Grissel Báez is a Dominican merengue singer who led Grupo Mandarina from 1990. In 1992 she joined Las Chicas del Can and became a leading voice of the lineup known as Las Monumentales. She also released solo recordings and joined the Las Chicas del Can reunion that began in 2024.

Mandarina

Báez fronted Grupo Mandarina as its singer. In interviews she recalls wanting to make music from childhood and buying a house and a car with her earnings by the age of nineteen. Mandarina recorded «Goza Goza», «Dispuestas a Todo» and «Caliente: Merengue y Algo Más», with songs including «Atrévete», «Amado mío» and «Mi Moreno». Its recordings continued to circulate under the group's name after Báez left.

Las Monumentales

After Miriam Cruz left the earlier lineup, the Wilfrido Vargas organization brought in Báez and bassist Janni Viloria from Mandarina in 1992. Aracelys Ferreira and Michell Flores joined later; the musicians did not all move together. Báez became a prominent voice in Las Monumentales' repertoire, which included «Celoso», «Te quiero ver» and «Vuelve».

Leaving Las Chicas del Can

Báez married television host Rafael Corporán de los Santos in 1997. In a 2026 interview on «El Especial», she recounted that her departure from Las Chicas del Can was communicated to her by letter. Digital catalogs also list «La Mujer Merengue» (1997) and «Bachata Para Mujeres» (1999) under her name, though the issue dates do not establish when each track was recorded. Corporán died in 2012.

The return

In October 2024, different generations of Las Chicas del Can reunited at Teatro La Fiesta in Santo Domingo's Hotel Jaragua. Báez performed «Vuelve» with the Monumentales lineup alongside Michell Flores and Florangel Espinal. The reunion performed again in 2025. In 2026 she discussed her career from Mandarina to the orchestra in an extended interview with Colombia Alcántara.

Legacy

Báez connects two chapters of Dominican women's merengue: Mandarina's own career under her leadership and the 1990s lineup of Las Chicas del Can. Digital catalogs also list solo albums under her name.