Lisa Lisa’s Journey to Stardom: A Lifetime Biopic Unveiled

NEW YORK — Lifetime‘s new biopic, “Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story,” premieres February 1, chronicling the rise of pop star and Latin-freestyle legend Lisa Lisa, born Lisa Velez. The film explores her journey from being the youngest of ten children in Hell’s Kitchen to becoming a music icon in the 1980s.

Lisa Lisa’s 1984 breakout single, “I Wonder If I Take You Home,” was one of the first hits to blend soulful vocals with electro beats, a genre later known as freestyle. Her group, Cult Jam, achieved their first Top 10 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 with the ballad “All Cried Out.” They later topped the charts with Motown-inspired hits “Head to Toe” and “Lost in Emotion.”

The biopic, executive-produced by Lisa Lisa and her manager Toni Menage, delves into the challenges she faced in the male-dominated music industry. “I pray that I’m a Puerto Rican Lena Horne, 99, 100 years old, on the stage with a blinged-out mic,” Lisa Lisa said, reflecting on her hopes for the future.

The film also highlights her friendship with Menage, who played a pivotal role in her career. “Where I am today, I owe 100 percent to Toni Menage,” Lisa Lisa said. “She pulled me out of a really dark place and filled me in on a lot about the business that I didn’t know.”

Lisa Lisa’s story includes overcoming industry exploitation and personal struggles. “It was one incident,” she said, referring to a coercive encounter with a producer. “I’m a survivor. I went to therapy and everything.”

The biopic focuses on her career from age 15, when she joined Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, to the point when she took control of her career. “We decided that we were going to choose from the age of 15, when I first started in Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, up until when I decided that I was going to take control,” she explained.

Lisa Lisa also addressed the challenges of fame and the music industry. “I was never one to focus on any of that,” she said. “I am a true believer that God is the one that puts you where you belong.”

The film, which Lisa Lisa and Menage had significant creative control over, aims to tell the story of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, focusing on their rise to fame and the challenges they faced. “That’s what the audience needed to know,” she said.

Lisa Lisa continues to perform and is working on new music, including a salsa version of “All Cried Out.” She is also writing her memoirs, which will delve deeper into her experiences in the music industry.