Best known for her tenure as the lead vocalist of Las Chicas del Can during the 1980s and early '90s, Miriam Cruz is a merengue singer and actress from the Dominican Republic who made her smash hit solo album debut with Nueva Vida in 1993. Born Miriam Aracelis Cruz Ramírez on August 17, 1968, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, she was a member of Las Chicas del Can from 1982 to 1992. Founded by legendary Dominican singer/songwriter, trumpeter, and producer Wilfrido Vargas, Las Chicas del Can were a teenage merengue girl group that originally featured Belkis Concepción as lead vocalist. Once Concepción left for a solo career, Cruz took over lead vocals for the group's second album, Chicán (1985). Throughout the remainder of the decade, Las Chicas del Can released an album per year and racked up numerous international hit singles. The final Chicas del Can album to feature Cruz was Nada Común (1991). In 1993 she made her solo album debut with Nueva Vida. Billed to Miriam y las Chicas, the album was an enormous success, spawning the smash hit singles "Tómalo Tú," "La Loba," and "Te Propongo," the latter written for her by Juan Luis Guerra, then at the height of his superstardom. In 1994 she had another big hit with "Agua de Sal." During the mid- to late '90s, she took a break from music and established herself as an accomplished actress. Several years passed before Cruz returned with her next album, Punto y Aparte (2001). Released on Sony Music, it was a commercial disappointment relative to her past successes. Her third album, Aquí Estoy (2006), was likewise a minor success at best. In the years that followed, Cruz returned to acting. Beginning in 2011, she mounted a comeback as a singer, releasing the singles "Es Cosa de Él," "Es Necesario," and "La Carnada." ~ Jason Birchmeier