Janyll La Intérprete, the stage name of Milagros Santana Ortiz, is a Dominican singer from San José de Ocoa province. Her repertoire includes ballads, merengue, bachata, and bolero. She celebrates her birthday on June 29 and developed much of her career in New York.

Beginnings

She began her professional career in 1978 with Agustín Mercier’s orchestra, performing at Santo Domingo’s Hotel El Embajador. In 1980 she settled in New York and continued her vocal training. According to her biographical account, Puerto Rican singer Piti Franqui gave her the stage name Janyll during a performance at La Bilbaína. In 1984 she won the best-performance award at the Festival de la Voz y la Canción at the Manhattan Center with «Para vivir un gran amor».

Recordings

Her first album, «Máquina de placer», recorded under the musical direction of Héctor Garrido, included «Olías a mujer», «Mi cama vacía», «Márchate», and «Todo me salió al revés». In 1989 she released the merengue LP «Pantera Agresiva», followed by the compilation «15 Grandes Éxitos» in 1991. During the 1990s she released the self-titled album «Janyll», which included a bachata version of «Tus promesas de amor».

In 2012 she presented «Señora», with original and bachata versions of the title song and arrangements by Ramón Orlando, Víctor Waill, Davisito Paredes, and Billy Alonso. She released her rendition of the bolero «Veinte años» in 2020. In 2022 she presented «Solo contigo», whose title song was written by Enrique Féliz. Davicito Paredes and Mártires de León provided arrangements, and Edilio Paredes was among the participating musicians. The album included four compositions by Carla and a tribute to the songwriter.

Career

Recordings from several decades document her movement from ballads to merengue and bachata. She also performed in New York venues, including Madison Square Garden, while maintaining ties to the Dominican music scene.