Grupo Mandarina was a Dominican women's merengue group formed in 1990. Singer Grissel Báez led it, and bassist Janni Viloria played in an early lineup. Several members joined Las Chicas del Can in 1992, while Mandarina's own recordings continued to circulate under the group's name.

Recordings under its own name

The LP «Goza Goza» included «Atrévete», «Amado mío», «Mi Moreno» and «Así ando yo». A copyright registration places «Así ando yo», a composition by Frantoni Santana, on a 1991 edition of the record. Katia Rodríguez sang «Mi Moreno» and recalls touring Peru and Panama with Mandarina in her own biography.

Digital catalogs date «Dispuestas a Todo» to January 21, 1992, with eight tracks on «Evony Music», including «El Hueso», «La Boquita», «Lo Quiero a Morir» and «Mandarina Navideña». A European edition of «Caliente: Merengue y Algo Más» appeared in 1994 through «RMM» and «Bellaphon».

The 1992 lineup change

After Miriam Cruz left Las Chicas del Can, the Wilfrido Vargas organization first brought in Grissel Báez and Janni Viloria from Mandarina. Aracelys Ferreira and Michell Flores joined the new lineup later. The four became associated with the group known as «Las Monumentales», but the change took place in stages.

Mandarina's name remained on its releases after those members moved on. The available sources do not establish a definitive dissolution date or a complete timeline for every lineup.

Legacy

Mandarina recorded and toured in its own right. Its albums preserve different voices and stages of a group whose members also helped shape the next chapter of Las Chicas del Can and Dominican women's merengue in the early 1990s.