Yendry Cony Fiorentino (born 27 July 1993) known mononymously as Yendry (stylized as ) is a Dominican-Italian singer and songwriter. Yendry first achieved popularity in Italy in 2012 thanks to her participation in the sixth edition of X Factor Italy which earned her a record deal with Sony Music Italy. From 2015 to 2018 she was the frontwoman of the

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

''Materianera''. In 2020 after the release of the singles ''Barrio'' and ''Nena'' she achieved international popularity and she signed a double record deal contract with

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

and

Sony Music Latin Sony Music Entertainment US Latin LLC (often referred to as Sony Music Latin) is an American record label owned by Sony Music. The label focuses on artists of Latin music. Sony Latin was also a division of the Sony Discos label. History In ...

. On April 15, 2021, she was one of the performers for the

Latin American Music Awards of 2021 The 6th Annual Latin American Music Awards were held at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. It was broadcast live on Telemundo. J Balvin and Karol G led the nominations, with nine nods each. Performers Presenters ;Premiere ceremony *Ana Bá ...

. On June 7, 2021, she was nominated as ''Best New Artist'' at the

2021 MTV Millennial Awards The 8th Annual MTV MIAW Awards took place on July 13, 2021, at the Quarry Studios in Mexico City. It was broadcast live by MTV Latin America. The awards celebrated the best of Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ...

. On January 25, 2022, she received the nomination as Best New Female artist for the 2022 Premio Lo Nuestro.

Early life

Yendry was born in

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

to a single mother, Rosa Maria Polanco. She grew up in Herrera, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the municipality of Santo Domingo Oeste. She lived in Herrera with her mother and grandmother until the age of three. Yendry and her mother then migrated to the city of

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

in Italy, for economic reasons. A few years later her mother got married and started a new family. Yendry’s stepfather adopted her and she grew up with brothers from her mother's second marriage. She began to discover her predisposition for music during the period of the liceo linguistico. She started to attend singing class alongside a modeling career that led her to participate in the regional selections of Miss Italia and then to win the title of Miss Deborah Piemonte in 2012. Also in 2012 she participated in the auditions of the sixth edition of

X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

, passed the selections and became part of the program, even if she didn't reach the semi-final she managed to get however a recording contract with Sony Music Italy that she ended in 2014. From 2015 to 2018 she was the voice of the group '' Materianera '', again in 2018 she moved to London to work on her project as a solo artist in Spanish which will lead her to sign a double recording contract with Sony Music Latin and

. Since 2020 she lives in

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

where she regularly carries out her singing career.

Career

2012–2014: The Italian X Factor season 6 the first record deal with Sony Music Italy

In the summer of 2012, suggested by a friend she decided to take part to the audition of the sixth edition of X Factor Italia, at the audition she performed

Video Games A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...

and she gained the four yeses of the judges. She then successfully passes the bootcamp stages as well the home visit stage thus becomes an official contestant of the program for the category ''Under 24 Women'' led by Elio. She comes up to the fifth episode of the program, one step away from the semi-finals, eliminated by televoting, but despite the elimination she was approached by Sony Music Italy who offered her a record deal. In 2013 was released her debut single as Yendry Fiorentino entitled ''Here'', a

Dance pop Dance-pop is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developi ...

song. The single does not achieve the desired results also due to the lack of promotion received. Not satisfied with the direction that the record company had decided for her and given the results obtained from her first single in 2014, Yendry decides to conclude the contract with Sony to undertake a path as an independent artist.

2015–2018: The years as frontwoman of Materianera

After the end of her contract with Sony Music Italy at the end of 2014, she met with the DJ and producer Alain Diamond and the musician Davide "Enphy" Cuccu, they formed the band Materianera for which Yendry is the frontwoman. The band mix

trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

, elettro and

Alternative R&B Alternative R&B (also referred to as alt-R&B, indie R&B, and originally known as PBR&B, hipster R&B, emo R&B, or R-Neg-B) is a term used by music journalists to describe a stylistic alternative to contemporary R&B that began in the mid 2000s and ...

