Marlissa Vela, Harlingen, TX
What started as a surprise performance in 1997 for her father, the legendary Ruben Vela, became the launching pad for Marlissa Vela's own career. From that time till now, Marlissa has released three albums on Hacienda Records, performed at countless venues/festivals (San Antonio Conjunto Festival, Bayfest, Tejano Music Awards Fanfare and the Las Vegas Tejano Convention) and television shows (Aqui Rogelio, Dale Gas, Muy Bien, The Johnny Canales Show, and Domingo Live) across the United States. Marlissa has been nominated for numerous awards including Tejano Music Awards “Female Vocalist.”
A chance meeting between Marlissa, and her original producer, Rick Garcia (President of CHR Records), took place in March of 2018 at the TTMA fanfare in San Antonio. It was a beautiful reunion between Marlissa and Garcia, both hugged, laughed and cried together, reflecting on all the good times and the challenging times from years past, as Garcia was also the producer of Marlissa's father, Ruben Vela.
Marlissa Vela recently signed with CHR Records. Her new album was released late December of 2018 and features some original compositions by Marlissa, including some heartfelt material that she wrote in honor of her late father.
Beyond a doubt, this young lady who has devoted the last 20 years of her life to this industry has now solidified her place as a true Tejano and Conjunto entertainer and performer.
