue in Spanish and it has been. a long and arduous journey.
The struggle to actually get taken serious in the music industry and be respected as a female artist has caused me to briefly fall out of love with music for a couple of years.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an actress and a singer. I am most proud of my accomplishments in the entertainment industry like booking a supporting role in a feature film opposite Kelly Marie Tran, and also performing at the Premios Monitor Latino Awards in Medellin Colombia along side some of my musical idols like J. Alvarez and Venesti.
What sets me apart from others is that I am unapologetically myself, I don’t take one route or follow one dream I am living them all and I will never give up.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
For Cenca, it is imperative to collaborate and work with different producers to continue expanding my sound. Producers can send beats or inquire about collaborations at Cencamusic@gmail.com, and you can support me by following Cenca on social media @Cencamusic and downloading my EP Cencanto on Spotify and watching the music video for my single Tequila.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2pRlgtgtz3w3wsJRCrsZTU?si=7zu36RT_TZOYM5rXKDslAw
Tequila Music Video: https://youtu.be/Sp90vFLW0hk?si=DQxv1qgqNwGoqpvD
As an actress, I accept collaborations on film and tv projects and any submissions can be made through my email Encarnacioncristina@ymail.com or direct messages on my instagram @Criss_tinaa.
IMDB: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm5518420/
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/cencamusic
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/criss_tinaa/?hl=en
- Twitter: https://x.com/cencamusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CencaMusic
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5518420/
Image Credits
Josh Stringer, Andrew Neish Jr., Valentina Rivera, Ramsés Larrotta.