. Materianera debut officially in 2015 through the label ''Tainted Music'' with the single ''Supernova'' who anticipated the homonym EP released on December 8 of the same year. In 2016 Yendry is one of the regular appearances as a backing vocalist in the program of Maurizio Crozza called Crozza nel Paese delle Meraviglie and in the same year she's also one of the backing vocalist for the Italian singer Dolcenera at the

Sanremo Music Festival 2016 The Sanremo Music Festival 2016 (), officially the 66th Italian Song Festival (), was the 66th annual Sanremo Music Festival, a television song contest held at the Teatro Ariston in Sanremo, Liguria, between 9 and 13 February 2016, organised and ...

. In 2016 Materianera they received a nomination at the Italian MTV Music Award after having been ''Artists of the month'' on January of the same year chosen by MTV New Generation. After the success of the debut EP, Materia near released in April 2017 their new single called ''Space'', in February 2018 they released the single ''Hole in the Water'' the video of the song was shot in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

in the quartieri spagnoli the single anticipated the album ''Abyss'' released on March 16, 2018. The album also marks the end of Materianera.

2019–2020: The solo projects in Spanish and the new record deal with RCA Records and Sony Music Latin

After the experience with Materianera, Yendry started to work on her solo music project this time in Spanish to honor her Dominican heritage. She moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, met her manager Chris Hesketh, and signed with his company ''Blacksheep Music Management'' and with the independent label ''Liberator Music''. In 2019 she started to travel between London and

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to record new music. In June 2019, she was the opening act for a London concert of

Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall musician. Paul's first album, ''Stage One'', was released in 2000. He gained international fame with his second album, ''Dutty Rock'', in 2002. Its single "Get Busy ...

. On December 6, 2019, she released her first single entitled "Barrio", produced by B-CROMA and written by Yendry herself. The song, inspired by Yendry's mother's story, is an anthem to the independence and freedom of women represented in the official video, directed and produced by MYBOSSWAS, in which the story represented is that of a young mother who is a victim of abuse, and who decides to free herself thanks to her supernatural powers. On April 10, 2020, she released the single ''Nena'', produced by Jeremia Jones and written by Yendry herself, the song is a Latin ballad with R&B elements, is a very autobiographical song that tells the story of Yendry's mother Rosa and of the moment of separation when she was forced to emigrate to Italy in search of a job leaving her two-year-old daughter Yendry with the grandmother Ramona, The story is also represented in the official music video directed by Kieran Khan. ''Nena'' earned Yendry international success, thanks also to the addition of the song to popular Spotify Latino playlists. In September 2020 she performed ''Nena'' and ''Barrio'' for

ColorsxStudios ColorsxStudios GmbH (formerly Colors Media UG), commonly known as Colors (stylized in all caps), is a German music performance platform that aims at introducing and showcasing emerging artist talent in the form of videos with minimalist aesthet ...

, both performances were a great success collecting millions of views. She was approached by

and

, with whom she signed a double recording contract and announced the news in October 2020. Her first single with RCA Records and Sony Music Latin, ''El Diablo'', was released on October 30, 2020. The song is a trilingual song written in English, Spanish and Italian by Yendry herself and produced by MAX JAEGER & SANTELL. Yendry recorded the song in

a couple of months before the release. The video for the single was directed by Alberto Chimenti Dezani and shot in

. ''El Diablo'' has been acclaimed by prominent international music outlets including

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

. Also that year, Yendry moved to

2021-present: The mini documentary En El Patio, the performance for the 2021 Latin AMAs and the 2022 nomination for the 2022 Premio Lo Nuestro

