Stefani Vara

In an age when so many pop stars are made – through technology, through undue hype – it is refreshing to find Stefani Vara, a fan of music who backs up her lifelong desire to sing with a voice so sweet you'll wonder why she didn't decide to become a performer until she reached high school.

"I've always been singing," the delightful Vara says. "I always loved music. I didn't always want to do it professionally." Yet, when Vara decided that she wanted to be a professional singer, she embraced the choice whole-heartedly, uprooting herself from her family outside of Houston, Texas, and moving to New York City while still in her teens, where she began her education in the world of music. After several attempts to entice a major label, Vara – whose motto is "Live the life you want. You're the creator of your destiny," Vara took destiny into her hands, by putting together several shows. "I asked a friend to choreograph three shows," she said. "I hired background dancers and performed at the showcases." These showcases opened the door for the next step in her career. "I was a big fan live music," Vara said. "I put together a bass player, a conga player, and a drummer. I worked on my own songs and they made them their own." Stefani paid for all of these efforts herself. She tried to find an investor in order to offset the costs of making a CD, but "who wants to put $2,000 into something that may not happen?"

The success of the performing at the various showcases led Stefani to a one album deal with an independent record label with distribution through Universal Records. While many would kill for her model-good looks – Vara represented Azzure Denim, Southpole Clothing and Shoes and she's been featured in numerous magazine layouts including Vibe – the singer realizes that some will take her singing abilities for granted and will attempt to categorize her as another pretty face with a weak voice. "Everyone's going to have their opinions," Vara said. "Especially when music is so fluffy. There are a lot of beautiful artists. While growing up I listened to George Strait, Gloria Estefan, Selena and Mariah Carey. Those artists are a big mix of where I came from musically. From my dad, I got my R&B influences; Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross. It was a big mix. I love Tejano Music!

Looking forward, Vara hopes to hit the road and is currently working on a new independent album!. "I love performing in a live setting. I want people to get excited about coming to see shows and I want people to see that there's more to me than being a singer." This self-described "personable, organized dreamer" learned during the trials she has encountered over the past four years in New York City that "only the strong survive.”

Stefani Vara's talent, hard work, and determination, combined with a sparkling personality and exotic beauty have brought her to the cusp of stardom, but it is her songs – rich, literate, melodic, and excruciatingly catch – that will propel her to stardom.