Safire

Although she didn't score as many pop crossovers as groups like Exposé or the Cover Girls, Safire's string of late-'80s club hits helped make her one of Latin freestyle's most popular female performers. Born Wilma Cosme in San Juan, Puerto Rico, she grew up mostly in East Harlem and began her singing career as a session vocalist. She was discovered at an audition for the Cutting Records label, which won her the chance to record the already-waiting single "Don't Break My Heart." Released in 1986, it became an instant freestyle classic, as did the early-1987 follow-up "Let Me Be...