On February 5, 2021, she released the mini documentary ''En El Patio'' directed by Kieran Khan. The documentary was filmed in Herrera, Santo Domingo Oeste, the neighborhood where Yendry grew up and where her grandmother and part of her family still live. The documentary is a narrative of Yendry's Dominican origins and her journey to Italy with her mother. Also on February 5, 2021, the single ''Se Acabo'' is released featuring the Dominican rapper Mozart La Para. The song is written by Yendry together Mozart La Para, it was produced by XAXO and Fux Beat, the video for the single was shot in Herrera. In February 2021 she performed for Vevo Discovery with the singles ''El Diablo'' and ''Se Acabo''. On April 15, 2021, she's one of the performers for the

where she performed her debut single ''El Barrio''. On May 21, 2021, she announced the collaboration with the Spanish fashion brand Desigual for the campaign ''Desigual x Esteban Cortázar''. On May 28, 2021, she released the single ''YA'' written by herself and produced by Federico Vindver. The song is an exhortation to self-confidence. The video directed by Kieran Khan, was shot in

Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...

in Colombia near

Cauca River The Cauca River () is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. From its headwaters in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Magangué in Bolívar Department, an ...

. In December 2021, the single ''YA'' was selected by

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

as one of the best song of 2021 and is also part of Barack Obama's 2021 Spotify Playlist. In June 2021 her collaboration with the Emotional Oranges for the song ''No Words'' was released. On June 7, 2021, she was nominated as best new artists at the

. On August 6, 2021, she released the single ''You'' featuring Damian Marley On November 19, 2021, she released ''Instinto'' with

J Balvin José Álvaro Osorio Balvín (born 7 May 1985), known professionally as J Balvin, is a Colombian singer. He is one of the best-selling Latin artists, with 35 million records sold worldwide. Balvin was born in Medellín. At age 17, he moved to th ...

, the song written by Yendry herself and J Balvin is produced by Lexus & Keityn and the music video for the song was filmed in New York directed by José Emilio Sagaró. On January 14, 2022, she was part of '' Hotel Transylvania: Transformania'' soundtrack with the song ''Love Is Not Hard to Find''. On January 28, 2022, she released together Lous and the Yakuza the single ''Mascarade'' for

. On January 25, 2022, she was nominated in the category ''Best New Female artist'' for the 2022 Premio Lo Nuestro On May 6, 2022 she released the single ''KI-KI'' for which she shot a video directed by herself, Christopher Hesketh and Becky Hern. On February 10, 2023 she released the single ''Herrera''.

Musical influences

Yendry's style is a mix between

Bachata Bachata may refer to: * Bachata (music), a musical genre which originated in the Dominican Republic ** Traditional bachata, a subgenre of bachata music ** Bachata (dance), a dance form * Bachatón, a hybrid bachata/reggaeton music style * "Bach ...

, Merengue, salsa, R&B and electro. Among her influences, as she stated herself, are the likes of

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

Frank Ocean Frank Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. He has been credited by several music journalism, music critics as a pioneer of the alternative R&B genre. Ocean has won two Grammy Awards and a B ...

, James Blake, Yoskar Sarante and Juan Luis Guerra.

Discography

Singles

As Yendry

* 2019 - "Barrio" * 2020 - "Nena" * 2020 - "El diablo" * 2021 - "Se acabo" (feat. Mozart La Para) * 2021 - "Ya" * 2021 - "You" (feat. Damian Marley) * 2021 - "Instinto" (with

) * 2022 - "Love Is Not Hard to Find" * 2022 - "Mascarade" (with Lous and the Yakuza) * 2022 - "KI-KI" * 2023 - "Herrera" * 2023 - "La Puerta" * 2024 - "Veinte Años" (with Nella Rojas)

As Yendry Fiorentino

* 2013 - "Here"

Materianera discography

EPs

* 2015 - ''Supernova''

Albums

* 2018 - ''Abyss''

Awards and nominations

* 2021 - '' MTV Millennial Awards'' - Best New Artist - ''nominee'' * 2022 - '' Premio Lo Nuestro'' - Best New Female artist - ''nominee''

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yendry Living people 1993 births 21st-century Dominican Republic women singers Musicians from Santo Domingo Singers from Turin Latin music songwriters Urbano musicians Latin R&B singers Sony Music artists RCA Records artists Sony Music Latin artists Women in Latin music X Factor (Italian TV series) contestants