Yma Sumac

Biography

Zoila Emperatriz Chávarri Castillo (September 13, 1922 – November 1, 2008), known as Yma Sumac (from Quechua "Ima sumaq", meaning "how beautiful"), was a Peruvian-born vocalist, actress, model, musical composer and producer. She won a Guinness World Record for the Greatest Range of Musical Value in 1956. She has also been called "Queen of Exotica" and is considered a pioneer of world music.

Her debut album, Voice of the Xtabay (1950), peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, selling a million copies in the United States, and its single, "Virgin of the Sun God (Taita Inty)", was a big seller in the United Kingdom, becoming an international success in the 1950s. Subsequent albums including Legend of the Sun Virgin (1952), Fuego del Ande (1959) and Mambo! (1955), were also successful. In 1951, Sumac became the first Latin American and Peruvian female singer to debut on Broadway.

In "Chuncho (The Forest Creatures)" (1953), she developed her own technical singing, named "double voice" or "triple coloratura". During the same period, she performed at Carnegie Hall and Lewisohn Stadium. In 1960, she became the first Latin American woman to get a phonograph record star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Afterwards she toured the Soviet Union, selling more than 20 million tickets.

According to Variety in 1974, Sumac had more than 3,000 concerts "covering the entire globe", breaking any previous records by a performer. Fashion magazine V listed her as one of the top nine international fashion icons of all time in 2010. She sold over 40 million records, making her the best-selling Peruvian singer in history.

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