Why was Irene Cara blackballed from the industry?

[Music] I'm giving him something he can feel I'm going to live forever I'm going toar how to [Music] feel Irene Cara was an American singer and actress who Rose the prominence for her role as Koko Hernandez and the 1980s musical film Fame and for recording in the film's title song Fame which went number one in several countries and I know you guys have heard this song by then I was forced to sing it in my Middle School choir almost every year and in 1983 Cara co-wrote and sang the song Flash Dance What a Feeling and that is another song that you guys know that is very very popular she shared an Academy Award for best original song and won a Grammy award for best female pop vocal performance in 1984 she was the reason behind so many people in the 8S boldly showing their interest in the Performing Arts the movie Fame started the craze of dance flicks and was one of the OG musicals like you see like movies like step up and you know all those dance movies it started with the popularity of this movie and because of her a lot of schools around the world just globally not just in America started opening a lot of performing art centers this movie really just put Performing Arts on the map okay and so we giving her her flowers for that she was a huge deal she broke records for having two of her songs being nominated in the same category for best original song and that has never been done before at that time out of nowhere she just seems to disappear from the Limelight she was still making music and going on Broadway and you know doing theater and stuff like that but just mainstream it just seemed like everyone started to whisper rumors about her and substance use and she was difficult to work with and nobody should work with her she basically got the Monique treatment but just way worse it was just off with her head this was kind of her life until her sudden passing so what happened to Irene Cara in today's video we will answer the question and dive deep into some other troubles this beauty had with the industry and how they really really fumbled her she really could have been one of the greats she still is one of the greats so some flower emojis in the comments for her but they really could have took it much much further because she was oozing with popularity she was likable and even globally like her songs were going number one globally do you guys know how difficult that is if you are into the music industry Etc a lot of stars can go number one in their countries like if they're a UK artist they go number one in the UK but it's difficult to go number one in America it's difficult to go number one in Germany or Japan Etc ET but Irene Cara was going number one globally we got to give her her flowers cuz during that era Not only was it more difficult to go number one in that era because you couldn't just drop several versions of a song or packages merch you know stuff like that your music really had to sell there wasn't streaming or anything like that people really had to physically buy your music okay and she was getting people to do that globally so leave some flowers in the comments for her but in this video as we stated we are going to see what happened to her why did they blackball her but first hey friend welcome to my channel Karan elude while we Deep dive and break down the most iconic Stars through history if you're not yet subscribed please be sure to do so and if you're already subscribed please turn on your notification Bell so you never miss an upload now without further Ado let's get into this video but let's start First with her childhood Irene Cara escalera a shining star born and bred in the Bronx New York City on March 18th 1959 was the youngest of five children in a vibrant Multicultural household she was raised around African-Americans but she wasn't necessarily an African-American her dad Gaspar Cara juggled Life as a steel factory worker with his past as a saxophonist Irene got her Puerto Rican roots from her father who was a full Puerto Rican meanwhile her mom Louis escalera a Cuban American worked as a movie theater Usher growing up with two sisters and two brothers Irene's home was a Melting Pot of Afro Latina Heritage so her familyes was you know more on the darker side and we're considered afro Latina but because she you know looked like an African-American just a lighter skinned African-American a lot of people would confuse that she was africanamerican and this brought on a lot of trouble for her in the earlier years of her career while when she started to really become mainstream a lot of people started feeling away about that by 1981 one Irene Cara had blossom into a star catching the spotlight with her afro Latina identity in a cover story for Jet Magazine she boldly addressed the common misconceptions about being black in America she said and I quote we have a tendency in this country that when we say black it automatically means black Americans she emphasized her unique blend of Puerto Rican and cuban-american backgrounds despite her Clarity some critics still dared to challenge her identity with one particularly harsh article questioning her roles as a black woman in film and television many did not agree with her taking roles from black women with one journalist writing and I quote nearly every role she has had during her short period of popularity in the late 7s and early 80s was as a black woman she was in effing roots for goodness sakes she's Latina and I don't think she's even AFR Latina and quote these debates would follow Cara throughout her career sparking mixed reactions from both the black community and Beyond and I want you guys to comment below your thoughts should she have played in roles like roots and also it did label her as although she's not African-American when she later started winning some awards that were breaking records you would say for African-Americans or blacks um she was labeled the first black woman to win such and such award so this even pissed off more African-Americans where they was like No it should be the first Latina or Latin woman too but because Latin woman already won that award and they wanted to give the honors to Irene Cara they would