Soraya: El Otro Lado de Mi
On May 10, Colombian-American pop star Soraya died of breast cancer. She was 37.
A singer, musician, and songwriter, Soraya won a 2004 Latin Grammy for Best Songwriter (for the song “Casi”), and a 2005 Latin Grammy for Female Pop Vocal Album (for El Otro Lado de Mi).
Soraya’s final album represented an exciting new direction in her career, which makes her death all the more poignant. With El Otro Lado di Mi, Soraya made it clear that she was more than a pop princess. She explored more complex musical paths, combining South American guitars and percussion with a rock vibe.
“El Otro Lado de Mi,” which opens with Andean pipes, is particularly evocative. Other stand outs on the album are “Ser”, which looks at what goes unspoken in relationships, “Llevame”, an energetic pop anthem, and “Alma de la Calle”, an ode to the miserable and forgotten people in our midst.
Soraya Lamilla, who moved to New Jersey with her family when she was eight, began her career exactly one decade ago with matching albums, one in English, On a Night Like This, and one in Spanish, En Este Noche. “De Repente”, from Soraya’s first album, made Soraya an international star.
Although her fans included the likes of Sting, Alanis Morrisette and Carole King (with whom she collaborated on her second album, Wall of Smiles) Soraya never gained much traction in the English-language market and eventually focused her energy on her Latin-American fans.
Most of the trackson the album are love songs. But even the love songs forebode a life cut short. One can’t help thinking of Soraya battling cancer—writing a note to her lover and fans—when she composed the lyrics to “El Otro Lado de Mi”: “Si se rompe el cielo y cae una tormenta, excavas mi alma como una mina sin fín, entre piedra y suelo abres tu camino, no paras hasta que encuentras el oro en mí, hasta que llegas al otro lado de mí” [“If the heavens break, and a storm falls, mine my soul. Make your path between the rock and the soil. Don’t stop until you find my gold. Don’t stop until you find my other side”].
After her mother died of breast cancer in 1992, Soraya became involved with raising money and interest in cancer research, eventually becoming the Latin spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
On the day before she died from the same disease, Soraya posted the following on her website:
“My physical history may come to an end, but I am confident my existence will leave its mark for the future benefit of many women.... Today I have not lost this battle, no pain is felt in vain, because I know my struggle will help overcome a greater battle, that of early detection and prevention against this terrible enemy. The essence of life lies in transcending through others. By offering the value of my experience and my struggles I hope to lift up many more voices. We still have not reached the goal, but I know we are closer to it every day.”
—Eric Bond