Rockell

Rachel Alexandra Mercaldo; born on March 4, 1977, in Staten Island, New York; better known by her stage name, Rockell.

She was discovered in a bar while singing along with a recording of "Killing Me Softly With His Song," she was brought to the attention of producer [a100047], who helmed her 1996 debut single "I Fell In Love."

After scoring a hit a year later with "In A Dream," Rockell issued her debut LP, "What Are You Lookin' At?", on Robbins Entertainment in 1998. The album included both prior singles as well as "Can't We Try," a duet with freestyle act Collage, which was also a hit.

Two years later she returned with "Real 2 Step Vol. 2", which featured producers like Hex Hector and Tony Moran. Club hit "What U Did 2 Me" was her best-selling single, but it narrowly missed hitting the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The album included a cover of Garth Brooks' "The Dance," which was also released as a single.

Rockell returned in 2005 with a single called "L.O.V.E." on her own label. "[r=5308679]" and a cover of "[r=3912110]" followed in 2007 as Rockell embarked on an American tour with Joe Zangie and other freestyle artists. She released a duet with Joe Zangie, "When I Want You Back," in 2009, as well as a cover of Donna Summer's "On The Radio".

After another extended break, Rockell returned in 2012 with a new single, "[r=5301847]."