just label her as black it became a sticky slope and I already know you guys are going to be wild in the comments so keep it respectful but comment below your thoughts with that but Irene Cara was raised around a lot of African-Americans her influences were pretty much with the African-American culture a lot of her musical influences were that too but when she was younger because she was a child star most of her performances music and television appearances were all in Spanish in the Latin community so she was a Latin child star before becoming a black one so a lot of people was wondering why did you shift was it because you were too black for the the Latin culture which at that time there was a little bit of colorism within the Latin culture where Irene Cara Doshi is very lightskinned the Cubans and the Puerto Ricans that were deemed acceptable to be po popular on screen were those that looked more like Sophia vagara or you know what I mean or Jennifer Lopez those were the ones that were more popular if you catch my drifts so Irene and Cara didn't really fit that bill so many people are saying okay they rejected you over there you weren't becoming as popular over there so you just jumped here because black people also was more willing you know some of them to support a lighter skinned um woman that looked like it she was black basically H it's so tricky and I hate having these conversations but this was unfortunately a dark part of her career which she had to deal with this a lot and she spoke about it a lot and just didn't believe in the division and she considered herself black and she stated in Hollywood they didn't see her as Latina or anything like that they saw her as a black woman that's what she was so she didn't see no issues with playing Black roles or winning awards for black as a black woman Etc that's that but let's go back to her childhood okay at just 5 years old Irene was already stepping into the World of Dance her journey into the Limelight kicked off with performances on Spanish language TV showcasing her talents as a singer and Dancer she graced stages on shows like the original Amateur hour singing in Spanish and even appeared on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show by 1971 Cara had snagged a spot on PBS the electric company as part of the short circus the show's band marking her presence and in its debut season Irene didn't stop there she dipped her toes in the recording industry early on releasing a Spanish language record aimed at the Latin Market in an English language Christmas album she even shared the stage with Legends like Stevie Wonder Sammy Davis Jr and Roberta Flack and a grand concert tribute to Duke Elling educationwise Irene honed her craft at the professional children school in Manhattan setting the stage for her future success in a 1985 interview with Cosmopolitan Cara reflected on her unwavering confidence in her path to startom she said and I quote I don't mean to sound immodest but i' never had any doubt that I'd be successful nor any fear of success I was raised as a little goddess who was told she would be a star she declared and a star she ended became navigating the complexities of her identity and talent in a career that would leave an incredible mark on the entertainment industry Irene Cara before she became a household name kicked off her acting career in the 1970s daytime soap love of life as Daisy Allen but it was her role as Angela in the romance Thriller Aaron Loves Angela followed by her standout performance as the lead and Sparkle that began Turning Heads television further catapulted her into the spotlight with critically acclaimed roles in Roots the Next Generation and Guyana tragedy the story of Jim Jones her acting chops didn't go un notice she was listed as one of 12 promising new actors of 197 76 by John Willis and snagged the title of top actress in a magazine reader poll then came Fame in 1980 a film that rocketed Cara to new heights of stardom initially brought on board as a dancer her incredible singing voice caught the attention of the film's producers and screenwriter which quickly tailored the role of Koko Hernandez for her this move paid off spectacularly as Cara belted out the title song Fame and out here on my own both earning Academy Award nominations for best original song a first and Oscar history for two songs from the same film performed by the same artist to be nominated in the same category at the Oscar ceremony Fame won the award for best original song contributing to the film's soundtrack success as a chart topping multiplatinum album Cara's Talent was further recognized with Grammy nominations for Best new artists and best female pop vocal performance and a Golden Globe nod for best Motion Picture actress in a musical she was held as top new single artist by billboard and received accolades from cashbox magazine as most promising female vocalist and top female vocalist and despite an offer to reprise her role as Koko Hernandez in the fame TV series Cara chose to concentrate on her music career passing the torch to Erica gimple she was also slated to Starr in a sitcom Irene alongside seasoned performers like K Ballard and Teddy Wilson as well as up andc Comer Julia Duffy and Kenan Ivory Waynes but the pilot never made it to air in 1983 Cara made a cameo as herself in the film DC cab her acting prowess continued to shine through with an image award win for best actress for her role alongside Diane Carroll and roselene cash in the NBC movie of the week sister sister and an NAACP image Award Best Actress nomination for portraying merly Evers however 1983 was also the year Cara reached a pinnacle of her music career with FL Flash Dance What a Feeling from the movie Flash Dance which she co-wrote with Georgio maroder and Keith fory the song was a global hit sweeping Awards left and right Cara made history by becoming the first black woman to win an Oscar and a non-acting category and the youngest to receive an Oscar for songwriting she also bagged the 1984 Grammy award for best female pop vocal performance the 1984 Golden Globe Award for best original song in American Music Award for best R&B female artist and best pop single of the Year cementing her status as