Angelina Camarillo, known simply as Angelina, was born on February 10, 1978, in Union City, California. She is an American singer and songwriter celebrated for her contributions to Freestyle, House, and Dance music. Fans have affectionately dubbed her the "Latin Queen of Dance."
As a recording artist for Upstairs Records, Angelina gained widespread recognition with her debut hit single "Release Me," which reached number 7 on the Billboard chart in 1996 and number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100. Following this success, she released several more singles, including "I Don't Need Your Love," "Without Your Love," "Tide Is High," which notably featured a music video with Octaviano Silva of SF Spanish Fly, showcasing her impressive dance skills alongside her backup dancers. Other singles included "Mambo" and "Reach Out And Touch Me." In 1997, she released her debut album, aptly titled "The Album."
Upstairs Records had plans for a remix album, "Angelina Non-Stop Dance Mega Mix," but it ultimately did not go into production due to the need for additional material. In 1999, Angelina released "Bailando," a single from her anticipated sophomore album, which earned a nomination in the Latin Dance Maxi-Single category at the 2000 Latin Billboard Music Awards. Following this, she released additional singles such as "Just Another Day," "Every Time I Think Of You" (written by A.B. Quintanilla III of Kumbia Kings), "Crazy," "Tears Are Falling," and "You & Me."
Angelina also collaborated with her label mates, Nasty Boy Klick (NBK), on tracks such as "Perfect Man," "Runaway," and "Notice Me," as well as contributing to SF Spanish Fly's "One Last Try." In 2003, she released her third album, "Love Ain't Here No More," which included hit singles like "Ever Since The First Time," "Caliente," "Gifted," and "Forever." Although a greatest hits album titled "The Hits" was planned by Upstairs Records, it was never released.
She was part of a trio project called New Ridaz, which released a self-titled debut album, featuring the single "Special Girl." In 2009, Angelina made a return to music with her single "Don't Stop," which was meant to be part of her forthcoming senior album. A follow-up single, "Ain't Gonna Sweat It," was announced with a remix contest for DJs, but it was never officially released for unknown reasons.
Angelina is married to Anthony Ramos, a personal fitness trainer she met in Houston, Texas. They later moved to San Jose, California, where she pursued a career in teaching. She recorded a song titled "Dancing In The Dark" and was finalizing another track for her comeback senior album, along with a Spanish version of a new dance single, "I'm Not Done Yet!" She also had a single called "Devastated," which was played on the radio only once, later covered by Deezy Sanchez.
The last song she recorded was "Supernova," created during a period of uncertainty about her music career. While it was never officially released, it was contributed as an anthem for the community organization Supernova, founded by Adrian Espinosa, which aims to celebrate life and give back to the community.
Ultimately, Angelina chose to indefinitely postpone her music career and left Upstairs Records to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. She served as the Director of Family and Community Engagement at ACE Charter High School in San Jose, California, for seven years before moving on to new opportunities. Currently, she is the Head Director of Operations at Luna Mexican Kitchen in San Jose, located near her former recording label. Despite her busy journey in education, she continues to perform occasionally.
