# Leslie Grace
**Leslie Grace** (full name Leslie Grace Martínez, born 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress of Dominican descent who first gained fame with a bilingual bachata cover of the Shirelles' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and later starred as Nina Rosario in the 2021 film *In the Heights*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6051155/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/leslie-grace/) She was born in [The Bronx](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-bronx) to Dominican parents and raised in Florida, and has recorded and performed in both English and Spanish.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/leslie-grace/) • [3](https://tidal.com/magazine/article/tidal-rising-leslie-grace/1-27832)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995, The Bronx, New York; raised in Florida by Dominican parents[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/leslie-grace/) • [3](https://tidal.com/magazine/article/tidal-rising-leslie-grace/1-27832) |
| Breakthrough single | "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" (2012), a bilingual bachata cover of the Shirelles' 1961 hit; reached #1 on Billboard's Latin Radio Airplay chart[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/leslie-grace/) • [4](https://www.sonymusic.es/artista/leslie-grace/) |
| Debut album | *Leslie Grace* (2013), #4 on Billboard Latin Albums and #3 on Tropical Albums; Latin Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Tropical Album[4](https://www.sonymusic.es/artista/leslie-grace/) |
| Awards | Five Premio Lo Nuestro nominations, winning Mejor Artista Tropical in 2016; three Billboard Latin Music Award nominations and two Latin Grammy nominations (2015)[5](https://www.sonymusic.com.mx/artist/leslie-grace/) |
| Signature acting role | Nina Rosario in *In the Heights* (2021)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6051155/) |
| Batgirl | Cast as Barbara Gordon on July 21, 2021; Warner Bros. Discovery canceled the nearly finished HBO Max film in August 2022[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/leslie-grace/) |
| Comeback album | *Amor, ¿Quién Eres?* (May 1, 2026), 14 songs, her first album in over a decade[6](https://music.apple.com/us/album/amor-qui%C3%A9n-eres/1894378979) |
## Early life and first recordings
Grace grew up in a large musical household in the New York area before her family moved to [Davie, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/davie-florida), when she was 10. She describes herself as the youngest of a big Dominican American family, in a house where merengue, bachata, old-school R&B, and top 40 radio all played side by side.[3](https://tidal.com/magazine/article/tidal-rising-leslie-grace/1-27832) She began singing as a child in church choirs and school activities, and recorded and released an independent [Christian music](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-music) album, *Pasión*, while still in middle school in 2008, in partnership with CD Baby.[7](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/leslie-grace-mn0002867101)
__Her break came at 16.__ Producer Sergio George signed her to [Top Stop Music](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-stop-music), a boutique label founded by Gregory Elias, where she recorded a bachata-infused bilingual cover of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow". Released in 2012, it topped both the Billboard Tropical Songs and Latin Airplay charts, and [Sony Music](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-music)'s biographies credit her as the youngest Latin artist to reach #1 on that airplay chart.[3](https://tidal.com/magazine/article/tidal-rising-leslie-grace/1-27832) • [4](https://www.sonymusic.es/artista/leslie-grace/) • [7](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/leslie-grace-mn0002867101) The press soon dubbed her the "Princess of Bachata".[8](https://remezcla.com/features/music/from-bachatica-to-batichica-leslie-grace-interview/)
## Bachata career and awards
Her self-titled full-length debut, *Leslie Grace*, arrived in 2013 and reached #4 on the Billboard Latin Albums chart and #3 on Tropical Albums. It was nominated for a Latin Grammy in the Best Contemporary Tropical Album category, and the single "Day One" hit the top spot on the Latin Pop chart.[7](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/leslie-grace-mn0002867101) In 2015 she signed a long-term worldwide recording contract with Sony Music Latin, debuting on the label with "Como Duele El Silencio", the first single from her EP *Lloviendo Estrellas*.[5](https://www.sonymusic.com.mx/artist/leslie-grace/)
The awards followed quickly. Sony Music lists two Latin Grammy nominations in 2015 for *Lloviendo Estrellas* (Best Contemporary Tropical Album and Best Tropical Song for "Como Duele el Silencio"), five Premio Lo Nuestro nominations with a 2016 win as Best Tropical Artist, and three Billboard Latin Music Award nominations.[5](https://www.sonymusic.com.mx/artist/leslie-grace/) She also collaborated widely across [Latin pop](https://www.edgepedia.org/latin-pop) and urban music, with artists including Maluma, Wisin, Becky G, CNCO, Farina, and [Karol G](https://www.edgepedia.org/karol-g).[4](https://www.sonymusic.es/artista/leslie-grace/) • [8](https://remezcla.com/features/music/from-bachatica-to-batichica-leslie-grace-interview/)