a multi-talented superstar in the mid 8s Irene Cara kept her star shining bright she teamed up with Tatum O'Neal for a gritty performance and certain Fury in 1985 the following year she showed off her acting chops and busted up proving she was more than just a sensational singer but here's where things get a bit quirky Cara lent her voice to Snow White in an unofficial sequel to Disney's classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarves this project titled happily ever after and produced by filmation in 1993 wasn't exactly what you'd call authorized Disney material but it's a fascinating footnote in her career that same year Cara took a dramatic turn portraying Mary Magdalene in a touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar she shared the stage with Ted neie Carl Anderson and Denise D young adding a rock opera feather to her cap when it came to her music Cara was no slouch she dropped three Studio albums that span the early early to late 80s anyone can see in 1982 What a Feeling in 1983 and charismatic in 1987 out of these What a Feeling soared the highest riding the wave of her Flash Dance What a Feeling success but Irene wasn't about to stay boxed into one genre or scene in 1985 she showcased her diverse talents by joining forces with the Hispanic charity super group Hermanos here she belted out a solo segment alongside none other in the Spanish Opera Titan plao Domingo the '90s saw Cara embracing the globe Trotter life touring Europe and Asia and snagging several dance hits on European charts although the US charts seemed a bit indifferent to her new Tunes she didn't let that slow her down in the mid to late '90s Cara compiled a collection of Euro dance singles titled precarious 9s capturing the essence of the era's Dance Floor Vibes while her chart topping days in the US might have woned Cara's International adventures and musical Explorations during the '90s showcased her undiminished Zeal and versatility as an artist you'd naturally expect that a young talented actor and singer like Irene Cara oozing with Charisma and delivering consistently Stellar performances would be swamped with movie offers and a plush recording deal right the kind that comes with top-notch producers and songwriters lining up to work on her debut album but due to some shady dealings especially when it came to her acting career that dream scenario was far from her reality during these years Irene found herself Tangled in a messy legal battle over royalties with network records she bravely took them to court suing for a whopping $10 million this lawsuit stretched out for an excruciating 8 years a battle she eventually won but not without its scars opening up to People magazine in 2001 Irene shared and I quote I'll never be that trusting again expressing her disillusionment with the industry's professionals she once believed had her back the outcome of her legal fight Saha awarded 1.5 million by a California jury in 1993 but by then the rumor mill had taken its toll all of a sudden I was hearing stories about how difficult I was to work with ridiculous rumors about substance use and what a Divi was Irene recounted this lawsuit unfortunately put a damper on what was a promising recording career but there's a deeper layer to why her Hollywood dreams seemed to fizzle out it wasn't just about being blacklisted which implied wrongdoing on her part Hollywood didn't punish Irene Cara they simply turned their backs on her leaving her out in the cold and abandoning her this really just put a damper on just her career and how far she could have went it was like you just do not you just cannot get away with suing these you know record labels or these companies like you just can't they basically will make you pay cuz they have so many Connections in the industry that even if you win cuz she won there's still consequences you know it's just terrible I hate that it's unfortunate that this lawsuit happened so long ago people are still dealing and battling these type of practices even today and still having lawsuit with these labels and it's just like nothing has changed which is pretty crazy but at least now a lot of stars can be independent if they wanted to and make millions that way and have control over their careers if they wanted to but back then there wasn't really that option if you wanted to make music and share it to the world you had to deal with these Shady practices just very unfortunate maren car's personal life saw its own shares of ups and downs she married Conrad pal missano a stuntman and film director on April 13th 1986 in Los Angeles their marriage lasted until 1991 when they decided to part ways and her later years Irene made Florida her home residing in Largo and keeping a secondary address in Newport Richie where her company caramel Productions was based tragically on November 25th 2022 at the age of of 63 Irene Cara passed away from arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease compounded by hypercholesterol lemia and diabetes in her Florida home her passing marked the end of an era for a star whose light Shone brightly on stage in screen despite the Shadows cast by the industry she once thrived in like I said leave some flower emojis in the comments for her cuz she does deserve her flowers she was a hard work okay no matter what you think or believe all right leave her some flowers comment below your thoughts and who else would you guys like to see a video from if you like the music you're listen to the link is in the description I love you guys so much thank you for tuning in until next time

Channel: Karine Alourde Biographies 🇭🇹

Views: 98,803

Keywords: irene cara, irene cara sad last days, irene cara funeral, irene cara fame, irene cara death, irene cara flashdance what a feeling, irene cara andy gibb, irene cara tragic final days, irene cara florida house, cara, irene, blacklisted celebrities, cancelled celebrities, banned celebrities, blackballed, hollywood celebrities, fired celebrities, celebrities blacklisted from hollywood, old hollywood celebrities, black listed celebrities, celebrities who left Hollywood for God

Id: zAwPKXXKqqM

Length: 18min 39sec (1119 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 19 2024