23 Facts About Rita Indiana

Rita Indiana Hernandez Sanchez was born on 11 June 1977 and is a Dominican writer and singer-songwriter.

Rita Indiana has been highly recognized and awarded on the Caribbean literary scene, and her viral music success has made Indiana a household name in the Dominican Republic where she is popularly referred to as "La Monstra".

Rita Indiana is second cousin of the journalist Oscar Haza and of the politician Victor Bisono.

Rita Indiana was baptized in honor of her great-grandmother Rita Indiana del Castillo y Rodriguez-Objio.

Rita Indiana then attended Altos de Chavon School of Design but left her schooling and decided to pursue a career in writing.

Rita Indiana admits to having a passion for reading and writing from a young age.

Rita Indiana began her writing career with short stories in the mid 1990s, shortly after leaving Autonomous University.

At the age of eighteen, Rita Indiana published her first short stories in the only literary magazine in the Dominican Republic at the time.

Rita Indiana later explored the genre of science fiction with her novel La mucama de Omicunle.

Rita Indiana made this shift to science fiction after noticing the drastic differences in technological and social development across the Caribbean.

Rita Indiana finds that this genre lends itself to more critical social and political commentary that she has previously not been able to access in past pieces.

Rita Indiana moved to Puerto Rico in the mid 2000s and began exploring the realm of music despite never taking music lessons or showing much interest in the music industry.

Rita Indiana's sound is heavily inspired by Dominican popular music, including meringue and salsa.

Rita Indiana is often credited with reinventing merengue dancing through her compositions and interpretations of Afro-Caribbean rhythms and electric beats.

In 2009, Rita Indiana banded with a group known as Los Misterios and together they went on to release several more singles along with a complete album titled El Juidero in 2010.

Rita Indiana was given the nickname "La Monstra", translated to "the monster".

Rita Indiana released her most latest single in 2017 called "El Castigador" after going on a hiatus for several years.

Rita Indiana's primary focus is on her literary career than creating music.

Rita Indiana admitted that she disliked the "pop fame," and she wanted to walk the streets without being recognized everywhere she goes.

Rita Indiana appreciated the autonomy and independence of writing whereas producing music required extensive collaboration.

Rita Indiana has stated that she feels comfortable with her decision to leave the pop music industry where her career felt as if it happened somewhat by accident.

Rita Indiana has written songs for influential Latin American musicians Julieta Venegas and Calle 13.

At the 2010 Cassandra Awards in 2010, Rita Indiana attended the prestigious event with her partner Noelia Quintero, whom she held hands with and kissed throughout that evening.