In September 2021 she returned to the genre that launched her with "Bachatica", a trap-infused romantic bachata written with the singer-songwriters Maye and Musiana and produced by Eddy Perez; the song spread through dance communities on TikTok and Instagram.[8](https://remezcla.com/features/music/from-bachatica-to-batichica-leslie-grace-interview/) She has spoken about the significance of being a woman in the field, saying in a 2026 interview that she is proud to be part of a genre that, in her account, remains dominated by men.[9](https://eldia.com.do/leslie-grace-responde-quien-es-el-amor-en-un-disco-que-conecta-con-su-raiz-dominicana/)
## Acting: In the Heights and Batgirl
Grace's big-screen debut came as Nina Rosario in the 2021 film adaptation of [Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://www.edgepedia.org/lin-manuel-miranda)'s musical *In the Heights*, starring alongside [Anthony Ramos](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-ramos) and [Melissa Barrera](https://www.edgepedia.org/melissa-barrera).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6051155/) • [10](https://peopleenespanol.com/chica/leslie-grace-people-en-espanol-interview/) She has said the role drew on years of auditioning and self-taped training that began long before she was cast.[8](https://remezcla.com/features/music/from-bachatica-to-batichica-leslie-grace-interview/) The film also drew criticism over the representation of Afro-Latinos and dark-skinned Latinos, and Grace responded that the conversation afterward was important and that more spaces needed to open up.[8](https://remezcla.com/features/music/from-bachatica-to-batichica-leslie-grace-interview/)
On July 21, 2021, she was cast as [Barbara Gordon](https://www.edgepedia.org/barbara-gordon), the title character of [HBO Max](https://www.edgepedia.org/hbo-max)'s *Batgirl*, a role previously played by [Yvonne Craig](https://www.edgepedia.org/yvonne-craig) and Alicia Silverstone. In August 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery canceled plans to release the film, which was nearing completion.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/leslie-grace/) She continued working in film, appearing in *In the Summers* (2024) alongside Residente and in the Western *The Thicket* (2024).[11](https://eldia.com.do/leslie-grace-responde-quien-es-el-amor-en-un-disco-que-conecta-con-su-raiz-dominicana/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/leslie-grace/) Later projects listed as in pre-production include a role as Val Alonso in an untitled Onyx/Hulu series and in a *Monopoly* television movie.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6051155/)
## Return to music: Amor, ¿Quién Eres?
In May 2026, after more than a decade without a full-length album, Grace released *Amor, ¿Quién Eres?*, 14 songs and 42 minutes of pop Latino issued by Sony Music Entertainment US Latin.[6](https://music.apple.com/us/album/amor-qui%C3%A9n-eres/1894378979) The album opens with a bachata title track and moves through tropical genres including cha cha chá, merengue, and reggaeton, with bolero and ballad moments; she describes it as a "self-portrait" built around the question of what love is, with the other thirteen songs answering the opening question.[9](https://eldia.com.do/leslie-grace-responde-quien-es-el-amor-en-un-disco-que-conecta-con-su-raiz-dominicana/) • [12](https://laopinion.com/2026/05/07/leslie-grace-tal-como-es/)
The idea dated back to a poem she began writing at 19, which she later turned into a song and kept until it became the album's centerpiece.[12](https://laopinion.com/2026/05/07/leslie-grace-tal-como-es/) Two singles preceded it: "Ayayay" in 2025, her first release in three years, and "Inmerecido", which explores toxic relationships through R&B, afrobeat, and bilingual lyrics.[9](https://eldia.com.do/leslie-grace-responde-quien-es-el-amor-en-un-disco-que-conecta-con-su-raiz-dominicana/) In interviews around the release she framed the hiatus after her film projects as a deliberate pause to protect her creative impulse, and said she plans to tour with the new material while continuing her acting work.[13](https://www.lamusica.com/en/videos/leslie-grace-is-getting-her-muse-back) • [12](https://laopinion.com/2026/05/07/leslie-grace-tal-como-es/)
## References
1. [Leslie Grace, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6051155/)
2. [Leslie Grace, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/leslie-grace/)
3. [TIDAL Rising: Leslie Grace, TIDAL Magazine](https://tidal.com/magazine/article/tidal-rising-leslie-grace/1-27832)
4. [Leslie Grace, Sony Music España](https://www.sonymusic.es/artista/leslie-grace/)
5. [Leslie Grace, Sony Music Entertainment México](https://www.sonymusic.com.mx/artist/leslie-grace/)
6. [AMOR, QUIÉN ERES? – Album by Leslie Grace, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/amor-qui%C3%A9n-eres/1894378979)
7. [Leslie Grace Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/leslie-grace-mn0002867101)
8. [From 'Bachatica' to Batichica, Leslie Grace Talks Being an All-Round Performer, Remezcla](https://remezcla.com/features/music/from-bachatica-to-batichica-leslie-grace-interview/)
9. [Leslie Grace explora el amor en un disco con bachata y raíces dominicanas, El Día (EFE)](https://eldia.com.do/leslie-grace-responde-quien-es-el-amor-en-un-disco-que-conecta-con-su-raiz-dominicana/)
10. [Leslie Grace Shares Fashion and Beauty Tips, People en Español](https://peopleenespanol.com/chica/leslie-grace-people-en-espanol-interview/)
11. [Leslie Grace, tal como es, La Opinión](https://laopinion.com/2026/05/07/leslie-grace-tal-como-es/)
12. [Leslie Grace is getting her muse back, LaMusica](https://www.lamusica.com/en/videos/leslie-grace-is-getting-her-muse-back)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Latin American and Caribbean scenes › Tropical Latin music: salsa, bachata, merengue, cumbia, vallenato › Artists, groups, and people: Tropical Latin music: salsa, bachata, merengue, cumbia, vallenato › Bachata*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license