Yamillette Aponte Yunqué (pseudonym Melina Leon) was born on 12 July 1970 in a Puerto Rican city Rio Piedras. Leon inherited the love for music from her mother, who often sang to the girl and her three brothers. Melina showed her talent when she was very young. By the time she became a teenager, she already performed with such bands as Las Cheris and Rubi. Leon performed in Puerto Rican clubs and bars, singing for different bands. Melina always loved merengue music and ballads.
During one of her performances, Melina was noticed by the representative of Tropix Music Records. She signed her first contract in 1997 and released the debut studio album Mujeres Liberadas. The LP jump-started the young woman’s career. It reached the ninth spot on Tropical Albums Chart. The songs “Mujeres Liberadas” and “Ya No Soy Buena” made it to the top positions on Puerto Rican radio stations.
In 1998, Melina released her second album Con los Pies Sobre la Tierra. The LP featured different love songs. It reached the 5th spot on Tropical Albums Chart and the 26th place on Billboard Latin Chart. The LP was very popular and turned Melina into one of the most successful Puerto Rican singers of that time. It was nearly impossible to book Melina Leon for any event. The LP brought Melina several awards from the local magazines and TV stations. She started traveling to other countries and participated in Florida and New York music festivals. Leon also visited Montevideo and Buenos Aires.
In 2000, Melina signed a contract with Sony Tropical and released the LP Baño de Luna, which brought her international recognition. The album featured many merengue songs but included a few ballads as well.
In 2001, Melina released her fourth album Corazon de Mujer. The LP quickly conquered the Tropical Albums Chart and reached the 7th spot on Billboard Latin Chart. Singles “Corazon de Mujer,” Qué será de ti,” and “Un Hombre de Verdad” appeared on all popular radio stations. It was the most successful Melina’s LP to date.
In 2004, Leon recorded Melina León, which was slightly less successful than her previous work but was still popular in Puerto Rico. The lead single “Quiero Ser Tuya” made it to the radio stations. Melina was nominated for Lo Nuestro a la Música Latina 2005 award as the Best Artist of The Year.
In 2007, she signed an exclusive deal with Peer-Southern Productions and started working with a famous singer Donato Poveda. Soon she released Vas A Pagar...y sus Exitos, which featured their duet single “Vas A Pagar”.
In 2010, Leon released her new album, Dos Caras. It didn’t make it into the charts but the songs “Nos Vamos De Fiesta” and “Caminando” were popular nevertheless.
Melina Leon continues to record new music and performs live.
