#blcklounge

Bobby Sanchez For BlackLounge // BlackLounge Latin Heritage Photo Series 

Bobby Sanchez is Peruvian American Rap Artist from New Rochelle, NY committed to creating a successful life for himself through music.

Bobby was introduced to music in elementary school, when he first began to play the trumpet. By ninth grade, he had started to learn and play the guitar, and then the bass in 11th grade. Besides his passion in music, Bobby had dreams of being a professional soccer player, until unfortunately tearing his ACL twice. When he realized he could no longer pursue his sport, he told himself he would make it in music.

By the tenth grade, Bobby had made the decision to leave school for a couple of months to pursue music. It was then that started recording himself rapping and seeing all that he was capable of. His supportive parents enabled him to develop a craft that was cultured, diverse and rooted in advocacy. His music making process is a bit unorthodox, and it is what differentiates him from other rappers currently. Inspired by current events and the state of the world, Bobby uses his anger toward social injustices as a means of creating art. He believes this comes from his family influence, and the importance they put on social activism. He went on to study studio production at SUNY Purchase College, and now makes musics that represents his heritage and higher consciousness.

Currently, Bobby’s main focus is to go on tour and collaborate with artists that he admire. While he does not necessarily seek fame, he wants to share his music with a wider audience and continue to create art that inspires people.

We look forward to his upcoming collaborations and to see him shine on tour. To hear more of his music visit: 

https://www.instagram.com/bobbysanchezmusic/

Omar the King for BlackLounge // BlackLounge Latin Heritage Photo Series 

Check out his music at: 

https://soundcloud.com/omar_the_king

https://www.instagram.com/1prettyflvcko/

https://twitter.com/1prettyflvcko

For more BlackLounge:

https://www.instagram.com/blcklounge/

https://www.facebook.com/BlckLounge/

Leslie Merced for BlackLounge

For more:

https://www.instagram.com/blcklounge/

https://www.facebook.com/BlckLounge/

Meet Leslie Merced:

Leslie Merced is a 19 year old dancer from Plainview, NJ raised by her very loving and cultured Puerto Rican family.  To her, family is top priority and she takes pride in calling her parents everyday, whom she considers her best friends. At the age of two, her parents put her in dance class after watching her joyfully dance and sing around the house. In middle school she began to take dance seriously, and was one of the select few to be accepted into a vocational high school that enabled her to enhance her modern technique. Because of this, Leslie remained headstrong about pursing dance - one for being immensely passionate about it, knowing it was what she deserved, and for wanting to make her parents proud. She doesn't settle for anything less than that. Leslie is now enrolled in the Purchase College Dance Conservatory, which is ranked within the top ten dance programs nationwide.

As it relates to her culture, Leslie is a proud Puerto Rican doll.  She has always been appreciative of her heritage and family values. Remarkably, she is the only Latina in her class of forty, and is not letting that hold her back. While she has struggled with having a curvaceous latin body in a professional dance culture in which petite is the norm, she has gracefully differentiated herself by deliberately working on her craft and growing into the phenomenal dancer she is. She plans to incorporate more of her culture into her dance as she continues to evolve as an artist.

Aside from her dance life, Leslie loves playing with her dog, going to the gym, reading and is obsessed with coloring!  

BlackLounge looks forward to seeing her in her upcoming latin infused dance projects, obtaining her masters upon graduation, traveling worldwide to dance for different companies, opening up her own dance studio, and being the vibrant creative that she is.

Follow Leslie on Instagram @les_loves_life + watch her dancing for BlackLounge at:

Keldy for BlackLounge // Latin Heritage Month Photo Series 

Keldy Colon is a powerhouse Honduran spoken word artist from Brooklyn, NY, currently studying psychology at SUNY Purchase College.

Writing poetry was first introduced to Keldy in the 8th grade, when going through a very emotional time in her life. Her first poem came about through a homework assignment, and due to it being highly regarded,  she decided poetry was what she wanted to continue doing. Her first spoken word was at a jam cafe in high school, and that's when she discovered her love for performing.

As it relates to her ethnicity, Keldy grew up very cultured. In Honduras, there is a tribe called Garifuna that migrated from St. Vincent with their own unique language, dance, food and music. This has been very influential in her growth from the doings of the women in her life.

Because poetry is not an art widely known in her culture, Keldy feels like she's breaking the norm in her craft.  Her work is not religiously inspired, and is considered to be more political, and that's completely different than what Garifuna culture stands for. It influences her in a way in which she is breaking away from her customs to set her own path.  

In the near future, Keldy wants to continue to perform at showcases with bigger audiences. She knows the work she's been producing should be heard and is excited to share her art to the masses. We look forward to having her at our upcoming events! For more on her, check out her instagram at: